Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Philips Respironics To Pay $479M To Settle Claims Of Flawed CPAP Machines
The New York Times: CPAP Maker Agrees To $479 Million Settlement Over Defects
Philips Respironics has agreed to a $479 million partial settlement on claims over flaws in the company’s breathing machines that spewed gases and flecks of foam into the airways of consumers and that spawned recalls involving millions of the devices, lawyers for plaintiffs in the lawsuit announced on Thursday. (Jewett, 9/7)
Also —
NBC News: Popular Weight Loss Drug May Help People With Type 1 Diabetes Cut Back On Insulin, Small Study Suggests
Treatment with the diabetes and weight loss drug semaglutide may allow people newly diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes to dramatically cut back or even completely stop insulin injections, a very small study published Wednesday suggests. ... Experts not involved with the study called the results exciting, but stressed that much more research is needed.
Stat: Why Novartis Is Changing The Name Of Its Research Labs
Swiss drugmaker Novartis’ research and development hub has a new name — and a new guiding strategy. The hub, which is headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., and for years has been known as Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, or NIBR, will soon simply be known as Novartis BioMedical Research. (Wosen, 9/8)
Stat: How A Supplement Company Became A Haven For Misinformation
On a Friday afternoon in July, as many New Yorkers fled the scorching city streets, a couple of dozen out-of-towners descended on Times Square. They came bearing gold letter balloons spelling out LFVN, the stock symbol for LifeVantage, the company they’d come to promote, and foam cutouts of its navy blue supplement bottles. LifeVantage’s chief executive officer, Steve Fife, rang the Nasdaq exchange’s closing bell, a celebration of the Utah-based company’s new products and rewards programs. Displayed on the side of the seven-story Nasdaq building were advertisements promoting the company’s dietary supplements and their power to “optimize health.” (Gellman, 9/8)
Stat: How To Fix Cancer Clinical Trials' Diversity Problem
There’s a diversity problem in cancer clinical trials, and few know this better than Stephanie Walker. When she was diagnosed with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, Walker said there was no one to help her figure out the system, not even a nurse or patient navigator. (Balthazar, 9/7)
The Hill: Marijuana Rescheduling Falls Short Of Expectations On Biden
The Biden administration’s recommendation last week for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to reschedule marijuana marked one of its most significant steps related to the president’s ambitious campaign promise to decriminalize cannabis use. But advocates and policy experts say rescheduling marijuana under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA) does not address the plethora of racial justice issues caused by current cannabis laws. (Choi and Daniels, 9/8)
