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Morning Read: No one should be surprised pharma R&D is dismal

Also, bad news for Atara Biotherapeutics and an impressive local at healthcare startups that could help battle food poisoning.

By Chris Seper on December 14, 2015 7:55 am

TOP STORIES

Maybe Deloitte just doesn’t get it? This isn’t your mother’s pharma R&D. R&D today is M&A. R&D today is a tax inversion. So does it really matter that the projected return from products in late-stage development is now at 4.2 percent (a significant drop from even last year). – Financial Times

Here’s a nice overview and rundown of Google’s life science adventures: call it Verily For Dummies. – Re/code

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LIFE SCIENCES

Atara Biotherapeutics’ treatment of end stage renal disease has failed in a mid-stage trial and the company will stop developing it. Atara will unveil what’s next in a conference call this morning. – Business Wire

Never fear, Valeant has it all figured out. They’re hiring lawyers and public relations experts in Washington, D.C. with “political connections.” – Reuters

Roche got accelerated approval by the FDA for its lung cancer drug Alecensa. – Roche

Health for Life Capital, which invests in microbiome companies, had added another $175 million to its coffers. – Business Wire

Radiopharmaceutical company IBA Molecular is being sold to funds advised by CapVest Partners.- Business Wire

PAYERS-PROVIDERS

You’ll like this gathering of cogent opinions on the future of consumer-driven healthcare. – Forbes

We’ll just call this bad big data:big gaps in billing data are hurting medical reimbursement. – MedPage Today

Over 1,000 people, including 350 infants, may have been exposed to tuberculosis in the maternity wing at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in California. – The New York Times

TECHNOLOGY

A lesson in embracing your digital platforms: The British government is using Tinder to promote organ donation. – BBC

European medical booking company Doctena has raised close to $5 million to expand throughout the continent. – TechCrunch

Here’s a nice look at how healthcare technology could stop the next Chipotle-style food-poisoning outbreak (with nice mentions of companies 6SensorLabs, C2Sense and Consumer Physics). – Wall Street Journal

POLITICS

Confessions from a “lapsed” Obamacare supporter. – Forbes

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA

Click if only for the first picture: Depressed people in South Korea are simulating their own funerals in order to feel better about themselves. – CNN

Photo: BigStock