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STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about RFK Jr. targeting antidepressants, J&J pushing an IBD drug, and more
Rise and shine, another busy day is on the way. However, this is also shaping up as a beautiful day as well, given the clear and sunny skies — and delicious breezes — enveloping the Pharmalot campus this morning. This calls for celebration with a cup of stimulation, and we are opening a new package of cinnamon buns for the occasion. Spring has sprung, after all. What is upon us right now, however, is our ever-growing to-do list. Sound familiar? So here are some items of interest. Have a great day, everyone. …
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced several initiatives intended to rein in the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants, which he has described as exceptionally difficult to quit, The New York Times writes. The initiative focuses on the most widely prescribed class of psychiatric medications, first-line treatments for depression and anxiety that include Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil, and Prozac. In 2026. 16.7% of U.S. adults, or roughly one in six, reported currently taking one of these pills. The changes — new trainings, reimbursement mechanisms, and clinical guidelines — nudge clinicians to help patients get off medications, and to consider non-pharmaceutical interventions, like therapy, nutrition, and exercise.
A closely watched therapy developed by Johnson & Johnson failed to show a statistically meaningful improvement for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. But the company plans to advance the drug into late-stage testing, focusing on a growing subgroup of patients, STAT tells us. On Tuesday, trial investigators presented the results of a study that tested how well combining the drugs Tremfya and Simponi would stop the immune system from mistakenly attacking healthy tissues in the digestive tract. J&J tested the combined therapy in two Phase 2b clinical trials hitting both major forms of inflammatory bowel disease — ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In each trial, the combination performed better than the individual drugs, but did not meet the primary endpoint of clinical remission.
Rise and shine, another busy day is on the way. However, this is also shaping up as a beautiful day as well, given the clear and sunny skies — and delicious breezes — enveloping the Pharmalot campus this morning. This calls for celebration with a cup of stimulation, and we are opening a new package of cinnamon buns for the occasion. Spring has sprung, after all. What is upon us right now, however, is our ever-growing to-do list. Sound familiar? So here are some items of interest. Have a great day, everyone. …
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced several initiatives intended to rein in the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants, which he has described as exceptionally difficult to quit, The New York Times writes. The initiative focuses on the most widely prescribed class of psychiatric medications, first-line treatments for depression and anxiety that include Zoloft, Lexapro, Paxil, and Prozac. In 2026. 16.7% of U.S. adults, or roughly one in six, reported currently taking one of these pills. The changes — new trainings, reimbursement mechanisms, and clinical guidelines — nudge clinicians to help patients get off medications, and to consider non-pharmaceutical interventions, like therapy, nutrition, and exercise.
A closely watched therapy developed by Johnson & Johnson failed to show a statistically meaningful improvement for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. But the company plans to advance the drug into late-stage testing, focusing on a growing subgroup of patients, STAT tells us. On Tuesday, trial investigators presented the results of a study that tested how well combining the drugs Tremfya and Simponi would stop the immune system from mistakenly attacking healthy tissues in the digestive tract. J&J tested the combined therapy in two Phase 2b clinical trials hitting both major forms of inflammatory bowel disease — ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. In each trial, the combination performed better than the individual drugs, but did not meet the primary endpoint of clinical remission.
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STAT+: A new attack on AMA’s billing codes
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Brain Reid, who writes a newsletter on drug pricing policies, wrote “health care [sic]” in his Friday edition. I feel like a huge dork for laughing at that “sic” notation. Share your thoughts on the AP’s new compound noun dictum here, and send news tips to John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or John_Wilkerson.07 on Signal.
CPT codes are the new front in fraud allegations
House oversight committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is taking aim at the American Medical Association, linking the biggest doctor lobby’s billing codes to potential fraud, waste, and abuse.
You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Brain Reid, who writes a newsletter on drug pricing policies, wrote “health care [sic]” in his Friday edition. I feel like a huge dork for laughing at that “sic” notation. Share your thoughts on the AP’s new compound noun dictum here, and send news tips to John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or John_Wilkerson.07 on Signal.
CPT codes are the new front in fraud allegations
House oversight committee Chair James Comer (R-Ky.) is taking aim at the American Medical Association, linking the biggest doctor lobby’s billing codes to potential fraud, waste, and abuse.
BioNTech is making big cuts to its manufacturing footprint.
The German company said in its first-quarter earnings release that up to 1,860 manufacturing staff could be impacted by its planned downsizing …
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Viridian data lift prospects for thyroid eye disease drug
Whereas earlier Phase 3 results disappointed Wall Street, new findings in people with “chronic” disease were viewed by analysts as much more competitive with Amgen’s Tepezza.
Whereas earlier Phase 3 results disappointed Wall Street, new findings in people with “chronic” disease were viewed by analysts as much more competitive with Amgen’s Tepezza.
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STAT+: A new attack on AMA’s billing codes
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