TOP STORIES
Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin Shkreli’s appearance in hoodie and sneakers at the Forbes Healthcare Summit this week was effortlessly controversial. On the subject of jacking up the price of Daraprim, he said he did regret it…for not increasing it more.
“My shareholders expect me to make the most profit,” Shkreli said. “That’s the ugly, dirty truth.”
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.
He also said: “I’m going to maximize profits…That’s what people [in healthcare] are afraid to say.”
The collective face palming of pharma execs in the audience was demonstrated in the subsequent comments, like Regeneron CEO Leonard Schleifer. “We do some pretty crappy things,” he said, but “he’s not in the same business as we are.” — Forbes, Business Insider
Some science academies are calling for a line to be drawn preventing edits to human genome that could be inherited. The technique, known as Crispr-Cas9 has become widely accessible, would allow physicians to alter the human germline, including the eggs and sperm, to cure genetic disease. Scientists said the issue should continue to be revisited until safety and efficacy issues can be resolved. — The New York Times, Reuters
LIFE SCIENCES
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.
Canadian drug maker Zymeworks and GlaxoSmithKline inked a deal to develop and commercialize mAbs and bispecific antibodies. — BioCentury
Procept BioRobotics has begun a Phase 3 trial in which it will treat patients with prostate disease with its AquaBeam water ablation therapy system. It’s designed to be an alaternative to the current standard of care: transurethral resection of the prostate. — Mass Device
India pharma giant Sun Pharmaceuticals received FDA approval for a generic version of Novartis cancer drug, Gleevec. — Bloomberg
Liquid Biotech, a spin out from the University of Pennsylvania’s commercialization organization, Penn Center for Innovation, has raised $2 million in seed capital from corporate investor, Oncolys Biopharma. —Philly Voice
PAYERS PROVIDERS
Some plastic surgeons are trying to mitigate the risk of dissatisfied patients and a violent outcome by calling for better mental health screening using psychiatrists to identify (and avoid) patients. with body dysmorphia. — STAT
Fewer than half of hospitals have the infrastructure they need to do two-factor authentication as part of a cybersecurity plan. Two-factor security includes an additional layer of security beyond a username and password such as voice recognition or fingerprint. — Healthcare IT News
The next time you’re preparing for surgery and the doctor asks how you’re feeling, think carefully. A patient’s mood could have a big influence the outcome, according to a new report. — Neuroscience News
Cleveland hospitals have agree to change their ways and accept emergency room patients regardless of how busy they are instead of diverting ambulances to other institutions, starting next year. — The Cleveland Plain Dealer
New business LifeStance Health has partnered with Summit Partners and Silversmith Capital Partners to make investments in the behavioral health industry focused on residential treatment facilities providing services to patients struggling with alcohol and substance abuse issues as well as eating disorders. — Summit Partners
TECHNOLOGY
IDC offers up a ranking of wearables. —TechCrunch
POLITICS
The U.S. Senate took the first step to repeal the pillars of the Affordable Care Act after more than 50 attempts but the bill may go down in flames long before the President gets a chance to veto it from an unlikely group of opponents: House Republicans. — The Hill
There was a successful bipartisan effort to repeal one part of the Affordable Care Act: the repeal of the Cadillac tax. The downside is that repealing the tax will subtract about $90 billion from the law over 10 years. — The Hill
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
A bot equivalent of Stuart Smalley? @TheNiceBot delivers random messages of niceness on Twitter. —TechCrunch
