Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of online meetings, phone calls, and deadlines has predictably returned. But what can you do? The world, such as it is, continues to spin. So time to give it a nudge in a better direction with a cup of stimulation. Our choice today is toasted coconut mocha — a delicious treat. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, we have once again assembled a gaggle of interesting items for you to peruse. On that note, time to get cracking. We hope your day is meaningful and productive. And as always, do keep in touch. …
A U.S. judge in Delaware ruled against AstraZeneca on all its major arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of Medicare’s new drug price negotiation program, STAT reports. The judge decided AstraZeneca had not proved the program jeopardizes its constitutional property rights, and that the company did not have standing to challenge the guidance Medicare issued to implement the program. The case is the first of several filed by the pharmaceutical industry and its allies to be decided at the district court level. The Delaware ruling is a blow, as several of the other cases made similar arguments about how the program violates a drugmaker’s constitutional property rights.
Two major pharmacy chains in the U.S. — CVS Health and Walgreens — plan to start dispensing the mifipristone abortion pill in a few states within weeks, the Associated Press writes. The decisions come more than a year after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized a rule change that broadened availability of abortion pills to many more pharmacies, including large chains and mail-order companies. For more than 20 years, FDA labeling limited dispensing to a subset of specialty offices and clinics over safety concerns. The U.S. Supreme Court is weighing a challenge from conservative groups who want to reverse mifepristone’s approval or roll back policies that made it easier to obtain.