TOP STORIES
The Supreme Court has ruled against Big Pharma in upholding the principle of inter partes review that allows a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office appeals board to hear patent challenges. Congress in 2011 changed the law and the Obama administration issued regulations that loosened the standard for interpreting patents.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
While the case before the Supremes wasn’t about drugs, Big Pharma joined the challenge to the rule brought by the maker of vehicle technology. The generic drug industry and several health insurers backed the government’s case. — STAT
A pioneer of venture capital, David T. Morgenthaler, who founded Morgenthaler Ventures in 1968, has died at 96. Morgenthaler also served as president and chairman of the National Venture Capital Association, successfully pushing for steep cuts to capital-gains taxes in 1978 and changes to ERISA a year later that helped the VC industry take off. — VentureBeat
The CDC has approved a clinical trial of an experimental vaccine for the Zika virus. — Gizmodo
LIFE SCIENCES
Circassia Pharmaceuticals reported a failed late-stage trial of its experimental cat allergy treatment, sending its stock plummeting by two-thirds. — Reuters
Warsaw, Indiana-based OrthoPediatrics has filed for a $75 million IPO. — Xconomy
PaxVax has received FDA approval of Vaxchora, a single-dose cholera vaccine. — PR Newswire
Randolph (Randy) Friedman, Jay Levine and Albert Paonessa III, three early investors in generic drug distribution, have gotten back in the business by joining a group that has acquired KeySource Medical. — Business Wire
Sean Parker’s immunotherapy institute is backing a CRISPR/Cas9 cancer treatment under development at the University of Pennsylvania. — Xconomy
Kite Pharma has opened a T-cell therapy manufacturing plant in El Segundo, California. — Business Wire
Demand just isn’t letting up for lab space in Kendall Square, Cambridge, Massachusetts. — Boston Business Journal
Cardica has changed its name to Dextera Surgical. — MassDevice
PAYERS/PROVIDERS
CMS on Monday proposed changes to the Payment Error Rate Measurement (PERM) and Medicaid Eligibility Quality Control (MEQC) programs for determining eligibility for Medicaid and CHIP. — Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
A moderately priced lunch from a pharma company may be all it takes to convince a physician to choose a brand-name drug over a generic, according to a new study. — The New York Times
Less than 20 percent of hospital readmissions of general surgery patients are due to poor medical care, according to a newly published study. — Reuters
Alas, there are still plenty of medical mistakes to be found. In another study, 40 percent of patients with atrial fibrillation got aspirin rather than blood thinners, raising their risk of stroke. — Reuters
TECHNOLOGY
In a study at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, artificial intelligence reduced the error rate in diagnosing breast cancer by examining images of lymph nodes to 1 in 200 from 1 in 25. — Boston Business Journal
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a sensor that can detect live bacteria, helping to determine the efficacy of antibiotics. — MedGadget
Students at NYU Tandon School of Engineering have created “mechatronic” devices that connect to smartphones to help stroke patients relearn basic skills. — PR Newswire
Appistry, a St. Louis-based developer of technology for analyzing next-generation sequencing data, is now offering managed services for clinical labs. — Business Wire
POLITICS
The FCC said it would vote next month on new regulations for forthcoming fifth-generation wireless networks. FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler specifically mentioned remote surgery as a potential beneficiary of 5G, which promises to bring superfast broadband coverage to rural areas. — The Wall Street Journal
NIH rejected a petition from consumer groups to override the patent on Xtandi, an expensive prostate cancer drug from Astellas. — STAT
The American Legion has come out strongly against congressional proposals to privatize the VA. — Business Wire
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
This is making the rounds on social media.
Photos: Flickr user Matt Wade, Facebook user Morgan Bladen
