TOP STORIES
Gilead has been ordered to pay Merck $200 million for infringing on two patents related to its hepatitis C drug goldmine – namely, Solvaldi and Harvoni. This is a fairly easy out for Gilead – Merck wanted $2 billion initially. –New York Times
Heard at HLTH 2024: Insights from Innovative Healthcare Executives
Executives from Imagine360, Verily, BrightInsight, Lantern, and Rhapsody shared their approaches to reducing healthcare costs and facilitating digital transformation.
J. Craig Venter’s crew has lab-engineered a species of bacteria out of the minimum level of genetic code – creating the most genetically efficient form of life that we know. It’s been a two decade process to create this new microbe, which is made up of 473 genes. –Forbes
LIFE SCIENCES
We may see some restructuring at Forum Pharmaceuticals: Two studies for schizophrenia drugs failed in late stage trials – Xconomy
Bayer is looking to stay in the eye drug space, and is committing $130 million to Regeneron to develop a next-gen version of its Eylea drug. –Fierce Biotech
Health Executives on Digital Transformation in Healthcare
Hear executives from Quantum Health, Surescripts, EY, Clinical Architecture and Personify Health share their views on digital transformation in healthcare.
How did circulating fetal DNA research come to fruition? Here’s the path taken by Hong Kong geneticist Yuk Ming Dennis Lo. –CNN
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
Looks like a preventative model for diabetes care can actually work out, or so says Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell. A YMCA diabetes prevention program is the first time a CMS Innovation Center preventative service has become eligible for expansion in Medicare. –Healthcare IT News
TECHNOLOGY
Health sensor startup LifeBeam just raised $16 million to launch direct-to-consumer wearable. –MobiHealthNews
Health and Human Services has created a new, 21-member cybersecurity task force to respond to the increasing number of cyber attacks on health information systems. –Healthcare Dive
In a new blog from the luminaries behind the Precision Medicine Initiative, we learn that its Sync 4 Science pilot program won’t define the standards of interoperability – but will build on community efforts in the space. –HealthIT Buzz
POLITICS
The Congressional Budget Office let loose the latest numbers on projected ObamaCare performance and the results are mixed. Federal health insurance subsidies are up 11 percent to $660 billion, whereas enrollment will be slightly down. –The Hill
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
In this era of pathogen paranoia, here are five mysterious diseases you may not know anything about. –Time