TOP STORIES
Purdue Pharma reportedly knew about all kinds of illegal distribution and diversion of OxyContin, but kept it under wraps for more than a decade. “A former Purdue executive, who monitored pharmacies for criminal activity, acknowledged that even when the company had evidence pharmacies were colluding with drug dealers, it did not stop supplying distributors selling to those stores.” — Los Angeles Times
Wall Street Journal reporter John Carreyrou, who first broke the news last year about troubles at Theranos, examined the culture of secrecy at the company and the quirky world of CEO Elizabeth Holmes. He saved the most interesting tidbit for the very end: “She has also been talking with Jason Blum, who was executive producer of HBO’s ‘The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst,’ about a potential documentary that would chronicle her life and career, people familiar with the matter said.” — The Wall Street Journal
Meanwhile, Theranos hasn’t ruled out an appeal of the CMS decision to shut down its California lab and ban Holmes for two years. — PR Newswire
LIFE SCIENCES
The recent trouble at Juno Therapeutics, whose immunotherapy clinical trial was halted after three patients, has parallels with a failed company that many employees came from. — STAT
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.
PAYERS/PROVIDERS
Hospitals are starting to install cameras in operating rooms in the name of protecting patient safety and improving staff performance. — Newsweek
Oregon’s Health CO-OP has shut down and agreed to go into state receivership. — The Oregonian
TECHNOLOGY
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and IBM are leveraging artificial intelligence to create a new supply chain management company, Pensiamo. — PR Newswire
The Commission on Care issued a report on transforming the Department of Veterans Affairs and called for the adoption of off-the-shelf IT products to create a comprehensive electronic healthcare information platform that is interoperable with other systems and providers. — FierceHealthIT
Digital health companies raised about $500 million in the second quarter. — MobiHealthNews
POLITICS
Go figure: Big Pharma and other healthcare suppliers have given a total of $7.2 million this election cycle to 310 lawmakers who have criticized an Obama administration plan to change the way Medicare Part B pays for drugs. — STAT
A new CMS proposal is likely to hurt people with severe mental illnesses. — The Hill
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Phone calls can forecast dengue fever outbreaks. Yes, really. — ScienceDaily
Photo: Darren McCollester/Getty Images
