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Today, it’s time for biotechnology news.

The need to know this morning

• In order to reduce expenses, Editas Medicine announced plans to seek a partner to further develop its CRISPR-based treatment for sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. The company is now focusing on an experimental treatment, still being tested on animals, that performs CRISPR editing inside the body.

Telehealth links between Pfizer and Lilly under scrutiny

A group of senators led by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) today demanded answers from Pfizer and Eli Lilly about their relationships with the telehealth prescribers they refer patients to, seeking to determine whether the companies violate federal anti-kickback law. rules.

Pharmaceutical giants have recently launched websites that allow people to learn about their medications, follow links to “talk to a doctor now” and fill their prescriptions through an online pharmacy. This follows a growing trend for drugmakers to direct patients to select telehealth platforms, providing instant access to clinicians able to prescribe their treatments.

This type of arrangement “appears intended to steer patients toward particular medications and creates a risk of inappropriate prescribing that could increase spending on federal health care programs,” the letters sent by the senators read.

Read more from STAT’s Katie Palmer.

Pharmaceutical industry executives recently made additional donations to Democrats

During the latter part of the election campaign, most pharmaceutical executives donated to their own companies’ political action committees, if at all. But among the six executives who donated to individual candidates, five donated to Democratic candidates, even as Democratic lawmakers passed the most aggressive drug pricing reform in decades through law of 2022 on reducing inflation.

GTC CEO Chris Boerner gave $5,000 to a campaign committee affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Three leaders contributed to Vice President Harris’ campaign: BioMarin CEO Alexander Hardy gave the maximum possible contribution of $3,300; Julie Kim, director of TakedaThe American division also donated $3,300; and Thomas Gibbs, head of the American division at Lundbeckdonated $100.

UCB CEO Jean-Christophe Tellier gave to two moderate congressional Democrats: the Senate campaign of Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.) and the re-election effort of Rep. Nanette Barragán (D-Calif.).

Read more from STAT’s Rachel Cohrs Zhang.

“Switchable” CAR-T startup raises $112 million

AvenCell Therapeutics, a startup developing so-called “switchable” CAR-T therapies, announced today that it has raised $115 million in a Series B round led by Novo Holdings, the company that manages the assets of the Novo Nordisk Foundation.

AvenCell is developing CAR-T therapies that can be turned on or off with the goal of safer and more effective treatment of cancer patients. The company is currently testing two candidates, AVC-101 and AVC-201, in relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia, and it has additional candidates expected to enter the clinic over the next two years.

AvenCell was launched in 2021 by Blackstone Life Sciences, Cellex Cell Professionals and Intellia Therapeutics.

Parents who founded businesses to care for their children

What happens when parents seek to develop drugs for their own children? Three parents took the stage at the STAT Summit to discuss what it means to build businesses fighting rare diseases that affect their children.

They said they are more motivated than other biotech companies to keep trying, even when the rest of the industry isn’t interested.

“Pharmaceutical companies may have a new CEO, or a new board, or may have new priorities in a direction they want to take that make financial sense, but it doesn’t always align with the priorities parents,” Allyson said. Berent, scientific director of the Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics.

And, as they watch their children’s illness progress, they also feel a greater urgency to get treatments approved and want to see greater flexibility in the regulatory process.

Read more from STAT’s Anil Oza.

More reading

• Life without sickle cell invites a boy who underwent gene therapy, New York Times
• J&J’s Ketamine-Derived Drug Takes Off, Wall Street Journal Says
• Opinion: Forcing presidents and candidates to share their medical histories is a terrible idea, STAT