Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Invent Temporary Pacemaker That Dissolves After Use
Stat: Scientists Create A Temporary Pacemaker That Can Be Absorbed By The Body
Scientists have designed a temporary, battery-free pacemaker that can be broken down by the patient’s body when its work is done, the latest advance in the emerging field of bioelectronics. In a paper published this week in Nature Biotechnology, researchers report that the device reliably kept the heart’s pace in check in tests on mice, rats, and other animals, as well as in human heart tissue in a dish. And while the research is still in the early stages, the scientists say the pacemaker was able to overcome key limitations of existing devices. (Lin, 7/2)
Stat: Researchers Question Genetic Risk Scores To Pick ‘Healthier’ Embryos
As more people turn to in vitro fertilization for help with conceiving, a host of companies is capitalizing on the opportunity by offering screening services that allow hopeful parents to select embryos least likely to result in a baby with genetic abnormalities or life-threatening diseases. But in a report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine, a group of researchers is questioning the strength and ethical implications of such risk screening services, especially as some companies seem to be pushing beyond disease prediction to screen for traits such as cognitive ability. (Lopez, 7/1)
Stat: Regeneron's George Yancopoulos Talks CRISPR, Obesity, And Antibodies
The discovery of a rare genetic mutation that seems to protect certain people from becoming obese may one day lead to drugs that can help people lose weight or prevent other complications like diabetes and heart disease, said Regeneron Pharmaceuticals co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer George Yancopoulos. Regeneron scientists and other collaborators published new findings about this protective mutation in the journal Science. (Tirrell, Feuerstein and Garde, 7/2)
And in pharmaceutical industry news —
Stat: U.S. Cancer Drug Prices Were Higher At Launch Than In 3 European Countries
In the latest bid to compare drug costs, a new study finds that prices for dozens of cancer medicines were substantially higher when introduced into the U.S. market compared with three wealthy European countries — and they continued to climb at a rate faster than inflation over a decade. At the same time, the prices in those three other countries — Germany, England, and Switzerland — decreased after accounting for inflation. Moreover, there was no association found between the clinical benefit of the 65 solid tumor and blood cancer medicines, the launch prices, or subsequent price changes in any of the countries, according to the study in JAMA Oncology. (Silverman, 7/1)
AP: Does New Alzheimer's Drug Work? Answers May Miss 2030 Target
When a controversial Alzheimer’s drug won U.S. approval, surprise over the decision quickly turned to shock at how long it might take to find out if it really works — nine years. Drugmaker Biogen has until 2030 to complete a study confirming whether its new drug Aduhelm truly slows the brain-destroying disease. That’s under the terms of the Food and Drug Administration’s conditional approval of the drug, a decision that has been praised by patients as overdue and condemned by the agency’s own outside experts. But both camps agree: 2030 is far too long to wait for answers on the $56,000-a-year drug. (Perrone, 7/1)
Bloomberg: Carcinogens Still Vex Drug Industry Years After Recalls Began
Years after millions of blood-pressure pills were recalled for containing potentially cancer-causing chemicals, U.S. regulators are still grappling with curbing contaminants that keep turning up in tainted drugs. A task force of Food and Drug Administration chemists, toxicologists and analytical lab staff have been meeting regularly since 2018 to find out how the chemicals, called nitrosamines, get into drugs, how widespread the issue is -- and how to eliminate them from medicines. (Edney, 7/1)
Stat: Nestlé To Split Profits From Seres Microbiome Drug, If Approved
Seres Therapeutics has announced a new deal with its longtime partner, Nestlé Health Science, to bring Seres’ lead experimental microbiome drug to the U.S. market. That drug, SER-109, has been tested to treat the potentially lethal bacteria C. difficile. The deal, announced Thursday, is worth $175 million upfront, with more than $300 million more in milestone payments. Each company will split the profits from the drug sales down the middle. (Sheridan, 7/1)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Un-Trumping The ACA
The Biden administration this week proposed a series of changes aimed at boosting insurance enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, undoing changes made by the Trump administration and adding a few new ones. Meanwhile, Congress is launching investigations of the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of Aduhelm, a controversial drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease that may (or may not) slow its progression. The drug’s price — an estimated $56,000 per year — and the fact that most Alzheimer’s patients are on Medicare mean the federal program could end up footing most of the drug’s bill, threatening the finances of the rest of the health program. (7/1)
In news about opioids and other drug use —
Charleston Gazette-Mail: Cabell County, Huntington Rests At Opioid Trial; Judge Weighs Defense's Dismissal Request
After resting its months-long case in which the city of Huntington and Cabell County accused drug distributors of helping to cause the opioid crisis in the area, the municipalities faced their biggest obstacle Thursday — satisfying an inquisitive judge. The trial stemmed from the local governments’ accusations against AmerisourceBergen Corp., Cardinal Health and McKesson Co., which they accuse of fueling the opioid epidemic by shipping 127.9 million dosage units of opioids to the community over eight years, before a reduction of shipments made people with substance use disorder turn to illicit drugs. (Hessler, 7/1)
Axios: States Want To Study Possible Mental Health Benefits Of Psychedelics
More states are opening the door to psychedelics, with seven states already passing laws over the last several months to allow research or decriminalize its use and another 11 considering similar measures. There's a growing body of research suggesting psychedelic compounds with psychotherapy can be effective for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder where other therapies have failed. (Fernandez, 7/2)
KHN: California Lawmakers Push Feds To Allow A Therapy That Pays Meth Users To Abstain
In his multiple attempts to overcome a methamphetamine addiction that ground through two decades of his life, Tyrone Clifford Jr. remembers well the closest he came. “The most success I had,” he said, “is when my dealer was in jail.” Then Clifford walked into a rehab clinic in San Francisco called PROP, the Positive Reinforcement Opportunity Project. There, he encountered an approach so simple he sounds slightly bemused explaining it. The secret? The program paid him to show up and stay clean. (Kreidler, 7/2)
