Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientists Looking To Better Orchestrate Those Happy Accidents That Lead To Groundbreaking Drugs
The Washington Post: Viagra And Many Other Drugs Were Discovered By Chance. Now Science Is Hoping To Change That.
When a medication being developed to treat a heart condition gave patients erections, drugmakers knew they had a winner — not for angina, but for erectile dysfunction. That drug is now known as Viagra. Figuring out that a drug developed for one ailment can be effective for another was once a matter of chance. In the case of Viagra, for example, the discovery emerged by observing an unintended but beneficial side effect. Now, technological and scientific advances are allowing researchers to rely more on science and less on luck in hopes of cutting the time and expense involved in getting new treatments to patients. (Swartz, 5/13)
The Associated Press: Patients, Health Care Workers Call For Affordable Insulin
Activists are rallying in Massachusetts, demanding more affordable insulin. The Boston chapter of the Right Care Alliance is rallying Saturday in Cambridge to call for an end to what the organization calls "insulin profiteering." The coalition of patients, health care professionals and community members says price increases have made an essential drug unaffordable for many with diabetes and resulted in unnecessary deaths. (5/12)
Health News Florida: Epipen Shortage Doesn’t Mean There’s An Epinephrine Shortage
There’s a shortage of EpiPens, which are used to treat severe allergic reactions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says a problem with the manufacturing process is to blame. (Prieur, 5/11)
And in more news related to Novartis' dealings with Trump lawyer Michael Cohen —
Stat: Democratic Senator Opens Probe Into Novartis Over Its Dealings With Trump's Attorney
Alawmaker is opening an investigation into Novartis for paying $1.2 million to President Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, in an attempt to gain access to the White House, a disclosure that has prompted widespread criticism of the drug maker. The company has said it agreed to a one-year contract, beginning in February 2017, with Cohen’s firm, Essential Consultants, in order to create a direct channel to the Trump administration about “health care policy matters.” The arrangement, however, has been widely derided because Cohen is not a lobbyist or an expert in health care matters. And Novartis said it let the contract lapse when it expired. (Silverman, 5/11)
Kaiser Health News: Why Did Novartis Pay Trump’s Lawyer $1.2 Million? Look At Its Drug Prices
President Donald Trump didn’t mention Novartis or other drugmakers by name last year when he said the industry is “getting away with murder.” Yet executives at the Switzerland-based pharmaceutical giant shelled out $1.2 million to Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to “advise” its executives on health policy and what was happening in the Trump White House. Novartis paid more money to Cohen than did any of his clients revealed thus far. (Hancock, 5/11)
