The new daily oral drug baxdrostat works by targeting a hormone that regulates the amount of salt in the body, explains NBC News. On the other hand, a Medtronic medical device is reported to be good at curbing hypertension, which is otherwise difficult to treat.
NBC News: New drug may help people with uncontrolled high blood pressure
Patients who took a daily dose of the drug, baxdrostat, were able to substantially lower their blood pressure, compared with people who received a placebo, according to the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the annual conference of the American Heart Association. meeting on Monday. The new type of oral drug works by targeting a hormone that regulates the amount of salt in the body. (Carroll, 7/11)
The Wall Street Journal: Medtronic’s blood pressure device curbs hypertension, but falls short of primary goal in study
A Medtronic PLC medical device lowered the blood pressure of people with difficult-to-treat hypertension in a closely watched study, but not significantly beyond what the drugs did. The device lowered a crucial measure of blood pressure by just two points more than the average reduction in study volunteers who didn’t have the procedure, the researchers said Monday. (Loftus, 11/7)
In other pharmaceutical news:
Reuters: US Supreme Court rejects Bristol Myers’ cancer drug patent dispute with Gilead
The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected an offer by Bristol Myers Squibb Co’s Juno Therapeutics Inc to reinstate a $1.2 billion prize it won in its patent fight with Kite Pharma Inc, a subsidiary of Gilead Sciences Inc, for a drug for lymphoma. (Great Britain, 7/11)
Stats: FDA Clinically Suspends Verve Gene Editing Treatment
Verve Therapeutics said Monday that its experimental gene-editing treatment for a common form of heart disease has been clinically suspended by the Food and Drug Administration, potentially delaying an ongoing early-stage clinical trial. (Feuerstein, 7/11)
Modern Healthcare: VillageMD from Walgreens to buy Summit Health-CityMD in $8.9 billion deal
VillageMD, a unit of Walgreens Boots Alliance, will acquire Summit Health-CityMD for $8.9 billion, the companies announced Monday. (Hudson, 7/11)
Reuters: Express Scripts to pay $3.2 million to settle Massachusetts overcharge claims
Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts Inc has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle claims that it overcharged the Massachusetts workers’ compensation insurance system for prescription drugs, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday. (Pierson, 11/7)
KHN: Pfizer’s Covid Cash drives a ‘marketing machine’ in search of new supernovae
For drugmaker Pfizer, a fortune amassed in the Covid pandemic is now paving the way to pharmaceutical nirvana: a weight-loss pill worth billions. The company has made nearly $100 billion from the sale of Covid-19 vaccines and treatments to US taxpayers and foreign governments. With that windfall, he plans to get rich, investing the money in developing and marketing potential blockbusters for conditions like migraines, ulcerative colitis, prostate cancer, sickle cell disease and obesity. (Allen, 8/11)
Also –
Statistics: After years of lax oversight, the NIH is beginning to communicate with institutions about unreported clinical trial results
In recent weeks, the National Institutes of Health began emailing academic institutions that failed to submit clinical trial results to a government database, a move that comes shortly after a federal watchdog harshly criticize the agency for its lack of oversight. (Silverman, 11/7)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a roundup of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.