Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senators Push Becerra For Cheap Canadian-Sourced Prescription Drugs
The Hill: Four Senators Call On Becerra To Back Importation Of Prescription Drugs From Canada
A bipartisan group of four senators requested Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra’s support to allow less costly prescription drugs to be imported from Canada. Sens. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Angus King (I-Maine) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) sent a letter to the secretary on Monday asking him to back policies permitting states and tribes to import certain prescription drugs from Canada. (Coleman, 7/27)
Stat: Biden Wants To Bolster The Pharma Supply Chain, But Plant Closure Looms
If you think bolstering the pharmaceutical supply chain in the U.S. is a national priority, you could be wrong. Just take a look at the sorry situation in Morgantown, W. Va. A decades-old generic-drug manufacturing plant run by Viatris — which was created last fall through a merger of Mylan and Pfizer’s Upjohn unit — will close this week, eliminating more than 1,200 jobs. Another 200 or so will go next year. The production work is being sent overseas, mostly to India, where Mylan already operates several facilities. (Silverman, 7/27)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Stat: At FDA, Biogen Found A Key Believer In Its Controversial Alzheimer's Drug
When the drug maker Biogen pitched its Alzheimer’s treatment to a panel of independent experts last November, most saw muddled, confusing data that raised doubts about whether it would benefit patients. Billy Dunn saw a “home run.” Dunn, the Food and Drug Administration’s chief of neuroscience, told the experts that the data supporting Aduhelm were “extremely persuasive,” and, in a departure from the neutral tone that regulators typically strike, he called on the agency to “exercise the broadest flexibility” to approve the treatment. Seven months later, it did. (Florko, Garde and Feuerstein, 7/27)
Modern Healthcare: PathAI Acquires Part Of Poplar Pathology Lab
Artificial-intelligence startup PathAI on Monday said it acquired Poplar, the management service arm of pathology laboratory Poplar Healthcare. PathAI, a Boston-based startup that develops AI software for pathologists, is one of the most well-funded clinical AI startups. The acquisition marks PathAI's step into traditional clinical diagnostics; Poplar Healthcare, which is based in Memphis, Tenn., provides testing services for gastroenterologists, dermatologists, oncologists, urologists and gynecologists. Poplar, which will become PathAI's diagnostics division, will be able to use PathAI's machine learning—a type of AI—tools to analyze pathology images. (Kim Cohen, 7/26)
CNBC: BioNTech Says It Plans To Develop An MRNA Vaccine To Prevent Malaria
German drugmaker BioNTech announced Monday it plans to develop an mRNA-based vaccine to prevent malaria, a life-threatening disease that impacts millions of people worldwide each year. The company, which developed the United States’ first authorized Covid-19 vaccine with U.S. drugmaker Pfizer, said it is aiming to begin clinical trials testing the shot by the end of 2022. (Lovelace Jr., 7/26)
