Pfizer, Eli Lilly push back as senators scrutinize drug buyer moves.

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Pharma vs Congress: The latest telehealth debate

Eli Lilly and Pfizer have responded to senators who pressed them to share information about their online platforms LillyDirect and PfizerForAll, demanding to know whether the pharma giants are violating federal anti-kickback laws when they instruct patients to choose telehealth platforms that can prescribe them. drugs, my colleague Katie Palmer tells us.

Both companies asked detailed questions about the financial conditions of the Internet, as well as how patients who provide services can access the websites. Instead, they reiterated that mobile providers connected to the platform are not paid or incentivized to provide their specialty drugs.

In its response, Pfizer explained how it pays companies UpScriptHealth and Populus Health Technologies fixed monthly fees. Much of Lilly’s response did not focus on its own platform, but instead called out other telehealth companies that offer generic versions of GLP-1 drugs such as Lilly’s Tirzepatide. “Potential problems with their operation are more than worrying about the financial relationships you present in your letter,” reads its response.

Stay tuned for more as the latest news continues. Meanwhile, if you want to get up to speed on the broader issue, read a story Katie wrote not too long ago: How drug makers are turning telehealth into an advertising gold mine.

Using AI to design small molecule drugs is difficult

My colleague Brittany Trang has immersed herself in the world of small molecule drugs, which she compares to “an endless bag of pick-your-own frozen yogurt flavors” rather than a “boutique ice cream shop cream” provided by normal antibodies. are drugs that are classified by the amino acid alphabet.

That large number of possible compounds also means that it is difficult to show enough types of AI molecules and interactions with biologically relevant receptors for the mechanism to be more complete than has already been seen. And the models for small molecule drug design are changing, according to Pat Walters, chief data officer at Relay Therapeutics. “These models, for the most part, understand syntax, but they don’t really understand chemistry,” he says. that an organic chemist would look at and say, ‘That’s not chemically stable.'”

That hasn’t stopped new startups from raising hundreds of millions of dollars to try to push AI to suggest or design small molecule drugs. In her youth, Brittany introduces us to five of them.

In case you forgot, this is part of a new Who Should Know series that STAT started a few months ago to give you a closer look at the key influencers in modern healthcare, from research and educational courses to pharma execs, startups and investors.

Where exactly are we in AI drug discovery?

Speaking of AI in drug discovery, this week we heard from Bison Ventures investor Caleb Appleton who asks if it’s the beginning of the end for AI drug discovery companies – especially after a series of failed experiments ‘a great success. Appleton writes: “I’m already seeing a very waning appetite for supporting platform-based discovery companies, taking on big changes in the space and reinventing defined asset companies.” narrowly.” “There’s a long history of early failure to turn the field around too much: Investors pull back, talent looks everywhere, and times start to slip.” If you’ve had a chance to read Appleton’s First Opinion piece, let me know where you fall on the debate.

Doctors warn about environmental impact of health data

Three doctors write for STAT about the growing environmental crisis created by digitized medical data, from notes to radiographs. While that data can be useful medically and for billing, storing it creates an incredible amount of carbon; and e-waste is a public health hazard, they argue. “With the continuous growth of healthcare data in electronic health records worldwide, we as a healthcare community must take proactive measures to prevent environmental damage caused by storage more information and management,” they write. Read more.

Garth Graham of YouTube Health on health misinformation

The YouTube video platform sees itself as more than just a source of entertainment – it’s also where people go for practical information, including health-related information, according to Garth Graham, global head of health. beauty and public health. In an interview with STAT at the Milken Institute’s Future of Life Conference, Graham, a cardiologist, told my colleague Nicholas St. Fleur about how YouTube fights misinformation – and, in the line of questioning I found to be particularly important in today’s politics, how to balance removing harmful misinformation and saying that it is “free speech.” Read the Q&A here.

What we read

• Recursion minimizes multiple functions after completing the integration, STAT
• The founder who ended up seeking dismissal of the federal charges, Bloomberg Law
• Despite state restrictions, Wisconsonites are getting abortions over the phone, WPR
• You had a hysterectomy. What Did the Doctor Leave? New York Times