TOP STORIES
The population health market is ginormous for health insurance companies. An article noted that UnitedHealth Group’s Optum business has seen a significant amount of growth because its big data analytics tools for population health are in demand by payers. It noted that Aetna has invested more than $1.5 billion to set up its Healthagen business, which works with providers on population health solutions. — Forbes
A new report highlights 50 hospitals with the highest markups. About half are for-profit hospitals or owned by a for-profit system. Nearly half are in Florida.
LIFE SCIENCE
The widely anticipated data from a clinical trial of Eli Lilly’s drug for Alzheimer’s disease is expected to be released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Washington. The drug could be the first to slow down the worsening of the condition which affects more than 5 million people. — The Wall Street Journal
PAYERS AND PROVIDERS
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
A survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation found the majority of participants would like Medicare to have the authority to pressure drugmakers for greater discounts. “People don’t understand why these drugs cost so much, and they don’t understand why, in America, you can’t negotiate for a better price,” said Mollyann Brodie, executive director of public opinion and survey research at Kaiser Family Foundation. — Reuters
TECH
Axial Healthcare, a clinical decision support business, has raised $8 million in a Series A round led by 406 Ventures to expand national growth. BlueCross BlueShield Venture Partners and Sandbox Industries also took part. — Axial Healthcare
NantHealth, the health IT firm founded by billionaire Patrick Soon Shiong, has acquired Harris Solutions, a business with technology to help health care organizations integrate data from disparate sources to better visualize patient data. — Los Angeles Times
The second quarter was huge for cybersecurity startup investment. These early stage companies secured $704 million across 47 deals in that period. Intel Capital, Kleiner Perkins and Andreessen Horowitz have been among the most active investors. — CB Insights
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Russian billionaire Yuri Milner is furthering the space research of a group of University of California at Berkeley scientists to the tune of $100 million. The funding will be used by the scientists to support its collection of more data from outer space in a single day than previous efforts collected over on year. — The Wall Street Journal
