Survey: Doctors Don’t Yet Trust Biosimilars
A survey reported in FiercePharma shows while more biosimilars are hitting the U.S. market, some doctors are hesitant to trust the lower-cost drugs the same way they trust the originals. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration has called the Philips respiratory machine recall "most serious."
FiercePharma:
Doctors Are Still Hesitant To Trust Biosimilars, Survey Says
AbbVie’s mega-blockbuster Humira is finally subject to biosimilar competition in the United States. With the launch last month of Amgen’s Amjevita—to be followed later this year by other Humira biosimilars entering the market—patients finally have access to lower-cost alternatives to the immunology blockbuster. But there are key players who are not on board with biosimilars. And their reticence could hinder the uptake of these lower-cost knockoffs. (Dunleavy, 2/16)
Reuters:
U.S. FDA Classifies Recall Of Philips' Respiratory Devices As Most Serious
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday classified the recall of Dutch medical devices maker Philips' (PHG.AS) respiratory machines as most serious, saying their use could lead to injuries or death. (2/16)
CNBC:
Eli Lilly Recruits Black Patients For Alzheimer's Trial, Drugmakers Seek Diversity
Sharon Kimbrough went to the Black Women’s Expo in Atlanta to sell her memoir. Getting tested for Alzheimer’s was the furthest thing from her mind, but when nurses from Eli Lilly approached her about the company’s new trial, she decided to let them draw her blood. “I had two family members that had Alzheimer’s,” said Kimbrough, a retired advertising executive. “Sometimes I have memory issues and some of it in older age happens. But it could be something else.” (Coombs, 2/16)
CBS News:
Black Cardiologists Are Rare, But Vital For Black Patients
Heart patient Jerrilyn Young said it makes a big difference that her cardiologist is Black. "He talks to me," said Young. "A lot of Black people won't go to doctors because they don't have anybody that talks to them. They tell them what to do without asking them how they actually feel." (Diaz, 2/16)
The Baltimore Sun:
Lawsuit Against Thermo Fisher By Henrietta Lacks’ Family Slowly Moves Forward
The federal lawsuit that family members of Henrietta Lacks filed against Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2021 — accusing the U.S. biotech giant of “unjust enrichment” for making and selling products that relied on cells taken from her more than 70 years ago — is moving forward slowly. (Roberts, 2/16)
KHN:
California Requires Hospitals To Turn To A Patient’s Next Of Kin, Closing A Longtime Loophole
About four years ago, Dr. Gene Dorio sat on the ethics committee of a Southern California hospital whose administrators insisted they could decide whether to disconnect a ventilator from an unconscious patient — even though the man’s wife and adult children wanted to continue life support. (Kreidler, 2/17)
Stat:
Feng Zhang Launches New Genetic Delivery Startup Aera
Akin Akinc was scouring his email spam box last summer, looking for a missing message, when he stumbled across an unexpected email from a quite recognizable name: Feng Zhang. Zhang, one of the leading scientists in the groundbreaking field of genetic editing, had reached out two days prior to discuss a new company he was working on. Since helping to discover CRISPR-Cas9 — often referred to as molecular scissors that can cut into the genome and edit DNA — Zhang has founded at least six companies, worth around $4.6 billion combined. (DeAngelis, 2/16)
FiercePharma:
VMLY&R, Gilead Use AI To Turn Patient Testimonies Into Paintings
VMLY&R’s bid to clean up again at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity is backed by a new collaborator: generative AI. Using the hyped technology, the marketing and comms agency has turned the testimonies of breast cancer patients into paintings for Gilead Sciences—and turned up the heat on Spanish legislators in the process. (Paul Taylor, 2/16)
Reuters:
Allianz Swings To Q4 Net Profit, Bounces Back From U.S. Funds Debacle
Germany's Allianz (ALVG.DE) on Friday swung to a fourth-quarter net profit, marking a return to the black after taking big charges a year earlier for a U.S. funds scandal. The fourth quarter was helped by strength at its life and health insurance business due to a higher investment margin, Allianz said, while its asset management division saw lower revenues and fees. (2/17)
In other pharma news —
KHN:
Mark Cuban Has Been Taking On The Drug Industry. But Which One?
When billionaire Mark Cuban announced his attack on the pharmaceutical industry and its high-priced drugs in January 2021, it was met with cheers. His new company — the Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co., known as Cost Plus Drugs — has the “lowest prices on meds anywhere,” he said. (Tahir, 2/17)
