Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Saliva Test That Diagnoses Concussions Could Have Huge Effect on Sports
The Washington Post: Saliva Test For Concussions Found By University Of Birmingham Researchers
Researchers say they can diagnose concussions accurately using a biomarker in saliva, a groundbreaking finding that raises the possibility that doctors and athletic trainers could rapidly determine whether someone suffered a concussion using an objective test, according to a peer-reviewed article published Tuesday in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. The implications reach beyond the playing field but are significant for sports — especially football, which for years has grappled with how to diagnose concussions and when to allow players to return to play after potentially suffering a brain injury. An objective test would not replace the standard clinical assessment based on symptoms, but it could provide a crucial supplement for confirming concussions or even finding ones that went unreported. (Kilgore, 3/23)
Axios: Researchers Developing Drug Delivery Device
A research-stage company is developing a wearable dosing and delivery device for medication, including for the painkiller drug ketamine. Wearable drug delivery systems allow doctors to precisely control doses delivered to someone at home, which could help reduce the risk of drug abuse while ensuring patients receive their medication seamlessly. (Walsh, 3/20)
In pharmaceutical industry news —
Modern Healthcare: Boston Scientific To Pay $189 Million Settlement Over Vaginal Mesh Devices
Boston Scientific will pay $188.6 million to settle allegations that it used deceptive marketing practices to sell its transvaginal surgical mesh products to doctors and patients. A coalition of 48 state attorneys general alleged in a complaint that Boston Scientific failed to sufficiently disclose risks associated with the mesh use and the safety and efficacy of the devices. (Gillespie, 3/23)
AP: German Firm Plea, $50M Payment Settles US Drug Purity Probe
An international pharmaceutical company pleaded guilty as planned Tuesday in a U.S. court after agreeing to pay $50 million for destroying manufacturing records during a federal Food and Drug Administration inspection in India. Fresenius Kabi Oncology Ltd. said in a statement it was pleased to conclude the drug purity investigation after eight years and regretted that “such events happened years ago at one of its plants.” The company said it informed the public in July 2013 that employees at a company plant in Kalyani, West Bengal, India, had been fired for failing to provide records during an FDA inspection earlier that year. (3/24)
Stat: AbbVie Accuses Company Of Recruiting Employee To Steal Humira Secrets
Two years ago, a manufacturing team leader at AbbVie (ABBV) took a similar job at an erstwhile rival that planned to make a biosimilar version of Humira, its best-selling product. But before leaving, the employee allegedly transferred a raft of confidential information about the steps needed to produce the blockbuster medicine, according to a lawsuit filed by AbbVie in a federal court. (Silverman, 3/23)
