TOP STORIES
Novo Nordisk is acquiring Indiana-based Calibrium LLC and MB2 LLC, both of which are relatively fresh on the scene and working on drug targets for diabetes and metabolic diseases. The financial details are still being kept under wraps.
Calibrium is focused on novel peptides and MB2 LLC on first-in-class, mixed agonist drugs. “I’m optimistic that together we can create novel, transformative therapies in the fight against the global epidemic of diabetes and obesity,” said Richard DiMarchi, chief scientific officer and co-founder of both Calibrium and MB2, commenting on the deal.
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.
Some insurers have received the double digit rate increases they were seeking after state commissioners agreed that the increases were needed to cover higher-than-expected claims from sick people who signed up for individual policies in the first two years of the Affordable Care Act. The rate hikes will go into effect in time for the open enrollment period, which starts November 1. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee marks the highest rate increase to date at 36.3 percent. The state has had some of the lowest premiums in the country in the first couple of years of ACA’s rollout. — The Wall Street Journal
LIFE SCIENCES
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
A judge in Arizona ruled that a hospital assessment that pays for the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program is constitutional, preserving health care for some 350,000 Arizonans. — Arizona Daily Star
TECH
The latest healthcare accelerator to come into being is a collaboration between Johnson & Johnson Innovation and PCH called Hardware for Health. Stacy Feld, Senior Director of Consumer Scientific Innovation at JJI, told MobiHealthNews:
“There are new devices, new software algorithms, advanced sensor technologies, and novel imaging innovations. And as these new hardware solutions are converging on the consumer health ecosystem, that’s enabling new solutions for consumers to engage in self-care and general health and wellness.” — MobiHealth News
POLITICS
Speaker John Boehner has hired one of the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s top aides to advise him on health care policy. Paul Edattel, who has worked on Rep. Fred Upton’s (R-Mich.) panel since 2011, will begin as assistant to the speaker for policy, in charge of the Ohio Republican’s health care policy.
— Politico
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
Some people actually have a condition called “aphantasia,” which doesn’t allow them to picture things visually in their mind.
It’s thought that as many as one in fifty people might have aphantasia. Some report that it makes them feel “alone” or “isolated,” knowing that they can’t see things that most people can, and that they feel distressed they can’t picture friends or deceased relatives. But others have learnt to live with it, and simply think that they experience life in a different way
Photo: Flickr user Siebuhr
