The T could go electric, help on the way for eczema patients, and more – The Boston Globe

Momentum is only as good or as bad as the next days starting pitcher. Well, today, the markets appear to have an ace on the hill. The Dow rebounded after a tough eight-day losing stretch, and the other indexes are also up. Our momentum stays on track with the latest insight from Jon Chesto and roundup of the other top business news for Tuesday, March 28.

Chesto Means Business

Advertisement

Generating discussion:Is the MBTA finally ready to start leaving diesel trains in the dust?

That question will likely come up at the transit agency in the coming months, after oversight board member Steve Poftak raised the issue of converting the diesel-fueled commuter rail system to electric power in a meeting last week.

Poftak later told me hes trying to get some answers beforepreparing a vehicle purchase planfor the T by July. He says hes keeping an open mind, and doesnt favor either fuel source yet.

Supporters of electric trains point to the reduction in air pollution, a goal that would help the state meet its aggressive greenhouse-gas limits. Theres also the possibility of speedier service, with less time lost for accelerating away from each station. Electricity could be crucial if state officials get serious about rapid-transit serviceon the Fairmount Line or bigger projects like theNorth South Rail LinkorSouth Coast Rail through Stoughton.

You cant just throw electric cars on the rails and flip a switch. The Providence line is already electrified thanks to Amtrak but that still leaves more than 300 miles of overhead wires to be installed. This wouldnt be cheap. Electrifying the Caltrain line connecting San Francisco and Silicon Valleywould cost $2 billion, for example.

The MBTA also has a bandwidth issue: Just how many big-picture items can management tackle at once? The electricity question is worth considering, however, before the T goes too far down the track with its fleet purchases.

Jon Chesto is a Globe reporter. Reach him atjon.chesto@globe.comand follow him on Twitter@jonchesto.

Executive Summary

Get Today's Headlines in your inbox:

The day's top stories delivered every morning.

Making coal great again:President Donald Trump, who has called climate change a hoax,signed an executive order rolling back regulationsput in place by President Barack Obama to curb global warming.

The order is aimed at spurring jobs in energy.

Among the things the order does is lift a moratorium on new coal leases on federal land. It also calls for a review of the Clean Power Plan.

Skin deep:The Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug that willhelp patients suffering from debilitating eczema.

Dupixent, created by Sanofi Genzyme in Cambridge, is an injectable treatment. About 300,000 suffer from atopic dermatitis, the type of eczema the drug will treat.

The treatment is expected to generate annual sales of $3 billion or more for Sanofi Genzyme, which created the drug along with Regneneron Pharmaceuticals of Tarrytown, NY.

Across the pond:Crispr Therapeutics, a Swiss-based biotech with a research lab in Cambridge,has won broad patent in Europe for gene-editing technologylicensed from the University of California Berkeley and the University of Vienna.

This comes after a rival company, Editas Medicine Inc., which is based in Cambridge, won an important patent case last month from the US patent office. That ruling found that Crispr-Cas9 discoveries by scientist Feng Zhang at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard were distinct from the Berkeley and Vienna discoveries.

Cirspr-Cas9 is a key research tool for modifying DNA and removing genetic defects.

RIZE-ing up against addiction:Partners HealthCare and General Electric are among those teaming up with government and health care leaders in the battle against opioid addiction the cause of an estimated 2,000 deaths statewide last year.

The group of business allies, known as RIZE Massachusetts,is looking to raise $50 million to address the problem. Partners, GE, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the 1199 SEIU health care union have committed a combined $13 million to the cause. The money will be used for grants for community-based prevention efforts, medical treatments and education.

AtTuesdaysannouncement, Governor Charlie Baker called opioid addiction a relentless foe.

Power play:A transmission project is being proposed by National Grid that wouldbring 1,200-megawatts of clean energyfrom Canada to Massachusetts along lines in Vermont and New Hampshire.

There are two segments to the project. The first is a high-voltage, direct current overhead line in Vermont alongside an existing line. The second is replacement of an existing line in New Hampshire to allow for additional power flow.

The project is expected to create more than 2,000 construction jobs.

Trending Pick

Ford rolls out expansion plans:The US automaker announced plansto invest $1.2 billionin three Michigan plans to beef up production of pickups and SUVs. President Trump took to Twitter to applaud the plan, which will add or preserve 130 jobs at an engine facility.

Advertisement

China company invests in Tesla: Tencent buys 5 percent share in electric automaker-- Wall Street Journal

That human brain, computer merger: There's a Boston connection to Musk's plans, of course-- Bost Inno

Show us the Waze to coffee: Traffic app can help you order at Dunkin' Donuts-- Boston Globe

Facebook snaps to attention: Now it has a `stories' feature, too- New York Times

ICYMI

New drug, new hope:Approval of a new drug that can help women battling ovarian cancer came three months earlier than anticipated.

As reported in this morning's Globe,Tesaro won approval for a drug named Zejula, which significantly increased patient survival rates in a late-stage clinical trial.

The approval offers hope for the 22,000 American women who are diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. The quick approval by the Food and Drug Administration underscores the need for an effective treatment for ovarian cancer.

Zejula has the potential to become a blockbuster treatment with more than $1 billion in annual sales. Some experts have suggested it could eventually hit the $5 billion mark.

Also in today's Globe, there is a story abouta breakthrough drug with a big price tagand a family's battle with a health insurer.It's worth a read, too.

Editor's note: Since its launch in late December, the Talking Points newsletter has been compiled by George Brennan. Under his expert guidance, our mailing list has climbed to nearly 48,000. George leaves us today for an editing job at a fine newspaper. We thank him for his hard workand wish him all the best. We will be backtomorrowwith a new curator at the helm.Meanwhile, ifyou liked what you've read, please tell your friends tosign up.

View original post here:
The T could go electric, help on the way for eczema patients, and more - The Boston Globe