Read about the biggest pharmaceutical developments and pricing stories from the past week in KHN's Prescription Drug Watch roundup.

FiercePharma: J&J Expresses 'Regret' While Noting Asbestos Prison Experiments Were 'Widely Accepted' At The Time  As Johnson & Johnson continues to defend its case in lawsuits over talc’s potential to cause cancer, startling tests from the product's past have come to light.  Back in 1971, Johnson & Johnson funded a study that injected 10 Pennsylvania prisoners with asbestos, newly unsealed court documents show, as first reported by Bloomberg. J&J wanted to compare the minerals’ effect on the inmates’ skin versus talc, which is a key ingredient in the company’s popular baby powder. (Kansteiner, 3/8)

Bloomberg: J&J’s Controversial Prison Testing Resurfaces In Baby Powder Lawsuits  More than 50 years ago, nearly a dozen men incarcerated outside of Philadelphia enrolled in an experiment funded by Johnson & Johnson, according to unsealed documents. Now, those studies have come back to haunt the world’s largest maker of health-care products. In one study, inmates were paid to be injected with potentially cancer-causing asbestos so the company could compare its effect on their skin versus that of talc, a key component in its iconic baby powder. (Feeley, 3/7)

MedCity News: Court Docs Reveal J&J’s Role In Prison Tests Comparing Talc To Asbestos  While the human experiments involving prisoners at Holmesburg Prison outside of Philadelphia was previously revealed in books and newspaper articles, J&J’s involvement in the studies comparing talc to asbestos was not made public until the Bloomberg report on Monday. The court documents were unsealed in two trials last year over claims that J&J’s baby powder causes cancer. J&J expressed regret over the company’s involvement with Albert Kligman, the University of Pennsylvania dermatologist who conducted the baby powder tests. But Bloomberg said that the company also noted that the tests did not violate research standards at the time. (Vinluan, 3/7)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

FiercePharma: Roche, Sanofi, Novo Nordisk And More Pledge Support To Ukraine As Industry Condemns Russian Invasion The contingent of biotech and pharma companies condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and pledging to help keep the beleaguered nation’s healthcare system afloat—is growing. Take Roche, for example. The Swiss pharma major on Wednesday said it would donate 150,000 packages of the antibiotic Rocephin to Ukraine. The drug is used to treat symptoms of many kinds of bacterial infections and holds a spot on the World Health Organization’s essential medicines list. (Kansteiner, 3/3)

FiercePharma: Fresenius Kabi Recalls IV Fluid After Testing Finds Particulates  Fresenius Kabi issued a voluntary recall of seven lots of sodium acetate intravenous fluid after testing found particulates of carbon and oxygen with traces of sodium, silicon, chromium, aluminum and cellulose. Sodium acetate injection is used to correct low blood sodium levels in patients who have restricted or no oral intake. It’s also used as an additive for preparing specific IV fluid formulas when patients cannot take standard electrolyte or nutrient solutions. (Keenan, 3/8)

We want to hear from you: Contact Us

For Kids With Kidney Disease, Pediatric Expertise Is Key — But Not Always Close By

Abortion Is Shaking Up Attorneys General Races and Exposing Limits to Their Powers

Indiana’s New Abortion Ban May Drive Some Young OB-GYNs to Leave a State Where They’re Needed

More Communities Are Giving Flavored Tobacco the Boot. Will California Follow?

© 2022 Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

Thank you for your interest in supporting Kaiser Health News (KHN), the nation’s leading nonprofit newsroom focused on health and health policy. We distribute our journalism for free and without advertising through media partners of all sizes and in communities large and small. We appreciate all forms of engagement from our readers and listeners, and welcome your support.

KHN is an editorially independent program of KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). You can support KHN by making a contribution to KFF, a non-profit charitable organization that is not associated with Kaiser Permanente.

Click the button below to go to KFF’s donation page which will provide more information and FAQs. Thank you!