Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Walgreens Staff Plan 'Pharmageddon' Walkout To Protest Unsafe Conditions
CNBC: Pharmacy Staff From Walgreens, Chains Like CVS To Walk Out Again
Some pharmacy staff from Walgreens and other drugstore chains are planning to walk out this week in the latest pushback against what they call unsafe working conditions that put both employees and patients at risk. (Constantino, 10/29)
On sickle cell disease —
AP: A New Cure For Sickle Cell Disease May Be Coming. Health Advisers Will Review It Next Week
The only cure for painful sickle cell disease today is a bone marrow transplant. But soon there may be a new cure that attacks the disorder at its genetic source. On Tuesday, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration will review a gene therapy for the inherited blood disorder, which in the U.S. mostly affects Black people. Issues they will consider include whether more research is needed into possible unintended consequences of the treatment. (Ungar, 10/27)
Bloomberg: Crispr Sickle Cell Therapy Safety Data Concerns Raised By FDA Staff
The Food and Drug Administration’s staff raised concerns about safety data on a potential gene-editing treatment for sickle cell disease, ahead of a closely watched meeting where scientific experts will weigh the first therapy using Crispr technology. FDA advisers are preparing to meet Oct. 31 to consider and discuss an application from Vertex Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Crispr Therapeutics AG to use a Crispr-based treatment for people with the painful blood disorder. (Smith, 10/27)
On Alzheimer's disease —
The New York Times: CUNY Halts Investigation Of Alzheimer’s Researcher
The City University of New York is pausing its investigation into a faculty member, an Alzheimer’s researcher accused of misconduct, the university said in a statement on Friday. Studies by the neuroscientist, Hoau-Yan Wang, underpin an Alzheimer’s drug in advanced clinical trials. The drug, simufilam, is made by Cassava Sciences, a pharmaceutical company based in Texas. Dr. Wang frequently collaborated with Lindsay H. Burns, the company’s chief scientist. (Mandavilli, 10/28)
Bloomberg: Alzheimer’s Research Offers Doctors ‘Rightful Optimism’ On Care
Neurologists at the biggest Alzheimer’s research meeting in the US experienced something this week they hadn’t in years: optimism. Just months after Eisai Co.’s Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi received full US approval, normally dour neurologists were buoyed by hints of easier-to-use therapies and the possibility of responding to the disease faster and on multiple fronts over the next few years. (Langreth and Smith, 10/27)
Health News Florida: Risk For Alzheimer’s May Increase With Lack Of Green Space, UM Study Says
The risks for Alzheimer’s disease, related dementias and strokes might increase for those living in areas lacking green spaces. That’s according to a new study led by a doctor at the Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami. (Zaragovia, 10/27)
In other pharmaceutical news —
First for Women: Little-Known Ozempic Side Effect Is Worse For Women Over 50: MDs Explain & Advise
By now, we’ve all heard about the wildly popular prescription injectable drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy that are helping people lose loads of pounds quickly. Perhaps you’ve seen friends successfully slim down. Or you’ve noticed Hollywood celebs, like Sharon Osbourne, looking a bit scary-thin. But amid all the buzz and success stories is a growing list of side effects for these prescriptions. One that keeps popping up: muscle pain. (Maxbauer, 10/29)
Bay Area News Group: CRISPR Could Kill HIV. But We Don't Know If It's A Cure
In a provocative first step toward an elusive end to a devastating disease that has claimed 40 million lives, three patients have received CRISPR gene-editing therapies in an effort to eradicate HIV from their bodies. The results ... have not yet been disclosed by the San Francisco biotech company that created the technology based on Nobel Prize-winning research by UC Berkeley’s Jennifer Doudna. But the potential treatment, called EBT-101, is safe and caused no major side effects, Excision BioTherapeutics reported at a meeting in Brussels this week. (Krieger, 10/28)
Stat: Prime Medicine Says Its Gene Editing Passes Test In Monkeys
Prime Medicine said Friday it successfully used a new, ultra-versatile form of genetic surgery called prime editing to edit liver cells in monkeys. The results, presented at the European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy meeting in Brussels, are a major step for a technology that could transform treatment of numerous diseases. (Mast, 10/27)
The Wall Street Journal: Some Cold Medicines Don’t Work. Here’s What Doctors Recommend Instead
There is one medicine that is the time-honored standard for relieving congestion from cold and flu: Pseudoephedrine. The decongestant shrinks blood vessels in the nasal area and prevents blood from flowing into them, stopping the congestion. “We know that it works because when people take it they certainly report benefit and relief,” said Elliott. This isn’t the medicine that researchers say doesn’t work, though the names sound a bit similar, which has caused some consumer confusion. Pseudoephedrine does provide relief of nasal stuffiness, studies say. The other ingredient, phenylephrine, has been shown to be no better than a placebo. (Hopkins, 10/29)
