Former Food and Drug Administration head Scott Gottlieb has reiterated that CBD in food is illegal. While the FDA considers how to regulate CBD, which is derived from cannabis, it cannot be legally added to food and drink, despite companies going ahead anyway. Gottlieb said he is not against the additive but said, “We really need to sort out the regulation.” (CNBC)
Canadian health officials have revealed regulations to reduce patented drug prices. One new rule would change the list of countries to which the government compares domestic prices, dropping higher-cost nations such as the U.S. and Switzerland. Officials said it would save $10 billion over a decade. (Reuters)
A group of senators, including presidential hopefuls, criticized Novartis over data manipulation. The senators, including Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), wrote to the acting FDA chief, urging the agency to hold Novartis accountable and saying, “Such greed cannot be condoned by the FDA.” (STAT)
Bayer did not offer to pay $8 billion to settle all Roundup claims, its mediator said. The company is in discussions related to the cases in federal court, but its mediator said compensation has not been negotiated. (Reuters)
AstraZeneca cancer treatment Tagrisso showed positive results in a late-stage study. The drug was found to help patients with a specific lung cancer live longer when compared to chemotherapy. Tagrisso has already been approved to treat another type of metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. (Reuters)
