Media outlets report on the potential punishment that Elizabeth Holmes faces for defrauding investors of failed blood-testing firm Theranos. Meanwhile, Reuters reports on plans to make pharma firms disclose their pricing and agreed deals in future global health emergencies.
Axios:
Elizabeth Holmes To Be Sentenced On Friday
Elizabeth Holmes on Friday will learn her punishment for defrauding investors in her failed blood-testing company, Theranos. This will be the culmination of a legal case that began more than four years ago, putting Silicon Valley’s “fake it ’til you make it” culture on trial. (Primack, 11/17)
Bloomberg:
Elizabeth Holmes Sentencing: How Theranos Fraud Trial Verdict May Impact Ex-CEO
Elizabeth Holmes’s punishment for her role in the collapse of Theranos Inc. will finally be decided Friday, closing a key chapter in one of the biggest scandals in Silicon Valley history. (Rosenblatt, 11/18)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
Reuters:
Big Pharma May Have To Reveal Government Deals In WHO’s Draft Pandemic Rules
Pharmaceutical companies could be made to disclose prices and deals agreed for any products they make to fight future global health emergencies, under new rules that would govern a World Health Organization-backed pandemic accord reviewed by Reuters. (Rigby and Farge, 11/18)
The Washington Post:
Blood Tests For Alzheimer’s Are Here. Here’s What You Need To Know.
Some experts say much more research is needed before the new tests can be widely deployed, especially in primary-care settings. Others say there already is sufficient information on the accuracy of some tests. All agree that no single test is perfect and physicians still should perform a complete clinical assessment. Widespread use of the tests may be some time off in the future — after insurance coverage improves and even more accurate next-generation tests become available. For now, none is covered by Medicare, and private insurance coverage is patchy. (McGinley, 11/17)
KHN:
As STDs Proliferate, Companies Rush To Market At-Home Test Kits. But Are They Reliable?
Among the more remarkable legacies of the covid-19 pandemic is how quickly federal regulators, the health care industry, and consumers moved to make at-home testing a reliable tool for managing a public health crisis. But that fast-track focus is missing from another, less publicized epidemic: an explosion in sexually transmitted diseases that can cause chronic pain and infertility among infected adults and disable or kill infected newborns. The disparity has amplified calls from researchers, public health advocates, and health care companies urging the federal government to greenlight at-home testing kits that could vastly multiply the number of Americans testing for STDs. (Szabo, 11/18)
Stat:
Editas Halts Development On First Clinical CRISPR Program
Editas Medicine, one of the small handful of original CRISPR companies, announced Thursday it is halting development on its first clinical program after data showed only a small subset of patients were responding. (Mast, 11/17)
This is part of the KHN Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
