Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Shortage Of Chemo Drug Cisplatin Ends; Troubled Norovirus Vax Is Discontinued
Stocks of cisplatin are now able to meet demand聽for the widely used chemotherapy drug that had been in short supply in the U.S. over the last year, the FDA's top official said. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, M.D., announced Friday on social media that the cisplatin drug shortage was over. The agency had previously said it would continue to work with drugmakers and other interested parties to address shortages of cancer treatments. (Keenan, 7/1)
Shares of HilleVax plunged as much as 87.6% to a record low of $1.75 on Monday after the biotech company said it will discontinue the development of its norovirus vaccine candidate for infants. The vaccine, named HIL-214, showed an efficacy of only 5%, failing to meet the main goal in the mid-stage study conducted on more than 2,800 infants. It also did not show any clinical benefits across secondary goals of the study. (7/8)
Emergent BioSolutions said on Monday Johnson & Johnson has agreed to pay $50 million to settle claims related to a terminated manufacturing deal for the latter's COVID-19 vaccine. In 2022, J&J informed Emergent of its decision to terminate the deal, citing breaches including failure to supply COVID-19 vaccine drug substance on the part of the contract manufacturer. (7/8)
Eli Lilly agreed to buy Morphic Holding for $3.2 billion in cash, the companies said on Monday, beefing up its portfolio of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) drugs and expanding its footprint in the multi-billion dollar market. (Roy, 7/8)
A systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies suggests meningococcal vaccines show moderate effectiveness against gonorrhea infection, researchers reported yesterday in the Journal of Infection. (Dall, 7/9)
