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Health
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PHOTO: GEORGE FREY/REUTERS
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More than 1,600 lawsuits have been filed by cities, counties and states accusing drugmakers and distributors of helping fuel the nation’s addiction crisis through aggressive marketing of powerful opioid painkillers. At the center of many of these suits is Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin -- and, increasingly, the Sackler family members who own it.
The billionnaire Sacklers themselves have been named in a number of the suits, with the hope of tapping their deep pockets. Recently, the Sacklers have been working toward settlements, which could set the stage for multibillion-dollar resolution of the larger swath of lawsuits - hundreds of which are consolidated in a multidistrict litigation in Ohio. The first settlment came this week, with a $270 million deal to resolve a suit in Oklahoma, including $75 million from the descendents of the company's founders to help fund an addiction treatment center.
The allegations are piling up, with New York Thursday amending its suit to add more companies, and to accuse the Sacklers of fraudulently taking money out of Purdue when they knew there may be legal liabilities to cover.
The Sacklers, as well as Purdue and the other companies, have denied wrongdoing.
What are your thoughts on the culpability of drugmakers and their owners in the opioid crisis? Email me your comments, which may be edited before publication in the newsletter. Please be sure to include your name and location.
– Stefanie Ilgenfritz, Health & Science Bureau Chief, WSJ
Reach me at stefanie.ilgenfritz@wsj.com or Twitter: @stefaniei
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Patients Report Problems With Breast Implants: At an FDA advisory panel to evaluate the latest research and complaints, women reported illnesses they atrributed to both silicone and saline implants, including pain, distorted breasts and a rare cancer.
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Alzheimer’s Research Is Pushing Ahead: Failures of drugs that target a protein called amyloid are giving greater currency to efforts that explore the role that inflammation, the immune system, viruses and another brain substance called tau might play in the disease.
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When an Autism Diagnosis Isn’t Permanent: A growing body of evidence shows that some children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder can outgrow their diagnosis, Sumathi Reddy reports in Your Health. Experts say it's hard to determine if this is due to the children's own natural progression or in response to early intervention. Another possible explanation: Some children were misdiagnosed.
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$15.3 Billion
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The amount insurer Centene Corp. is paying for WellCare Health Plans in a deal that will create a powerhouse in the business of managing government health programs. (Read more)
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More Transparency on Drug Prices?
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The First TV Drug Ad That Includes Pricing: J&J will start airing an ad for the bloodthinner Xarelto on Friday that includes the list price of $448/month, and notes that most people don't pay that. Industry has pushed back against proposals to require disclosure.
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What Price, Insulin? Eli Lilly said the net price for its insulin Humalog—after discounts and rebates—fell to an average of $135 a patient a month in 2018, from $147 in 2014. Lilly is the latest drug maker to disclose net pricing amid scrutiny over hikes in list prices.
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Affordable Care Act in the Crosshairs
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The latest data show that about 11.4 million people signed up on the ACA's exchanges for 2019, about 300,000 less than for last year. The administration had cut funds for outreach and advertising for the law known as Obamacare.
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“An iris scan looks cool, especially if you’re impressing clients. But that data usually has to go somewhere.” (Read more)
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— William E. Hammel of workplace law firm Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, on employers' use of biometric information like scans and fingerprints to track workers.
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County in New York Facing Measles Outbreak Bans Unvaccinated Minors From Public Spots (Read more)
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FDA Proposes New Mammography Rule (Read more)
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Thermo Fisher to Buy Brammer Bio for $1.7 Billion (Read more)
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Q&A:
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Regarding last week's question on the search for Alzheimer's treatments in the wake of recent failures:
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I do think the industry needs to broaden the number of targets being investigated. The disease is very complex so surely there will be a number of targets that could be relevant. The field really needs biomarkers. —Rachel K. King, Rockville, Md.
Stories like this should be highlighted in the ongoing debate over drug pricing. Without the prospect of earning a profit following successful trials, there won’t be adequate incentive to take on the risk, cost, and effort of developing life-changing and/or life-saving therapies for currently untreatable diseases like Alzheimer’s. — Keith Baker, Chattanooga, Tenn.
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LEAVE THIS BOX EMPTY
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