Brainstorm Health: Eclipse Glasses, FDA Approves Pfizer Leukemia Drug, MS Drug Prices

You’ve almost certainly heard about the total solar eclipse set to occur on Monday, August 21. The rare event will be visible in certain regions within more than a dozen states.

But, even with cosmic events, it’s important to put safety first. And when it comes to staring into the sun, that means protecting your eyes with special gear.

Unfortunately, some would-be viewers could have a bit of a problem with that. There have been reports of unauthorized eyewear that have led to recalls and suggestions from county officials in Richland, South Carolina (one of the areas where the eclipse will be visible in its totality) to seek “other options” than the free glasses made available if people feel uncomfortable. There have also been counterfeit pairs sold on Amazon (for which the company has offered refunds).

The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has an approved list of vendors for solar filters.

Read on for the day’s news, and enjoy your weekend!

DIGITAL HEALTH

IBM to team up with JDRF on type 1 diabetes. IBM and JDRF, an outfit focused on funding type 1 diabetes research, are teaming up to analyze the factors that may lead to that form of diabetes. The collaboration will involve creating machine learning methods which can analyze mountains of existing type 1 diabetes research in order to figure out risk factors and, hopefully, effective prevention measures.

INDICATIONS

FDA clears Pfizer drug for rare, fast-spreading cancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Pfizer's Besponsa, a drug to treat a rare and vicious form of leukemia that can quickly kill patients. Besponsa is approved for adults with hard-to-treat or recurring forms of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which nearly 6,000 Americans are diagnosed with each year. (Fortune)

House Democrats push for explanation of high MS drug prices. House Democratic lawmakers have launched an investigation into pricing for multiple sclerosis drugs. Seven companies, including pharmaceutical giants like Biogen, Sanofi, Novartis, and Roche, have received letters from the House Government Oversight Committee requesting information on their pricing strategies. (Fortune)

REQUIRED READING

The Most Successful CEO of His Generation Steps Down, by Shawn Tully

If You Bought Google At Its IPO Price, Here's How Much Richer You'd Be, by Lucinda Shen

Among Startups, Microsoft and Google Are Giving AWS a Run for Its Money, by Barb Darrow

World Stocks Tumble As Market Hopes in Trump's Reform Agenda Fade, by Fortune Editors and Reuters