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Morning Read: Valeant says at least we’re not Turing, questions about BMJ study on medical errors

Also, Chimerix reports another failed Phase 3 trial of brincidofovir, population health IT tools may become "irrelevant" and Republican healthcare policy wonks distance themselves from Trump.

Valeant building - Alisa Viejo, CA

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At least Valeant Pharmaceuticals International doesn’t have a Martin Shkreli, right? Internal talking points, part of a cache of Valeant documents released by U.S. Senate investigators, sought to emphasize that the embattled company was “not remotely like Turing in any way shape or form.” — STAT

Speaking of pushback, it’s starting against last week’s BMJ article, in which Johns Hopkins researchers called medical errors the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. For one thing, as MedCity News already pointed out, it’s not the first time someone has said that about medical errors.

Then there’s an “elephant in the room”: the very definition of medical error. “The authors of the BMJ report define it as any action ‘that does not achieve its intended outcome’ or any planned action that, for whatever reason, is not done ‘that may or may not cause harm to the patient.’ This definition is uselessly broad. It is like dividing the world into the United States and all other countries, then engaging in diplomacy.” — STAT

LIFE SCIENCES

Chimerix reported another failed Phase 3 trial of its antiviral drug brincidofovir. — FierceBiotech

Incyte, based in Wilmington, Delaware, will pay at least $140 million for the European operations of leukemia treatment developer Ariad. — The Philadelphia Inquirer

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee has launched an immuno-oncology startup, Vor BioPharma. — BioSpace

Gut microbes may act as a sort of “remote control” over brain inflammation and neurodegeneration, researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital reported. — ScienceDaily

A new study in JAMA Neurology suggests a link between pesticide exposure and increased risk of developing ALS. — Medical News Today

The next horizon in anti-aging treatments? A filmlike “second skin” showed remarkable promise in a pilot study. — The New York Times

PAYERS-PROVIDERS

“Inefficient” prescribing of brand-name drugs rather than generics cost the U.S. $73 billion between 2010 and 2012. — Reuters

A new challenge seeks to create a medical bill that is “simpler, cleaner, and easier for patients to understand,” according to HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell. — Healthcare IT News

Resurrection Health, based in Memphis, Tennessee, is merging with the state’s largest network of community health centers, Cherokee Health Systems. — Memphis Business Journal

MedStar Health in the Washington-Baltimore region is partnering with Boston-based vendor Kyruus to beef up its consumer engagement with mobile technology. — mHealth Intelligence

Can a new bunch of medical schools “create a new breed of American doctor”? — STAT

TECHNOLOGY

Current IT tools for population health are about to “become irrelevant,” according to Dr. Adrian Zai, clinical director of population informatics at Massachusetts General Hospital. — Healthcare IT News

Physicians at Oregon Health & Science University and Oxford University are working to develop a website that makes the FDA’s clinical trial database more accessible to other researchers. — Portland Business Journal

Backed by funding from the Dalai Lama, father-and-daughter team Dr. Paul Ekman and Dr. Eve Ekman have built the online Atlas of Emotions, which they say is the first interactive mapping of how emotions influence people’s lives. — PR Newswire

Leadless pacemakers were the stars of last week’s Heart Rhythm Society meeting. — MassDevice

POLITICS

Should he win in November, Donald Trump may have trouble attracting experienced Republican policy wonks to lead his healthcare policy. — Politico

A former Trump rival, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Florida), argues in favor of the FDA approving an experimental drug to treat Duchenne muscular dystrophy. — STAT

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA

UPS is backing a startup that will use drones to deliver vaccines and drug supplies in Rwanda. — Reuters

Photo: Cresa

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