Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Aide Slams Kodak For 'Dumbest Decisions ... In Corporate History'
CNBC: ‘You Can’t Fix Stupid’ — Trump Trade Advisor Peter Navarro Rips Kodak Executives As Dumbest Ever
White House trade advisor Peter Navarro blasted executives at Eastman Kodak on Monday for their handling of a government loan to produce pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States. “Based on what I’m seeing, what happened at Kodak was probably the dumbest decisions made by executives in corporate history,” Navarro said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” (Stankiewicz, 8/17)
Also —
Stat: How Teladoc Won: The Inside Story Of How Prescient Bets Put It Ahead Of Rivals
The unquestioned leader in a virtual care sector that has surged in the Covid-19 era, Teladoc has a relationship with more than one-fifth of the U.S. population. The telemedicine provider’s planned acquisition of diabetes coaching company Livongo is poised to make it even more of a juggernaut: The two companies had a combined market capitalization of nearly $30 billion as of the end of the day on Monday. (Robbins and Brodwin, 8/18)
Stat: Sanofi's CEO On A Big Acquisition, Long-Term Strategy, And Vaccines
It was less than 12 months ago that Paul Hudson took the reins at the French drug giant Sanofi, promising to refocus the company on more innovative, and lucrative, new medicines. On Monday, he spoke with STAT to about the decision to purchase Principia Biopharma for $3.7 billion — as well as Sanofi’s overall strategy and its Covid-19 vaccine candidates. (Herper, 8/17)
CIDRAP: Information Card Boosts Patient Knowledge Of Antibiotics, UK Study Finds
Introduction of an "antibiotic information card" (AIC) for patients being discharged from the acute medical unit (ACU) of an English hospital significantly increased patient knowledge about antibiotic prescriptions but did not affect the readmission rate, UK researchers reported late last week in the American Journal of Infection Control. The card was introduced in the ACU at William Harvey Hospital from November 2019 to January 2020 as part of an effort to improve patient compliance with antibiotic regimens. (8/17)
Stat: Unity, A Biotech Seeking To Develop Anti-Aging Drugs, Fails An Early Test
Unity Biotechnology said Monday that its experimental treatment for osteoarthritis failed to improve knee pain compared to a placebo in a mid-stage clinical trial. The outcome is likely to raise new doubts about the biotech’s ability to develop drugs to reverse the symptoms and diseases associated with aging. (Feuerstein, 8/17)
