Bend it like Biotech
Beckham makes a healthcare pivot
We’ve got an Of Note health round-up for you today because there’s so much happening that I think you should know about.
Healthcare players worry about Chevron ruling (Fierce Healthcare)
The healthcare ecosystem is still trying to sort out what the Chevron overruling might mean for them. But it’s looking like self-insured employers will be affected. f your employer pays your medical bills directly instead of through an insurance company, they’re likely self-insured. Many large companies and schools use this model, often with insurers handling plan administration. I wrote about Chevron earlier this month and identified the Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) as an agency to watch. Chris Deacon of VerSan Consulting tells Fierce Pharma that the HHS has heavily relied on Chevron deference since 2022.
They’re calling Tisvilde, a down-to-earth beach town near Copenhagen, the next Hamptons (Air Mail)
And it’s somehow tied to Novo Nordisk’s mark on Denmark’s GDP. While not health-related, I think we’ll continue seeing this angle. Not only because of profits but also from an employment lens. Bloomberg reported that Novo contributed half of the growth in Denmark’s private jobs market (not counting farming). I texted my Novo friend who lived in Denmark about this and she said the water’s cold.
If you’ve ever been under general anesthesia, you know you must fast overnight and skip breakfast before surgery. One of the ways GLP-1 drugs work is by slowing down digestion, which can mean that a patient’s stomach could be full even after overnight fasting. The EMA is worried about aspiration and pneumonia. Fair enough.
A court case on the way to take your girl access to free birth control (KFF Health News)
Many people don’t know that Obamacare made it so that your birth control is free (if it isn’t, DM me so we can yell at your insurer together). The argument is it’s preventive care. The ACA made it so that certain preventive services had to be covered without cost-sharing. In Braidwood Management Inc. v. Becerra, plaintiffs argue that the groups who set these standards weren't properly appointed by Congress. With the case likely returning to Judge Reed O’Connor, a known ACA critic, reproductive rights advocates fear widespread loss of coverage. This would leave it up to the states. Today, only 14 states + D.C. protect contraception as a right. The thing about covering birth control is that it’s a necessary tool for family planning and reducing abortions. You’d think birth control coverage would have less haters.
Beckham is in consumer health now (PR Newswire)
The photos in this release are so good. David Beckham is teaming up with biotech Prenetics as a strategic investor. Part of the deal is they’re also co-founding a consumer health brand, IM8. Despite it being brat summer, health and wellness is here to stay. This collaboration aims to launch cutting-edge health products, blending Beckham's dedication to wellness with Prenetics' innovative science. CEO Danny Yeung lauds Beckham's commitment to accessible health. With Prenetics' advances in prenatal testing and cancer detection, the partnership promises to make waves in global health.
See you soon, NYC.
xxsem