• Alaska: A resident of Alaska has become the first person to die following complications of Alaskapox, a relatively new and rare virus first identified in Fairbanks, Alaska in 2015, according to the Alaska Department of Health. Since the virus was first identified, there have only been seven cases reported in the state. Health officials noted that the patient who died was an older man who was immunocompromised, putting him at higher risk for severe disease. "Alaskapox remains rare," said Joe McLaughlin, state epidemiologist and chief of the Alaska Division of Public Health Section of Epidemiology. "For the vast majority of people who may come in contact with the virus, the clinical course will likely be mild." (Benadjaoud, ABC News, 2/12)
• Georgia: Emory University has named Madhu Behera as its first chief research informatics officer, effective Feb. 1. Behera's role will be to "accelerate the usage of data, AI, and informatics within our clinical research teams," said Joe Depa, chief data and AI officer for Emory University and Emory Healthcare. Behera has been with Emory since 2009 where she started as a cancer researcher in the department of hematology and oncology and most recently served as chief informatics and data officer for the Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University. (Noebes, Atlanta Business Chronicle, 2/13)
• Texas: A federal district judge in Texas on Monday dismissed a case filed by PhRMA challenging the Biden administration's Medicare drug price negotiations. The lawsuit was filed in June by PhRMA, the National Infusion Center Association, and the Global Colon Cancer Association, which argued the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) delegated too much power to HHS and violated drug companies' due process. Judge David Alan Ezra in the Western District of Texas granted the Biden administration's request to dismiss the case, ruling the plaintiffs lacked standing. "We are disappointed with the court's decision, which does not address the merits of our lawsuit, and we are weighing our next legal steps," said Nicole Longo, a spokesperson for PhRMA. Several other lawsuits challenging the IRA are still ongoing. (Cohrs, STAT+ [subscription required], 2/12; Weixel, The Hill, 2/12; Goldman, Axios, 2/12)

CMS announced a list of the first 10 drugs that will be eligible for price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). What does this tell us about the future of Medicare drug price negotiation? Advisory Board's Lindsey Paul and Chloe Bakst share six things the selected drugs reveal about HHS' strategy.