Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pig Kidney Recipient Gets A Human Organ, Making Transplant History
CNN: Man Who Received Experimental Pig Kidney Transplant Now Has A Human Organ
One year ago, Tim Andrews was among the world’s first recipients of a genetically modified pig kidney. Now, he is the first in that small group of pioneers to go on to receive a human kidney. (Kounang, 1/17)
CBS News: A Head-On Car Crash Sidelined A Young Mom. A Rare Transplant Was The Only Option To Get Her Life Back
For Lacy Cornelius Boyd, March 19, 2024, was an exciting day. She and her husband had taken their 6-year-old daughter to the Grand Canyon as part of a family road trip. Boyd, her husband and their daughter were planning to stop at McDonald's before heading home to Oklahoma. Everything was well — until their car hit a patch of black ice. (Breen, 1/17)
In pharma and tech news —
AP: Supreme Court Will Hear Appeal By Maker Of Roundup Weedkiller
The Supreme Court agreed on Friday to hear an appeal from global agrochemical manufacturer Bayer to block thousands of state lawsuits alleging it failed to warn people that its popular weedkiller could cause cancer. The justices will consider whether the Environmental Protection Agency’s approval of the Roundup weedkiller without a cancer warning should rule out the state court claims. (Sherman, 1/16)
Bloomberg: GSK To Buy Rapt Therapeutics In Deal Valued At $2.2 Billion
GSK Plc agreed to buy Rapt Therapeutics, a US-based biotech developing treatments for patients with inflammatory and immunologic diseases, in a deal valued at $2.2 billion. The UK drug company will pay $58 a share, equivalent to an equity value of $2.2 billion, according to a statement Tuesday. ... The acquisition includes ozureprubart, a potential prophylactic protection against food allergens that would require less frequent dosing than the current standard of care. GSK said the deal will give it the global rights to the ozureprubart program, excluding Greater China. (Hipwell and Furlong, 1/20)
ProPublica: Drug Testing Company Averhealth Scrutinized After Claims Of Inaccurate Results
In 2020, a foster care supervisor in Montcalm County, Michigan, messaged her boss with concerns about drug testing. A father who was working to reunite with his children had tested positive for methamphetamine with the lab the state had a contract with, Averhealth, and the results contradicted tests ordered by other law enforcement agencies, she wrote. “Judge indicated on the record that the issue of Averhealth’s testing results was a state-wide issue and that probate court judges all over the state were having similar problems.” (Hines, 1/20)
Stat: Bariatric Surgery Beats GLP-1s For Type 2 Diabetes, Study Finds
When endocrinologist Mary Elizabeth Patti looks at a patient with type 2 diabetes who could benefit from weight loss, she sees more than body mass index and blood glucose levels. She also recognizes the challenges of social vulnerability, understanding how low income, food insecurity, and limited access to health care might matter in treatment choice. After all, those factors are strongly linked to developing type 2 diabetes and obesity in the first place. (Cooney, 1/19)
Modern Healthcare: How Health Systems Are Expanding AI Into Clinical Care
Artificial intelligence’s potential to simplify administrative tasks, increase revenue, accelerate research and improve patient care got a hearty endorsement this week. Many providers have moved past pilot programs to systemwide rollouts for AI-fueled back-office applications designed to transcribe and organize patient visit notes, limit inbound electronic health record messaging, manage claims, guide patient appointments and streamline operating room scheduling. Health systems are slowly wading into AI’s clinical applications, such as using it to reduce mortality in sepsis patients and analyze medical imaging. (Kacik, 1/16)
