First GM trees planted in a U.S. forest are designed to devour carbon

Back to work with exciting news about biotech trees and insights into how Medicare may choose the first ten drugs for price controls—plus, a Bio.News exclusive about how we can advance R&D in women’s health. (735 words, 3 minutes, 40 seconds)

First biotech trees planted in a U.S. forest are designed to devour carbon

The poplar trees—genetically modified to grow twice as fast as regular trees—were planted in a forest in Georgia last week, the first known planting outside of a research trial or commercial fruit orchard, The New York Times reports.

Why it matters: The trees accumulate up to 53% more biomass than control seedlings, according to creator Living Carbon—meaning they soak up more carbon and fight climate change.

How it works: Living Carbon’s scientists tweak photosynthesis by inserting genes from pumpkin and green algae into the poplar trees, Science reports.

And because the roots soak up metals from the soil, they take longer to decompose when they die, so they release carbon more slowly. This means they can be planted in poor soil contaminated with heavy metals.

Faster growth benefits foresters, who hope the trees will help them benefit from selling credits on carbon markets, says Living Carbon CEO Maddie Hall. The trees could also reach harvestable maturity in half the time, which normally takes 50 years, according to the New York Times.

What’s next: Living Carbon is planning more plantings soon, including at an abandoned coal mine in Pennsylvania, with the goal of planting 4 million trees this year and many more next year.

How will Medicare decide which drug prices to control?

Over the holiday weekend, Reuters shed light on how the government could select the first ten drugs for price controls under the Inflation Reduction Act. 

In an interview with Reuters published Friday, Center for Medicare Director Dr. Meena Seshamani declined to say whether the first ten drugs chosen for price controls will be based on net or gross prices. However, she pointed to a proposed rule that refines the definition of gross prices for prescription drugs. BIO's comments on the proposed rule urge CMS to explain how its proposed approach would ensure predictable and reasonable pricing.

Why it matters: The text of IRA makes clear that these "negotiations" are government price controls by another name. The law requires the government to set a "maximum fair price," which is based on a statutory formula and other factors. Given the outsized penalties in the law, companies are essentially forced to accept these prices. BIO's take: patients' out-of-pocket costs will never be truly addressed until the broken rebate system, which benefits PBMs over patients, is fixed.  

We must address the impact of PBMs on drug prices, Dan Durham, BIO’s Senior Health Policy Advisor, has said: “The IRA fails to provide immediate relief to millions of seniors by not requiring Part D plans to share the massive rebates and discounts they negotiate with drug developers directly with seniors at the pharmacy counter.”

What’s next: CMS will announce the first ten drugs covered by price controls in September and announce prices in October 2024. The controlled prices will take effect in 2026. See BIO's toolkit for more details.

Exclusive: 3 key insights to fostering successful collaboration in women’s health

Until recently, just 4% of all healthcare R&D was focused on women’s health, says Daniel Karp, Chief Business Development Officer at Organon, a BIO member company. In a new exclusive for Bio.News, he explains how Organon is making headway in this overlooked area.

1. Identify and mine gaps.

For Organon, “that has meant spendinga lot of time listening to our healthcare providers, women, and partners,” says Karp. “This approach has enabled us to deliver meaningful solutions in some of the most urgent areas.” 

For example, there has long been a “lack of effective treatments for postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), despite it being one of the most common complications of birth,” explains Karp. Organon acquired Alydia Health, which brought to market a medical device intended to control and treat abnormal postpartum uterine bleeding and hemorrhage where conservative management is warranted.

2. Keep the vision and the mission at the center.

A successful collaboration “must strategically align with the vision and mission of the organizations involved,” explains Karp.

“Of course, commercial and financial considerations will also always be key criteria. But a strong rationale for how the deal will advance long-term aspirations is an equally important factor.”

3. Cultivate the ecosystem.

Investors, advocates, policymakers, scientists—they’re all essential to “create a better, more sustainable health future for women everywhere,” concludes Karp.

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President Biden’s Tuesday: Discussing the war in Ukraine during meetings in Warsaw, Poland, a day after secretly venturing into a war zone for a visit in Kyiv, Ukraine, per The Hill.

What’s Happening on Capitol Hill: The House and Senate are quiet today. Sen. HELP Committee Chair Bernie Sanders told CBS Sunday he wants to expand federal drug price controls: “My good friend, Donald Trump, all right, who I disagree with on everything, had the idea that maybe Medicare should not pay prices higher than the average of what countries around the rest of the world are paying. That’s a good idea, and we want to pursue that as well.”