Top of the morning to you. Blue skies, cool breezes, and plenty of chirping birds are enveloping the comfy Pharmalot campus, which is cause to fire up the trusty tea kettle for a needed cuppa stimulation, and we invite you to join us. Remember, a prescription is not required. Our choice today is ginger peach. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Hope you have a smashing day and, of course, do stay in touch. …
Over the last year, a few telehealth companies have begun to market off-label prescriptions of GLP-1 drugs, both branded and compounded, to treat alcohol use disorder and other addictions, STAT tells us. Addiction medicine experts see the businesses responding to a significant unmet medical need. As early evidence of the drugs’ promise emerges, and personal stories circulate on social media platforms, some patients have explicitly sought out the drugs to cut down on drinking. Still, telehealth platforms marketing GLP-1s for addiction trouble some experts, who say this could cause fragmented care and potentially inappropriate prescriptions as researchers are still working to understand and vet the unproven treatments.
The U.S. Department of Treasury is poised to issue a proposed rule as early as tomorrow that would subject outbound U.S. licensing deals with Chinese biotech companies to additional regulatory scrutiny under the COINS Act, Endpoints News reports. The Comprehensive Outbound Investment National Security Act, which was enacted in December 2015, puts some American investment in Chinese technology under Treasury screening. Overall concerns about China’s ambitions and a pervasive anti-pharma view in many parts of Congress and the administration may make it difficult for the pharmaceutical industry to overcome objections, Capital Alpha Partners analyst Rob Smith wrote investors.