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Sebelius on Vaccines

24 Nov 2009

Discussing whether a new $487M investment from the government will help speed up the production of the most important vaccines, with Kathy Sebelius, Health & Human Services secretary and CNBC's Mike Huckman.

The New Formula for Faster Vaccines

24 Nov 2009

Novartis is opening on Tuesday the country's first plant to produce flu vaccines using cell cultures. These vaccines are faster, better and cheaper to make than egg-based methods, reports CNBC's Mike Huckman.

Novartis Opens 1st US Plant for Flu Vaccine

24 Nov 2009

Cholesterol Drug Battle: Niaspan vs. Zetia 16 Nov 2009
Abbott Laboratories' Niaspan beat Merck's Zetia in a new study. CNBC's Mike Huckman has the details.

Cardiologist Grades Cholesterol Drug Study

16 Nov 2009

Abbott Laboratories' Niaspan beat Merck's Zetia in a new study. Dr. Steven Nissen, chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at The Cleveland Clinic, shares his reaction with CNBC's Mike Huckman.

Merck's Cholesterol Drugs Under Pressure

16 Nov 2009

A new study is putting Merck's cholesterol drugs under pressure today, reports CNBC's Mike Huckman, with Ken Frazier, Merck Global Human Health president.

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May.26

1:10 PM ET

Tuesday, 26 May 2009

Sotomayor, Sugar & The Supremes

Posted By:Mike Huckman

Topics:Supreme Court (U.S.) | Medicine | Pharmaceuticals

Sectors:Insurance | Health Care Equipment and Services | Health Care | Pharmaceuticals

Companies:NutriSystem Inc | Alkermes Inc | Eli Lilly and Company | Amylin Pharmaceuticals

Sonia Sotomayor, US Appeals Court Judge, 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals.
AP
Much is understandably being made of the fact that Judge Sonia Sotomayor would be the first Hispanic to sit on the United States Supreme Court, assuming she's confirmed. But in my space, there could be a certain degree of buzz over something else in her background.

According to reports, the 54-year-old judge was first diagnosed with Type-1 diabetes when she was eight years old. Sotomayor did not mention her disease in her prepared remarks at the White House this morning, but President Obama briefly touched on it during his introduction.

And it's been a topic of discussion in the blogosphere since Sotomayor's name surfaced as a potential nominee. Supreme Court justices typically keep a very low public profile. It might be considered bad form if Sotomayor were to try to be a diabetes advocate. But she could be, at least, a de facto role model and inspiration for diabetics.

Coincidentally, tomorrow the fate of one of the most highly anticipated diabetes drugs could be determined. Amylin Pharmaceuticals [AMLN Loading... () ] is holding its annual shareholder meeting where two big investors, including Carl Icahn, are gunning to take over the Board of Directors and install new management. At the center of the proxy battle is the company's handling of the developmental, regulatory and marketing pathway for the first once-a-week diabetes drug known as Byetta LAR (long-acting release.) Eli Lilly[LLY Loading... () ] and Alkermes [ALKS Loading... () ] are partnered with AMLN on Byetta LAR.

Then, we've got the American Diabetes Association's annual meeting coming up in just a couple of weeks showcasing drugs for diabetes and obesity and all sorts of blood-sugar monitoring and insulin-delivery devices. Indeed, the ADA has already issued a statement applauding President Obama's pick. It's a multi-billion dollar industry that's only expected to grow as the global "diabesity" epidemic explodes.