Highlights of the important and the interesting from the world of healthcare:
VCs look to skirt proposed tax changes: While it’s far from certain that the proposal will pass Congress, changes may be coming to tax laws that would treat profits by venture capital and private equity firms like profits by, uh, just about everyone else. But that hasn’t stopped the (mostly) wealthy (mostly) gentlemen who would be affected by the change from plotting how to get around it, or rather paying others to do the plotting for them. “Any time there is a new section of the tax code there are going to be lawyers who will try to manipulate the rules,” said one law professor.
Saved by the bell? Wellpoint’s annual shareholder meeting was cut short during the Q&A portion with CEO Angela Braly when one of the company’s directors, the brother of former president George W. Bush, collapsed. Some shareholders were disappointed that they didn’t get to question Braly. On an unrelated note, Warren Buffet has sold his company’s more than 1 million shares of Wellpoint.
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.
A boost to personalized medicine: Xconomy takes an in-depth look at Ohio State University’s plan to collaborate with a Seattle group to further the study of personalized medicine. The vision is that instead of waiting for clinical symptoms to appear, like a tumor spotted on an X-ray after it’s too late, physicians will eventually be able to see early warning signs of malignancies from a pinprick of blood analyzed by genomic instruments and software.
More Big Pharma M&A on the horizon: According to a survey of 381 pharma execs, 82 percent believe big drugmakers won’t be able to innovate sufficiently internally to replenish their dwindling pipelines. That explains why nearly 70 percent anticipate a big wave of acquisitions will happen over the next two years.
More cuts at Pfizer: After cutting thousands of R&D and sales jobs after its $68 billion Wyeth acquisition, Pfizer isn’t done. The company says it’ll cut 6,000 manufacturing jobs over the next 5 years, shuttering eight plants in Ireland, Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Thwarting the aging process: Aubrey de Grey, whose research focuses on whether regenerative medicine can thwart the aging process, speaks at TEDMED. Sample quote: “It’s not fun, and [it’s] seriously expensive, indeed, to be elderly.”
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.
Dealflow: San Ramon, California-based Breathe Technologies pulls in a $23 million Series C; “Stealthy” San Diego-based Celula grabs $15 million for prenatal diagnostics.
Photo from flickr user Howdy, I’m H. Michael Karshis
