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TOP STORIES
Merck’s Hepatitis C drug Zepatier has received FDA approval. About 3 million Americans are infected with Hepatitis C, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control. The company said it would sell its drug at a list price of $54,600 for a 12-week regimen, considerably less than Gilead Science’s treatment in the neighborhood of $94,500. The debate over Hepatitis drug prices has been part of a national debate on the issue. — 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.
Cambia Health Solutions has shut down its mobile health payment startup Wellero two years after it launched. The company’s app allowed people to pay for healthcare services. — HIT Consultant
LIFE SCIENCES
Medical device company HeartWare International walked away from a $929 million acquisition deal to acquire Israeli replacement heart valve manufacturer Valtech Cardio. — Mass Device, Boston Business Journal
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Eisai’s drug Halaven to trea a type of soft tissue sarcoma called liposarcoma in cases where it cannot be removed through surgery or is in advanced stages. — The Wall Street Journal
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
Tom Curran has been named Chief Scientific Officer and Executive Director of the one-year old Children’s Mercy Research Institute, effective Feb. 1. Curran previously worked for Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia as Deputy Scientific Director since 2006 and Director of Basic Scientific Research in the Center for Childhood Cancer Research since 2007. — KCUR
Oregon financial regulators put Moda Health on notice. The Oregon Division of Financial Regulation put the company into “supervision,” meaning all business decisions will have to cleared by state officials. — The Oregonian
MidMichigan Health has agreed to use Epis Systems in a $55 million deal as part of a shift to a single electronic medical record system to connect its hospitals, doctors’ offices and outpatient care facilities. It had previously used Cerner and Allscripts. — Midland Daily News, HIStalk
In China, ticket scalpers werre doing brisk business until a police crackdown. Oh, not for concerts but for hospital appointments. Scalpers were arrested after a woman complained that scalpers wanted $650 for a registration ticket patients are required to buy to see a doctor or get hospital treatment that would usually go for about $45 . — CNN
TECHNOLOGY
Quartet Health inked a multiyear deal with Steward Health Care Network, the second largest physician network in Massachusetts. It will offer its platform as a service to its providers and their patients. — Healthcare IT News
POLITICS
U.S. Sen. and candidate for president Bernie Sanders released a note from his doctor which noted a vocal cyst here, a little gout there but nonetheless said he was in “good health.” — STAT
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Lego is releasing its first minifigure in a wheelchair. — NPR
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