Senator Elizabeth Warren, (D-Mass.), called for more scrutiny on Merck’s requests for new patents for its cancer drug Keytruda, arguing the company is “extending its monopoly power over the drug.” Merck is currently trying to request a new patent for a subcutaneous version of the drug. (Endpoints News)
Sanofi won a nod from the Food and Drug Administration nod for a once-weekly bleeding disorder therapy. The treatment is expected to launch in the United States in April, the French drugmaker said. (Seeking Alpha)
The first Zantac cancer risk trial in California has been postponed five months. The first scheduled trial over claims that GSK’s heartburn drug Zantac caused cancer, which had been set to begin Monday, has been postponed by five months. (Reuters)
Researchers launched a clinical trial to examine the efficacy of expanded access to methadone amid the opioid crisis, which is increasingly becoming a fentanyl crisis. The study will compare patients’ ability to remain in treatment for substance abuse disorder when prescribed methadone in a doctor’s office, as opposed to opioid treatment programs. (STAT News)
Pharma companies focusing on psychedelics have raised tens of millions of dollars as investors bet on therapies that claim to treat mental illness. Transcend Therapeutics is one example, raising $40 million from venture capital investors for a psychedelic PTSD treatment. (The Wall Street Journal)
