Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Preeclampsia Discovery Raises Hopes For Future Blood Test
Stat: Blood Test To Predict Preeclampsia May Spot Pregnancy Complications Early
Preeclampsia is a potentially serious problem that usually surfaces late in pregnancy, posing an immediate risk of preterm birth, stillbirth, and death as well a later danger of stroke for the mother. New research published Wednesday in Nature shows how RNA molecules sequenced from a single blood sample could predict preeclampsia months before symptoms appear, holding promise for detecting and treating this and other pregnancy complications before they cause harm. (Cooney, 1/5)
And look out for hedgehogs —
The New York Times: Hedgehogs Are A Source Of Drug-Resistant Bacteria, Study Finds
The tiny, spiny and adorable hedgehog is helping to upend conventional wisdom about the origins of drug-resistant bacterial infections that kill thousands of people each year. In a study published Wednesday in Nature, a group of international scientists found that the bacteria that cause a tough-to-treat infection existed in nature long before modern antibiotics began to be mass produced in the 1940s. The drugs have saved countless lives, but the wide distribution of antibiotics in the decades since then has also spurred an evolutionary arms race with the pathogens they target, leading to the emergence of dreaded superbugs that have evaded our efforts to vanquish them with pharmaceuticals. (Jacobs, 1/5)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Stat: Top Hospitals Aren’t Offering Alzheimer's Drug Aduhelm
Almost no one is prescribing Aduhelm, the controversial new Alzheimer’s treatment that roiled the health care landscape when regulators approved it this summer. Major health care systems like the Cleveland Clinic made it clear almost immediately that they wouldn’t offer the new therapy, citing a lack of convincing evidence that the drug actually helps treat Alzheimer’s disease. Now, STAT has identified another 15 university-affiliated hospitals that aren’t offering the drug, including Johns Hopkins, University of California Los Angeles, and the University of Michigan. (Florko, 1/6)
Stat: Blueprint Medicines Seeks 'Continuity, Not Change' In CEO Transition
For Jeff Albers, the decision to step down as the CEO of Blueprint Medicines after eight years is a “natural evolution” for the growing biotech company that allows other executives to step up into more senior roles. In a leadership transition announced Wednesday, Albers will exit his CEO post in April but will remain with Blueprint as executive chairman. Current Chief Operating Officer Kate Haviland was promoted to CEO. Christina Rossi, the company’s chief commercial officer, will move into Haviland’s former COO role. (Feuerstein, 1/6)
KHN: The War On Cancer At 50: The Origin Story Begins With A Socialite Citizen-Lobbyist
The roots of the National Cancer Act can be traced to a small home in Watertown, Wisconsin. In the early 1900s, a girl named Mary tagged along when her mother went to visit their laundress, Mrs. Belter, who had breast cancer. When they arrived, the woman was in bed, her seven children around her. She was terribly sick. That day, Mary was only around 4 years old, but she remembered it for the rest of her life. (Emanuel, 1/6)
