TOP STORIES
Listen to Donald Trump on 60 Minutes and take your pick on deciphering what his healthcare plans actually mean: is his policy a lot like Obamacare, more radical than the current health law, or just a total disaster? – Forbes, Forbes, Forbes & 60 Minutes
LIFE SCIENCE
Novo Nordisk is already seeing the benefits of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ‘s approved of long-acting diabetes drug Tresiba. – Reuters
It sounds like Smiths Medical is off the market and instead will become an acquirer. – Star Tribune
Just exactly who is inflating the cost of medical devices? DePuy is blaming Medstar. – Reuters
Sanofi gets European Commission approval for cholesterol drug Praluent. – Reuters
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.
Roche’s Phase II trial of its atezolizumab immunotherapy bladder cancer drug shrank tumors in 27 percent of people who expressed medium and high levels of PD-L1. – Reuters
Teva Copaxone multiple sclerosis treatment has been approved in Japan (to be commercialized by Takeda). – Business Wire
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
Great context around how everyday patients and their families are talking about genetic testing.
Here’s what happens when medical students talk about their feelings. But will it improve patient care? – Philadelphia Inquirer
TECHNOLOGY
A piece of Qualcomm’s new $150 million India venture fund will invest in healthcare technology. – The Hindu
POLITICS
Beyond consent: A deep-dive look at digital pills. – Law and Biosciences Blog
Stephen Ubl takes over PhRMA. – New York Times
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
A great look at all the different gadgets and approaches that are the future of how we will talk to our technology.
Everywhere you turn, there’s a company working on this kind of wireless, unobtrusive, forget-it’s-in-there earpiece. Bragi’s Dash is probably the most commonly-cited example, but there’s also the Pearbuds, the OwnPhones, the Motorola Hint, the HearNotes, the Earin buds, the Truebuds, and countless others from companies big and small. Kickstarter’s filthy with the stuff. They’re not just Bluetooth headsets minus the ostentatiousness, they’re an omnipresent way to digitally hear and be heard.
– Wired
