Pfizer’s drug tafamidis reduced the risk of death for patients with transthyretin cardiomyopathy, a rare heart disease, by 30% in a study. Analysts predict the drug, which Pfizer plans to submit to the FDA later this year, could surpass $1 billion in annual sales. (Reuters)
Lilly Diabetes has pulled its sponsorship of Conor Daly’s No. 6 car in the NASCAR Xfinity race after Conor’s father, Derek Daly, admitted to using a racial slur in a radio interview in the 1980s. The pharma company said the controversy distracted from its intention of raising “awareness of treatment options and resources for people living with diabetes.” (Indianapolis Star)
Electronic cigarette maker Juul is under investigation by the FDA and attorney general of Massachusetts for marketing its product to teenagers. The company’s stated goal is to transition adult smokers to its products, although an FDA-commissioned study found “limited evidence” e-cigarettes cause smokers to quit. Meanwhile, Juul e-cigarettes are now widely popular with teenagers and young adults. (The New York Times)
Commercial insurer Harvard Pilgrim Health Care spent 25% on medication in 2016 even after accounting for rebates. That’s up from 20% in 2011, which researchers attribute to a rise in spending on specialty drugs. (Health Affairs)
Thomas Frieden, the former director of the CDC, has been charged with groping a woman. He was arrested on Friday and charged with third-degree sexual abuse and forcible touching and harassment. (NPR)
