STAT+: Lilly’s amylin candidate shows early promise 

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Morning. Today, we discuss conflicts of interest in the newly appointed ACIP team, are sad to hear of a second death from Sarepta’s gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and see Anne Wojcicki win back 23andMe. 

The need-to-know this morning

• Supernus Pharmaceuticals said it is acquiring Sage Therapeutics, the distressed maker of a drug for postpartum depression, for $561 million. Last January, Sage rebuffed a $469 million takeover offer from Biogen, which co-markets the postpartum depression pill, called Zurzuvae. 

Second death tied to Sarepta’s Duchenne treatment

Sarepta Therapeutics has suspended shipments of its Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy, Elevidys, to non-ambulatory patients after a second death from acute liver failure. This is the same side effect that was seen in the first fatal case disclosed this past March. Both patients were boys who had lost the ability to walk, STAT’s Andrew Joseph writes — a stage of disease progression common in adolescence.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…