The Food and Drug Administration sent a warning letter to Alkermes about Vivitrol, its opioid relapse prevention drug. The drugmaker failed to include warnings about risks associated with Vivitrol, such as the potential for opioid overdose, in print advertisements. (FDA)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has agreed to minor changes to her drug pricing bill after Democrats such as Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) threatened to sink it. The adjustments include an increase in the number of drugs negotiated annually and the addition of a plan to prevent drugmakers from raising drug prices more than inflation. (STAT)
Google has hired Dr. Jacqueline Shreibati to join its Google Health team. Shreibati will report to chief health officer Dr. Karen DeSalvo. Shreibati previously served as chief medical officer for AliveCor, a medical wearables startup. (CNBC)
Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb believes Juul’s products should be removed from the market. He said a ban on flavored e-cigarette cartridges won’t undo the teen vaping epidemic. As long as the products are cheap and accessible, young people will continue to seek them out. (Axios)
Voting is open for our second annual MM&M Holiday Contest. New submissions will no longer be accepted. Voting ends on December 17. (MM&M)
