Trending News Today: FDA Panel Votes on Treatment for Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis

An FDA advisory panel voted in favor of TB Alliance’s pretomanid in combination with Johnson & Johnson’s bedaquiline and linezolid for drug-resistant tuberculosis, Reuters reported. According to the article, the panel voted 14 to 4 in an assessment of the treatment for use in multi-drug resistant tuberculosis and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis. The FDA granted priority review for pretomanid and the marketing application is based on interim data from the first 45 patients in an ongoing study of 109 participants, the article reported.

AIDS advocacy groups are criticizing Express Scripts for excluding several HIV medications from its national formulary list, STAT reported. According to the article, Express Scripts excluded 7 HIV medications for anyone starting treatment in 2 separate actions over the past few months. The pharmacy benefit manager explained that less expensive alternatives are available and its decisions were supported by clinical guidelines, the article reported.

Judge Richard Leon heard testimony this week on the CVS Health acquisition of Aetna over 2 days of court hearings, The Wall Street Journal reported. According to the article, the hearings ended without a firm date on when the federal judge would rule on the Justice Department settlement that allowed the deal. Leon decided to conduct the proceeding after reviewing terms of the October settlement between the 2 companies and hearing concerns from groups asking regulators to block the deal.