Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an infection that has become resistant to many antibiotics.
1. Several drugmakers including AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer signed a voluntary code of conduct aimed at addressing the spread of superbugs. They agreed to educate the public and doctors about appropriate use of antibiotics and remove incentives for their sales teams to sell high volumes of the drugs. (FT)
2. Mylan CEO Heather Bresch is defending the company’s pricing decisions for the EpiPen, its allergy auto-injector, according to her prepared testimony for a House committee hearing scheduled for today. “Price and access exist in a balance, and we believe we have struck that balance,” she said. (AP)
3. In other EpiPen news, Bresch’s mother reportedly used her position as president of the National Association of State Boards of Education to encourage states to require schools to purchase the allergy devices. (USA Today)
4. Fitness trackers may not help people lose weight, a study found. About 450 people participated in the study, which asked them to go on a low-calorie diet and exercise more. Half of the participants used fitness trackers. After two years the people using the trackers lost less weight than those who self-reported their diet and exercise. (NPR)
5. ICYMI: The FDA launched the 2016 Naloxone App Competition in an effort to develop new technologies to combat the opioid epidemic. The goal is to create a mobile app that can connect opioid users with carriers of naloxone, the antidote to an overdose.
