Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Study Shows Meditation May Work As Well As Standard Anxiety Drug
Mindfulness meditation worked as well as a standard drug for treating anxiety in the first head-to-head comparison. The study tested a widely used mindfulness program that includes 2 1/2 hours of classes weekly and 45 minutes of daily practice at home. Participants were randomly assigned to the program or daily use of a generic drug sold under the brand name Lexapro for depression and anxiety. (Tanner, 11/9)
For the first time, scientists compared patients who took an intensive eight-week mindfulness meditation program to patients who took escitalopram, the generic name of the widely-prescribed and well-studied anxiety drug Lexapro. They found that both interventions worked equally well in reducing debilitating anxiety symptoms. (Fulton, 11/9)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Eli Lilly & Co must pay Teva Pharmaceuticals International GmbH $176.5 million after a trial to determine whether its migraine drug Emgality infringed three Teva patents, a Boston federal court jury decided on Wednesday. The jury agreed with Teva that Lilly's Emgality violated its rights in the patents, which relate to its own migraine drug Ajovy. Both drugs treat migraines by employing antibodies to inhibit headache-causing peptides. (Brittain, 11/9)
Clovis Oncology, a maker of cancer drugs, warned Wednesday that it will likely file for bankruptcy protection due to dwindling sales of its sole product, mounting financial losses, and a crushing debt load. (Feuerstein, 11/9)
Shares of Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, a shuttered drug company with no employees or any active research programs, more than doubled Wednesday because of a $225 million windfall that it will receive due to the success of a treatment for pancreatic cancer. (Feuerstein, 11/9)
Elevance, which operates Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in 14 states, will buy BioPlus from CarepathRx, which provides pharmacy services to hospitals and is owned by Nautic Partners, a private equity firm. Elevance plans to incorporate BioPlus’ specialty services into its IngenioRx pharmacy benefit manager. (Tepper, 11/9)
