Red Cross Urgently Needs Blood Donors
The organization said its national blood inventory dropped by more than 25% since July 1. In legal news, a second trial win for GSK and a lawsuit from the family of Henrietta Lacks. Other pharma and tech news is on Adaptimmune, Roche, BioMarin, and more.
ABC News:
Red Cross Declares Emergency Blood Shortage After National Inventory Falls By 25% In July
The American Red Cross said Monday that it is experiencing an emergency blood shortage, and extreme heat may be partly to blame. In a press release, the organization said its national blood inventory fell by more than 25% since July 1. Rolling heat waves and record temperatures have impacted more than 100 drives in the last month in every state where the Red Cross collects blood. (Kekatos, 8/5)
In legal news —
Bloomberg:
GSK Prevails In Second Zantac Cancer Case To Go To Trial
GSK Plc convinced an Illinois jury that the former heartburn drug Zantac was not liable for a woman’s colorectal cancer in a second trial win for the British drugmaker. It comes just over two months after jurors in Chicago also found that GSK and Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH weren’t liable for another woman’s illness. (Furlong, 8/6)
The Baltimore Sun:
Henrietta Lacks' Family Files Third HeLa Cell Line Lawsuit
The family of Henrietta Lacks filed a lawsuit Monday against two large pharmaceutical companies, alleging the firms have profited from exploiting the Baltimore County woman’s cell line. The lawsuit against Novartis and Viatris serves as the third installment of a legal saga that started with the family of the Turner Station resident hiring prominent civil rights attorney Ben Crump and suing a biotechnology firm in 2021. (Belson, 8/5)
Reuters:
Biotech Firm Drops Defamation Suit Against Short-Sellers After Researcher Charged
Cassava Sciences ended its defamation lawsuit against four short sellers who expressed doubts about its experimental Alzheimer's drug after a medical professor whose research underpinned the treatment was charged with fraud. The biotechnology company sued in 2022 after the short sellers, who were also scientists who investigated Cassava's statements about its simufilam drug, claimed on social media and the website "cassavafraud.com" that Hoau-Yan Wang's research for simufilam was fabricated. (Cohen, 8/5)
More pharma and tech developments —
Reuters:
US FDA Approves Adaptimmune's Therapy For Rare Type Of Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it has approved Adaptimmune's first-of-its-kind treatment for a rare type of cancer in the soft tissues that most often affects young people. The therapy, branded as Tecelra, was approved to treat synovial sarcoma — a potentially life-threatening cancer — in certain patients who have received prior chemotherapy. (Sunny, 8/5)
Stat:
Roche Cancels Rare Disease Trial, Infuriates Parents, Scientists
Roche, the Swiss pharmaceutical giant, earlier this year abruptly cancelled an international clinical trial of a drug being studied to treat children with a rare genetic disorder, citing “trade-offs made … to increase the overall portfolio value.” The news stunned parents of children enrolled in the Phase 2 study, as well as the academic researchers running it. (Cohen, 8/6)
Stat:
BioMarin To Restrict Sales Of Hemophilia Therapy, Seeking To Overcome Slow Sales
Struggling to find new patients, BioMarin Pharmaceuticals on Monday said it would restrict sales of its gene therapy for hemophilia A to three countries where it is currently approved, including the United States — a restructuring intended to reduce costs and help the treatment become profitable by next year. (Feuerstein, 8/5)
Reuters:
Lilly, Novo Nordisk Battle For Weight-Loss Market Lands At The Pharmacy Shelf
As Eli Lilly's weight-loss drug Zepbound gains ground in the U.S. against Novo Nordisk's Wegovy, some doctors say their guiding principle for writing prescriptions is simple: which drug can my patients actually get at the pharmacy? (Fick and Wingrove, 8/6)
The Washington Post:
Getting A Continuous Glucose Monitors Soon Won’t Require A Prescription
In a groundbreaking expansion of technology previously aimed at diabetics who need to carefully control their blood sugar, Abbott Laboratories and Dexcom are poised to begin selling continuous glucose monitors over the counter, meaning they can be purchased by adults without first seeing a doctor. (Gilbert, 8/5)
