Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
The Good News And The Bad News: Drugs May Offer Relief To Migraine Sufferers, But They Come At High Cost
Stat: New Migraine Drugs May Give Insurers A Headache
A pair of long-acting drugs that would be the first used for preventing migraines may cause a different kind of headache. Known as CGRP inhibitors, the injectable drugs work by interfering with a substance involved in modifying nerve signals, and recent studies found that two of the medicines reduce the frequency at which migraines appeared. This may be good news for the estimated 38 million migraine sufferers in the U.S., as well as investors, since the market for such drugs will be worth billions of dollars. (Silverman, 4/12)
Stat: Pfizer Latest To Test Gene Therapy For Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Pfizer (PFE) has begun its first human trials of a gene therapy to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy, following two other companies that have launched trials and one treatment for the disease in recent years. The first patient received the experimental therapy, called PF-06939926, on March 22, Pfizer said Thursday. The study is expected to run through 2019 and to enroll about a dozen boys from 5 to 12 years old at four sites. (Cooney, 4/12)
The Associated Press: Canadian Pharmacy To Be Fined Millions For Illegal Imports
An online pharmacy that bills itself as Canada's largest is expected to be fined $34 million Friday for importing counterfeit cancer drugs and other unapproved pharmaceuticals into the United States, a sentence that one advocacy group called too light for such a heinous crime. Canada Drugs has filled millions of prescriptions by offering itself as a safe alternative for patients to save money on expensive drugs, and its founder, Kristian Thorkelson, has been hailed as an industry pioneer for starting the company in 2001. (Volz, 4/13)
