23andMe breach targeted Chinese, Jewish populations

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Hey there. Today, we discuss how Medicaid might pay for the costly but potentially curative sickle cell gene therapies, as well as the shocking lawsuit that outlines a data breach at 23andMe that targets Chinese and Jewish customers.

The need-to-know this morning

• Sarepta Therapeutics announced results from a mid-stage clinical trial of its next-generation treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy caused by mutations in a gene called exon 51.
• Pfizer kicks off a busy week of pharma earnings on Tuesday. Novo Nordisk, Novartis, and GSK report on Wednesday; Merck, Sanofi, and Roche on Thursday; and Abbvie, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Regeneron Pharma on Friday.

How will Medicaid pay for sickle cell gene therapies?

The FDA recently approved two curative gene therapies for sickle cell disease, but the costs of these drugs — $2.2 million and $3.1 million — are creating a strain for government health coverage. About 100,000 Americans have the disease, and between 30% and 40% of these people are believed to rely on Medicaid for care. While not all of them would be eligible for the new wave of sickle cell gene therapies or even want to take them, the cost would still be staggering.

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