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☆ FTC challenges 'junk' patents held by 10 drugmakers, including for Novo Nordisk's Ozempic
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The Federal Trade Commission on Tuesday said it is challenging hundreds of alleged "junk" patents held by pharmaceutical companies for 20 brand-name drugs, including Novo Nordisk's blockbuster drugs Ozempic, Saxenda and Victoza. The FTC issued letters to 10 companies, warning them that certain drug patents were improperly listed. Many of the drug patents are for Type 2 diabetes, along with asthma and inhalers for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. Generic drugmakers can only launch cheaper versions of a branded drug if the patents have expired or are successfully challenged in court. The FTC first challenged dozens of branded drug patents last fall, leading three drugmakers to comply and delist their patents with the FDA.

Persons: Novo, Boehringer, Lina Khan, Biden, drugmakers, Joe Biden's Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, FTC, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Covis Pharma, GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Amphastar Pharmaceuticals, Food and Drug Administration, FDA Locations: U.S

☆ Biden to launch joint FTC-DOJ task force to crack down on 'unfair and illegal pricing'
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan testifies before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Oversight of the Federal Trade Commission, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., July 13, 2023. Kevin Wurm | ReutersPresident Joe Biden on Tuesday will launch a new task force to take on "unfair and illegal" corporate pricing, which Biden sees as a major reason why consumers are not yet feeling the impact of cooling inflation rates and a strong economy. The task force will be jointly led by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice, two agencies at the forefront of the Biden administration's aggressive regulatory agenda over the past three years. The announcements and the meeting are part of Biden's ongoing crusade against corporate pricing practices that he claims are unfair. Lael Brainard, vice chair of the US Federal Reserve, speaks during an interview in Washington, DC, on Monday, Nov. 14, 2022.

Persons: Lina Khan, Kevin Wurm, Joe Biden, Biden, Antitrust Jonathan Kanter, Khan, Kanter, Jonathan Kanter, Kevin Dietsch, Lael Brainard, inhalers, Brainard, Andrew Harrer Organizations: Federal Trade, Federal Trade Commission, Capitol, Washington , D.C, Department of Justice, Biden, Force, Antitrust, Justice Department, White, Competition Council, Economic, Consumer Financial, Agriculture Department, US Federal Reserve, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: Washington ,, Washington , DC, U.S

☆ Your Inhalers and EpiPens Aren’t Very Healthy for the Environment
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Ted Alcorn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

An example of a plastic single-use injector at Battelle, a research nonprofit working on refining and reducing plastic use and waste, in Columbus, Ohio. Credit... Andrew Spear for The New York Times

Persons: Andrew Spear Organizations: Battelle, Credit, The New York Locations: Columbus , Ohio

☆ Can Your Personal Medical Devices Be Recycled?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Ted Alcorn | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Most of the plastic in your medicine cabinet is high-quality, medical grade — and devilishly difficult to safely dispose of, let alone recycle. Some at-home medical products, like needles that have come into contact with bodily fluids, should not even be relegated to household trash. They also sell special containers for shipping used, discarded needles and medical waste to sites for safe disposal. But when it comes to recycling plastic devices, from asthma inhalers to insulin and allergy pens, people may find themselves ping-ponging around without a solution. Some states recommend inquiring with local pharmacies, which in turn recommend checking with municipal recycling facilities.

Organizations: New York state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, Walgreens, CVS Health Locations: New

☆ ADNOC German oil deal has bad timing, good logic
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC), the state-owned Abu Dhabi oil giant he runs, is considering a bid for BASF-owned (BASFn.DE) Wintershall Dea, at a potential $11 billion valuation. The UAE firm is already in talks to buy chemical company Covestro (1COV.DE), Wintershall’s German compatriot, for $12 billion. Abu Dhabi's oil riches mean the UAE firm has the wherewithal to pay 5.5 billion euros for BASF’s Wintershall stake. Any deal could value Wintershall Dea at more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion), Bloomberg reported. BASF holds a 72.7% stake in Wintershall Dea.

Persons: Toru Hanai, Wintershall, Jaber, It’s, Austria’s, Abu, LetterOne, George Hay, Streisand Neto Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, BASF, The, Shell, Russian, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Abu, National Oil Company, Bloomberg, Wintershall Dea . Investment, Thomson Locations: Gastech, Chiba, Japan, Abu Dhabi, The UAE, Germany, Norway, UAE, Europe, United Kingdom, Abu, Russia, Wintershall Dea

Many of the patents at issue in the Food and Drug Administration's Orange Book listing of approved products were for devices such as asthma inhalers and epinephrine autoinjectors, the FTC said. "Wrongfully listed Orange Book patents by pharma companies can raise drug prices for Americans, harm fair competition, and delay better drugs," FTC Chair Lina Khan said on X, formerly known as Twitter. The Orange Book identifies drugs and products that the FDA has deemed safe and effective. The FTC says companies sometimes improperly list patents in the Orange Book that can delay market entry of lower priced generics. AbbVie was informed the FTC would dispute four patents in the Orange Book having to do with Restasis Multidose, eye drops used for chronic dry eye.

Persons: Andrew Kelly, Lina Khan, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mylan, AbbVie, Restasis, Diane Bartz, Patrick Wingrove, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Food and Drug Administration, FDA, REUTERS, AstraZeneca, GSK, U.S . Federal Trade Commission, Food, FTC, pharma, Thomson Locations: White Oak , Maryland, U.S, WASHINGTON, Israel, Viatris

Doctors across the country say it’s rare that migrants receive medical screenings or anything beyond care for medical emergencies when they arrive at the U.S.-Mexico border, and there’s no overarching national system to track the care, either. You have these little islands of shelter,” said Deliana Garcia, of the nonprofit Migrant Clinicians Network, which supported more than 1,000 migrants in need of medical care in the first 10 months of this year. The challenges of careMigrants face a lack of access to steady medical care in the U.S., as well as healthy food and stable housing. Some avoid asking for help entirely out of fear of a large bill or longstanding distrust of the medical system. The shelter system in Massachusetts is so full that the governor brought in the National Guard in August to assist.

Persons: Julio Figuera, he’d, Figuera, ”, Deliana Garcia, “, anyone’s, Craig Williams, Cook, we’ve, Steve Federico, they’re, Federico, ” Federico, Jon Ewing, Ewing, Doctors, they’ve, Garcia, Ted Long, Stephanie Lee, who'd, Lee, ” Lee, Fiona Danaher, Danaher, Brigham, Sophia Tareen, Jesse Bedayn, Shastri, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: International, Network, Border Patrol, Associated Press, Denver, New York City Health, Denver Health, New York, Penn State, National Institutes of Health, National Guard, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, AP Locations: Cook County, Chicago, Venezuela, United States, U.S, Mexico, New York, Los Angeles, Boston, New York City, Denver, Massachusetts, Milwaukee

☆ Pro Take: Making Medicines Greener
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Cecilia Butini | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +6 min

Photo: mohamed hossam/ShutterstockMaking and supplying medicines generates roughly a third of the global healthcare industry’s greenhouse-gas emissions. Photo: Carlos Jasso/Bloomberg NewsBritish drugmaker GSK , for instance, plans to run on 100% renewable electricity by 2025 and to reach net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2045. GSK partnered with AstraZeneca , Merck KGaA, Novo Nordisk , Roche Holding , Samsung Biologics and Sanofi to form the SMI Health Systems Task Force in 2021. Last year, the partnership decided to strengthen their collaboration by focusing on cutting emissions in the near term and transitioning faster toward net-zero health systems. Novartis aims to achieve net-zero emissions across its value chain by 2040.

Persons: mohamed hossam, Carlos Jasso, “ We’ve, ”, Mike Peirce, Aurelio Arias, Arias, Claire Lund, Sanofi, Annabelle Harreguy, IQVIA’s Arias, “ It’s, ” Arias, Cecilia Butini Organizations: Pharmaceutical, Pharma, GSK, Bloomberg News British, Climate Group, Climate, Business, Sustainable Markets, Health Systems, Force, AstraZeneca, Merck KGaA, Novo Nordisk, Roche Holding, Samsung Biologics, Sanofi, SMI, Systems, Novartis, World Health Organization, cecilia.butini@wsj.com Locations: GSK’s, China, India, Novo

☆ Common Patenting Tactic by Drug Companies May Be Illegal, F.T.C. Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Rebecca Robbins | More About Rebecca Robbins | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Federal Trade Commission on Thursday issued what amounted to a warning to pharmaceutical companies about the legality of a widespread patenting strategy that experts say has helped keep inhaler costs high for patients with asthma and lung problems. In a policy statement unanimously endorsed by the agency’s commissioners, the F.T.C. said it “intends to scrutinize” whether companies are illegally engaging in an unfair method of competition when they exploit a regulatory loophole that can delay rivals from entering the market. The policy statement did not single out any particular products. “This seems to be a real problem, and one that could really be contributing to unaffordable medicines and drug products,” Lina Khan, the F.T.C.

Persons: “, ” Lina Khan Organizations: Federal Trade Commission

☆ ADNOC has upper hand in $30 bln plastics M&A
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Karen Kwok | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The complex ownership structure and the involvement of two governments make it intriguing to see who holds the whip hand. ADNOC owns 54% of Abu Dhabi-listed Borouge, while 36% of the same company is held by Borealis, with other investors accounting for the other 10%. Meanwhile ADNOC owns 25% of Borealis, while OMV holds the other 75%. Strip out Borouge's dividend, and Borealis would be worth $10 billion, Deutsche Bank reckons. ADNOC’s 63% Borouge stake and 25% Borealis stake are thus worth $14 billion and $2.5 billion respectively; OMV’s 27% Borouge stake and 75% Borealis holding are worth $6 billion and $7.5 billion.

Persons: ADNOC, OMV, Goldman Sachs, China's Sinopec, Saudi Arabia's SABIC, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi’s, George Hay, Pranav Kiran Organizations: Reuters, Abu, Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, Borealis, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Deutsche Bank, Abu Dhabi National Oil Co, OMV, ADNOC, Thomson Locations: Abu Dhabi, Austrian, Borealis, Borouge, Saudi, India, Abu, Europe, Vienna, ADNOC

☆ Opinion | The Lifelong Burden of a Chronic Illness
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-16 | by ( ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

To the Editor:Re “‘My Body Is a Clock’: Portraits of Chronic Care,” by Sara J. Winston (Opinion guest essay, July 2):I want to thank Ms. Winston for her essay about the challenge of living with a chronic health condition in America. She clearly captured the persistent fear that lives in me and every American with a chronic condition who depends on continuous treatment. It was diagnosed in early childhood, and I require daily inhalers, oral immune-suppressant medications and vigilance to keep my condition in check. My life choices were all based on the essential requirement of maintaining affordable, continuous health care: my career, my employers, proximity to hospitals and a pulmonologist. Our American health care system, which relies heavily on employer-provided health insurance and is unaffordable for those with no health insurance, is a nightmare for people like Ms. Winston and me.

Persons: Sara J, Winston Locations: America, American

☆ Wildfire smoke: Should people still be worried about health effects? Our medical analyst explains
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-13 | by ( Katia Hetter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

More than 75 million people in the eastern US were under air quality alerts as wildfire smoke shrouded major cities. People with chronic lung and heart conditions should continue to monitor air quality, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen said. CNN: What are the short-term health effects of wildfire smoke inhalation? And there is research that has linked wildfire smoke exposure events to an increase in influenza months later, suggesting that there could be lagging effects. CNN: If people were exposed for a few days to bad air quality, should they be worried about long-term consequences?

Persons: Leana Wen, Wen, we’ve, Mandel Ngan Organizations: CNN, UN, Program, George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health, Getty Locations: Canada, York, Washington, AFP

BEIJING, May 19 (Reuters) - Global drugmaker AstraZeneca will seek to be a patriotic company in China that "loves the Communist Party", its China president said at an event on Friday. While many local companies have in recent years publicly pledged allegiance to the ruling Chinese Communist Party as President Xi Jinping strengthened the party's role throughout Chinese society and its economy, such messaging is still unusual from foreign companies. "Build a local, transnational company that loves the Communist Party and loves the country," Wang said in his presentation to an audience of a few hundred participants, with the words flashed across the screen behind him. Last year, China accounted for 13% of AstraZeneca's total sales and the company is China's biggest drugmaker. Reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing and Brenda Goh in Shanghai; Editing by Kim CoghillOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

On social media, families say they’ve hunted for hours for Tamiflu and the first-line antibiotics amoxicillin and Augmentin. They have one viral illness after another. According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of US states have “high” or “very high” respiratory virus activity. As for the antibiotics amoxicillin and Augmentin – a combination of amoxicillin and clavulanate, an agent that helps guard against antibiotic resistance – it’s not entirely clear why demand is so high. Some viral illness, like influenza, can leave the body more vulnerable to secondary bacterial infections that may need treatment with antibiotics.

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