Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare To Launch Pilot GLP-1 Drug Program For $50 A Month
ABC News: Many Medicare Enrollees Can Get GLP-1 Drugs For $50 Starting In July
More access to affordable weight-loss medications is coming this summer for adults on Medicare. Starting in July, certain Medicare enrollees can pay $50 a month for specific prescription GLP–1 medications, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare announced the pilot program for the popular weight loss medications on Wednesday. The Medicare GLP-1 Bridge program will run between July 1, 2026, and Dec. 31, 2027. (Yu, 5/7)
The Washington Post: GLP-1s May Not Shrink Muscle Mass As Much As We Thought, Study Suggests
Are GLP-1 weight-loss drugs hard on your muscles? That question has sparked controversy and concern among some scientists, doctors and the general public. Several large studies in recent years had suggested that people taking GLP-1 drugs such as Zepbound or Wegovy were losing outsize proportions of their muscle mass while also shedding body fat. In some of those studies, nearly 40 percent of people’s weight loss with GLP-1 drugs seemed to come from muscle, a much higher percentage than would be considered normal among people losing weight by dieting or other lifestyle changes. (Reynolds, 5/7)
MedPage Today: Teens With T1D, Obesity Reaped Benefits Of GLP-1s, Case Studies Suggest
Two insulin-dependent adolescents with type 1 diabetes and obesity had metabolic improvements after starting a low-dose GLP-1 agent, a case series showed. (Monaco, 5/8)
Fierce Healthcare: Amazon Pharmacy To Offer Home Delivery For Novo's Ozempic Pill
Amazon Pharmacy will make Novo Nordisk's Ozempic pill available for home delivery, the company announced Thursday. Per the announcement, Amazon customers will be able to secure the oral GLP-1 medication via same-day delivery or pickup within minutes at its kiosks in short order. The drug, which is approved to manage blood sugar in individuals with type 2 diabetes, was originally sold as Rybelsus but was recently rebranded to Ozempic by Novo. (Minemyer, 5/7)
In other pharma and tech news —
Bloomberg: Joss Sackler Pleads Guilty To Obstruction In Opioid Addiction Case
As the Sackler family worked through a plan to pay $6.5 billion to resolve their liability over Purdue Pharma LP’s production of addictive opioids, the epidemic hit even closer to home. Joss Sackler, the wife of former Purdue board member David Sackler, admitted deleting WhatsApp messages showing she was the intended recipient of a shipment of prescription drugs seized by US border agents in 2024. Sackler, who said she was addicted to opioids at the time, pleaded guilty to obstructing a federal grand jury investigation into the transaction. (Van Voris and Kaiser, 5/7)
Stat: FDA To Reconsider Rare Cancer Drug Ebvallo After Surprise Rejection
Two companies developing a therapy for a rare blood cancer have reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration that walked back the agency’s main reason for rejecting the drug in January. (Feuerstein, 5/7)
Stat: Next-Gen Duchenne Drug From Entrada Disappoints In Study
Entrada Therapeutics’ next-generation drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy disappointed in an early trial, raising questions about the company’s competitiveness in an increasingly crowded field. (Mast, 5/7)
St. Pete Catalyst: Genetics Testing Lab Expansion Celebrated At Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital
Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital leaders and staff came together Tuesday to celebrate expansion of the organization’s Clinical Biochemical Genetics Laboratory with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The facility can help diagnose and monitor rare metabolic conditions. These can be life-threatening if they are not caught early. (Connor, 5/7)
Minnesota Public Radio: At The University Of Minnesota’s Wearable Technology Lab, Clothing Becomes Medical Care
Lucy Dunne’s firstborn child was diagnosed with jaundice through a blood test just one day after birth. Medical staff placed her daughter in a bassinet under an electric lamp and treated her with blue light therapy. But when Dunne’s baby cried, she was not allowed to pick her up. “Doing what I do for a living, it was pretty obvious that we could do better,” Dunne said. (Zurek, 5/8)
On aging scientists and the use of AI in research —
Stat: New Study Suggests Scientists Grow Less Innovative With Age
Physicist Albert Einstein, widely regarded as one of the most prolific scientists of the past century, conducted much of his transformative work at the beginning of his career, before spending years defending his theories against the burgeoning field of quantum mechanics. A new study shows that Einstein is not alone, and that most researchers begin their careers conducting their more disruptive work — overturning conventional wisdom and forging paths of their own — but as they age, they tend to abandon that groundbreaking energy. (Oza, 5/7)
Stat: Study Finds Explosion Of 'Fraudulent' AI Citations In Academic Papers
Citations in academic papers are intended to ground research in the work that preceded it, over time creating something of a family tree explaining the roots of ideas, protocols, and studies. But a growing number of these citations lead to dead ends. (Oza, 5/7)
