Sarepta Suspends Elevidys Shipments After Pressure From FDA, Hospitals
Sarepta's pause on its prescription gene therapy drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy gives the company time to work with the FDA on reviews. Infusions nationwide will be canceled. Also in the news, AstraZeneca, Sanofi, Humana, UnitedHealth, and more.
Stat:
Sarepta Will Stop Shipping Elevidys, Duchenne Gene Therapy
Sarepta Therapeutics said Monday evening it will pause all shipments of Elevidys, its gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, acceding to a request made by the Food and Drug Administration after several patient deaths. It’s a surprising reversal by Sarepta. The company had initially rejected the agency’s request, which was issued Friday. (Feuerstein and Mast, 7/21)
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AstraZeneca Says It Will Invest $50 Billion In The U.S. By 2030
Under pressure of tariffs and price controls from the Trump administration, AstraZeneca announced Monday that it would invest $50 billion by 2030.AstraZeneca’s CEO, Pascal Soriot, flanked by Trump administration officials and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, added that, as part of the investment, the company would build a multi-billion-dollar manufacturing site in Virginia. (Payne, 7/21)
Modern Healthcare:
How Medtech Companies Could Benefit From The New Tax Law
Medtech may be one of the few sectors in healthcare that stands to benefit from the new tax law. The Medicaid cuts law includes incentives for companies’ research and development activities and capital investments. The provisions apply to all companies, and could mean expanded financial support for medtech startups and more cash in the near term for companies of all sizes. (Dubinsky, 7/21)
Bloomberg:
Sanofi To Buy Vicebio For Up To $1.6 Billion In Vaccine Push
Sanofi agreed to buy UK biotech Vicebio Ltd. for as much as $1.6 billion, gaining experimental vaccines and a technology to streamline their development. The French drugmaker will pay $1.15 billion upfront with a commitment for potential milestones worth as much as $450 million, it said in a statement Tuesday. (Petroff and Furlong, 7/22)
Insurance industry —
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Humana Tries Again With Medicare Advantage Ratings Lawsuit
Humana refiled a lawsuit Monday evening against the federal government, as the health insurance giant pushes to keep billions of dollars that could vanish as a result of downgraded ratings tied to its Medicare Advantage plans. (Herman, 7/22)
Fierce Healthcare:
UnitedHealth Rolling Out New Early Cancer Detection Benefit
UnitedHealthcare is rolling out a new benefit to encourage preventive cancer screenings. The insurer's new breast and colon cancer detection benefit will be available for eligible commercial plans starting Jan. 1, 2026. Through the program, UHC will cover members' first diagnostic imaging tests for breast cancer and diagnostic tests for colon cancer. (Minemyer, 7/21)
Modern Healthcare:
Fortuna Health Raises $18M From Andreessen Horowitz
Medicaid-focused startup Fortuna Health has raised $18 million in a Series A funding round, the company announced Monday. The round was led by Andreessen Horowitz. Y Combinator, the startup accelerator that helped launch Airbnb and Instacart, also participated, along with the founders of artificial intelligence company Abridge, insurtech Oscar Health and primary care company One Medical (now part of Amazon). (Perna, 7/21)
