Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Testing Begins Of Vaccine Against Aggressive Breast Cancer
CBS News: Potential Breast Cancer Vaccine Undergoing Testing
A potential vaccine that would prevent the most deadly and aggressive type of breast cancer — triple-negative breast cancer — is undergoing testing. The key protein for the vaccine, which would be a "holy grail" of cancer treatment, was found through "a matter of luck and tenacity in going through databases and looking for proteins," Dr. Vincent Tuohy said, almost like finding a needle in a haystack. The vaccine works by jumpstarting the immune system and attacking any tumors that contain a specific protein that should not be present unless a woman is lactating. (Narula, 12/22)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat: Scientists See Conviction Of U.S. Researcher With China Ties As A Threat
The trial was supposed to be a bellwether — an indicator of whether federal investigators might ease up in their scrutiny of university labs with potential ties to China. Already, a University of Tennessee engineer had been found not guilty of any misconduct. The Justice Department had dropped charges against five other researchers, who’d been accused of covering up links to the Chinese military. If Harvard University nanotechnology star Charles Lieber were let off, too, it might deal a blow to the China Initiative, a Trump-era search for academics involved in scientific espionage. Instead, Lieber was found guilty on Tuesday — not of espionage or theft of intellectual property, but of lying to federal agents and failing to report foreign income and assets on his tax filings. (Boodman, 12/23)
Stat: 3 Contentious Decisions The FDA Will Make In 2022
It’s going to be a bumpy 2022 for the Food and Drug Administration. Even as the agency waits for the Senate to confirm a permanent leader, it’s gearing up for a battle with lawmakers over the future of the user-fee program that provides nearly half its revenue. On top of that, it is still struggling to keep up with responding to the Covid-19 pandemic. The FDA is also gearing up for some of the most monumental decisions in recent memory. The decisions span the FDA’s vast portfolio, but they have one thing in common: They’re going to generate outsized controversy, and could even land the agency in court. (Florko, 12/23)
Stat: 7 Challenges That Could Make Or Break Biogen's 2022
Can Biogen pull itself back from the brink? The company is ending 2021 with dismal sales of its treatment for Alzheimer’s disease and its stock depressed. Management is slashing the drug’s price and cutting expenses. Now, 2022 will likely determine whether the storied biotech company can steer itself out of corporate disaster. (Garde, Feuerstein and Cohrs, 12/23)
Also —
AP: Jurors In The Elizabeth Holmes Trial May Take Next Week Off
The jurors responsible for assessing 11 charges of fraud and conspiracy against former Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes are scheduled to begin their third day of deliberations on Thursday. If they haven’t reached a verdict by the end of the day, U.S. District Judge Edward Davila and the attorneys for both sides will discuss the possibility of taking a break until Jan. 3. The jury had originally signaled that it was willing to deliberate during the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day. (Liedtke, 12/23)
