Merck halted a late-stage trial for its immunotherapy Keytruda in prostate cancer, following interim data that pointed to its failure to meet main goals. The latest interim data showed Keytruda in combination with androgen deprivation therapy and Pfizer’s Xtandi didn’t boost survival. (Reuters)
Pharma CEOs said Mark Cuban’s effort to upend the drug industry is a ‘really great idea’ but will be difficult to pull off. Though praising the billionaire’s intentions to make healthcare more affordable for patients, veteran industry executives expressed doubts about the plan. (Business Insider)
GenBioPro, an abortion pill maker, and a North Carolina doctor have filed lawsuits challenging state restrictions on the medication. Access to the abortion pill mifepristone has become a major legal battleground in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that overturned federal abortion rights last June. (CNBC)
Belgian antitrust regulators fined Novartis $2.8 million for anticompetitive practices in regards to its eye disease treatment Lucentis. The pharma allegedly made misleading statements about the age-related macular degeneration drug. (STAT News)
Sen. Mark Warner, (D-Va.), named healthcare as his cyber priority this year. “My top agenda item for 2023 is this white paper I put out last year, cybersecurity in healthcare, where over the last few years we’ve seen on the ransomware side [that] nothing is more valuable to cybercriminals than healthcare information, even more than personal financial information,” he said.” (The Washington Post)
