TOP STORIES
A government backed panel of medical professionals has recommended that primary care physicians screen for depression. That was the conclusion of The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. It said depression screening should be routine in the same the way that doctors currently screen patients for hypertension and diabetes in routine clinic visits. Doctors can screen for depression in their offices using the nine-question Patient Health Questionnaire.
“The majority of people are not depressed, but some people are – especially in the postpartum period,” said Dr. Renée Binder, president of the American Psychiatric Association. — Reuters
With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?
Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.
Merck has agreed to buy cCAM Biotherapeutics for $95 million upfront. The biopharma company is developing novel cancer immunotherapies. — Merck
LIFE SCIENCES
Two women have filed a lawsuit contesting the price set for their eggs provided to couples with infertility problems. They contend that price guidelines used by fertility clinics have kept the amount women can charge for their eggs artificially low and maintain that goes against federal antitrust laws. — The Wall Street Journal
R Biopharm AG has entered into a research collaboration with Apogenix to develop companion diagnostic tests for Apogenix’s anti-cancer therapy. — RBiopharm
A Personalized Approach to Medication Nonadherence
At the Abarca Forward conference earlier this year, George Van Antwerp, managing director at Deloitte, discussed how social determinants of health and a personalized member experience can improve medication adherence and health outcomes.
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
New York-based health insurance startup Oscar is expanding to California. The company’s insurance offering is included in the Covered California marketplace for 2016. — Covered California
TECH
A mobile health startup, HelpAround, has unveiled an app to help people with diabetes tap their social network when their glucose levels go beyond a predetermined range. When that happens it triggers an alert that brings up the user’s contact list of friends and family to be contacted in these situations. — MobiHealthNews
AstraZeneca has joined forces with Australian digital device provider Adherium to develop a set of smart inhalers that can record usage. The goal is to improve adherence. — PR Newswire
POLITICS
A report by the Bipartisan Policy Center has recommended a series of policy actions for Congress to take to reduce the time and cost of developing and delivering safe and effective medical products to patients. The report was developed by former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, M.D. and former Congressman Bart Gordon, along with an expert advisory committee.
Its recommendations span several areas, but here are a couple of them: improving the interoperability of health information technology; improve and expand the qualification and use of new drug development tools, such as biomarkers and patient-reported outcomes, and assure that patient perspectives are included in the benefit-risk assessment associated with regulatory decision-making. — Bipartsan Policy Center
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Want to see what happens when you dissolve an antacid in space? — i09
Photo: Flickr user darcyadelaide
