GoodRx disclosed consumers’ personal health information to advertisers, according to a Federal Trade Commission allegation. The prescription drug discount company will now face $1.5 million in civil penalties, and will no longer be able to disclose health information to third parties for advertising. (The Wall Street Journal)
Verily said it is launching a small Phase II trial for a new antidepressant, centanafadine, after the company announced it will focus on a new direction last month. The goal of the trial, in collaboration with Otsuka Pharmaceuticals, is to test new digitized clinical trial pathways, including recruiting patients remotely and gathering data without in person visits. (STAT News)
The Food and Drug Administration announced it would transition to in-person meetings in March. The big caveat: A face-to-face meeting with the FDA now includes virtual meetings with cameras on, as agreed to in the latest user fee deals between the industry and the FDA. (Endpoints News)
COVID-19 vaccine makers including Moderna and Novavax have refused to refund $1.4 billion in pre-payments Covax made for now-canceled doses. As vaccine demand in low-income nations dropped, Covax found itself canceling more doses, but drugmakers sought the payments anyway. (The New York Times)
Mother Jones published the untold story of the private equity investors behind Mifeprex and their escalating legal battle to cash in post-Dobbs. The story has a dizzying plot that involves Cayman Islands shell companies, LLCs named after racehorses, a shadowy priest, a disbarred attorney and a finance whiz behind an infamous Wall Street hedge fund collapse. (Mother Jones)
