Pharmalittle: EU fines Illumina $475M for closing Grail deal; life-threatening lead poisoning antidote in short supply

By Ed Silverman July 12, 2023

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Alex Hogan/STAT

Hello, everyone, and how are you this fine, sunny morning? The middle of the week has arrived, as you may know, so why not celebrate with a delicious cup of stimulation? After all, you made is this far, which is a likely sign of surviving another few days. Of course, no prescription is required, which is a good thing. Our choice today is gingerbread, for those tracking this sort of thing. And while you drink up, you can peruse some of the tidbits we have assembled to help you start the day. Hope you conquer the world and, as always, do keep in touch …

Supplies are running out for a key antidote for life-threatening lead poisoning, The Wall Street Journal says. The drug, named dimercaprol, has been a go-to treatment for years for the worst cases of lead poisoning, but doctors have had to scrounge for dwindling doses since the sole manufacturer for the U.S. declared bankruptcy in February. The Food and Drug Administration is working to find solutions for the dimercaprol shortage, perhaps including temporarily allowing hospitals to import foreign versions. Another antidote — edetate calcium disodium, or EDTA, often used in tandem with dimercaprol — is also in short supply.

The European Union issued an antitrust fine of $475 million to Illumina, the genetic sequencing company, for closing its acquisition of Grail, a cancer detection company, before clearing it with regulators, STAT writes. The fine amounts to nearly 10% of Illumina’s annual global revenue, which is the most the European Commission can penalize a company under its merger regulations. The commission called Illumina’s actions “an unprecedented and very serious infringement” of EU policies, including the “cornerstone” that regulators review deals that can alter the market. Illumina said it would appeal the decision.

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