SCOTUS abortion pill decision | J&J talc lawsuits halted | Lilly insulin hearing

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE Fri, Apr 21, 2023 EDITOR'S NOTE Think a friend or colleague should be getting this newsletter? Share this link with them to sign up.   The abortion pill mifepristone hangs in the balance today as the Supreme Court is expected to make a decision about how the legal battle over the medication should proceed.    Right now, mifepristone remains fully available to women in states where abortion is legal due to a decision by the high court to temporarily block restrictions imposed by federal judges.    But Justice Samuel Alito imposed a deadline of 11:59 p.m. today for the high court to make a more definitive decision on the medication's availability   The pharmaceutical industry has warned that the lower courts' attempts to restrict mifepristone would destabilize the drug market by chilling investment in new medications. And health officials say the court decisions threaten women's health.    In corporate news, a bankruptcy judge halted roughly 40,000 lawsuits against J&J that allege its talc products caused cancer. J&J said the decision brings tens of thousands of claimants a step closer to voting on its proposed $8.9 billion settlement.    And Sen. Bernie Sanders announced he's hauling the CEOS of Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi before the Senate to testify on lowering insulin prices.   Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com. Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Supreme Court maintains full access to abortion pill mifepristone until at least Friday Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday issued an order allowing the abortion pill mifepristone to remain available by mail delivery and without tighter restrictions on how it is used until at least late Friday night. Alito last week had temporarily blocked the restrictions on mifepristone imposed by lower federal courts until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday in response to an emergency motion by the Justice Department and Danco Laboratories, the distributor of the brand name version of the drug Mifeprex.   Those restrictions now will remain on hold until 11:59 p.m. Friday as a result of his new order. - Spencer Kimball U.S. bankruptcy judge halts 40,000 Johnson & Johnson talc and cancer lawsuits A federal bankruptcy judge on Thursday halted roughly 40,000 lawsuits that allege Johnson & Johnson's baby powder and other talc products caused cancer. The decision is part of J&J's second attempt to settle thousands of talc cases in bankruptcy proceedings.   The pause will give J&J time to reach a permanent settlement with plaintiffs in the talc cases. The company recently proposed an $8.9 billion settlement for current and future talc-related claims and said it expects to bring that plan to bankruptcy court in mid-May. - Annika Kim Constantino Big drug company CEOs to testify at Senate Health committee on insulin prices The top executives of the three drug companies that control 90% of the global insulin market will testify May 10 before the Senate Health Committee on lowering prices of their diabetes drugs, panel Chairman Sen. Bernie Sanders said Friday.   Those companies — Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk and Sanofi — had announced in March that they will slash prices of their most widely used insulin products by 70% or more.   Sanders on Friday called that move an important step forward that was the result of "public outrage and strong grassroots efforts."   But the Vermont independent added that Congress must ensure that insulin, whose price has increased by more than 1,000% since 1996, is affordable for everyone.   - Spencer Kimball Johnson & Johnson shares fall after company lowers pharmaceutical sales guidance Johnson & Johnson shares fell Tuesday after the company reported adjusted earnings and revenue that topped Wall Street's expectations, but lowered its sales guidance for its pharmaceutical business.   J&J, whose financial results are considered a bellwether for many health companies, said its sales during the quarter grew 5.6% over the same quarter last year.  - Annika Kim Constantino JOIN US REGISTER CONTRIBUTORS Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel   Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events   © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS