TOP STORIES
Olympus, the nation’s largest endoscope distributor, is set to pay $623.2 million to resolve civil and criminal allegations to reimburse hospitals and doctors that purchased its devices. The sum is the largest ever paid by a medical-device company over violations related to the federal anti-kickback law, according to the government. — Modern Healthcare
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Looking for more HIMSS coverage? We have a separate HIMSS16 wrapup plus a dedicated daily newsletter with more news all this week.
LIFE SCIENCES
Gilead Sciences combination treatment for HIV has won FDA approval. The Odefsey could reach peak sales of $1.6 billion by 2020. – FierceBiotech
Savara Pharmaceuticals will use a $20 million Series C round to take its inhaled lung-infection treatment to a Phase 3 trial. – Xconomy
Immune Support on Demand: Ranking the Top Mobile IV Therapy Companies
Explore the top mobile IV therapy companies boosting immune health on demand, with standout services, expert care and innovative delivery across the U.S.
Imbruvica, a drug used for chronic lymphocytic leukemia, gets a thumbs down from U.K.’s cost effectiveness gatekeepers – and maker Janssen isn’t happy about it. The Johnson & Johnson pharma unit said it was “extremely disappointed” with draft guidance from the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence that did not recommend the med as a treatment for CLL patients who aren’t good candidates for chemo-immunotherapy. — FiercePharma
Philadelphia’s Militia Hill Ventures has opened a new innovation hub to nurture early-stage life science companies. – Philadelphia Business Journal
A new study reports that researchers can predict cognitive outcomes long after players have retired by reviewing concussion history, game-related data and overall mental abilities. — LA BioMed
SomaLogic has signed a deal with Visium Healthcare Partners for up to $60.5 million to help accelerate growth in life sciences and diagnostics. — SomaLogic
MD Biosciences Inc. (St. Paul, Minn.) launched a laboratory-developed test (LDT) service to detect Zika virus in human blood, plasma, serum or urine samples. The company said its assay is specific for Zika and does not cross-react with dengue, West Nile or Chikunguya viruses. — BioCentury
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
CMS is letting physicians know it is ready to move beyond meaningful use of an EHR and into meaningful reporting of data to improve healthcare. — Physicians Practice
The federal Medicare program and private health insurers waste nearly $3 billion every year buying cancer medicines that are thrown out because many drug makers distribute the drugs only in vials that hold too much for most patients, a group of cancer researchers has found. — The New York Times
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued new recommendations aimed at reducing the risk of Zika virus transmission through donated human tissues and cells used in surgical or reproductive procedures, such as umbilical cord blood, corneas and heart valves. — Reuters
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii had a $6.5 million loss in Q4 – Pacific Business News
TECH
WellDoc has added Johnson & Johnson to its B-round, bumping the total to nearly $30 million and adding a collaboration with J&J’s LifeScan business. – PE Hub
Artificial intelligence startup MedyMatch Technology has raised $2 million to advance its system of medical imaging analysis. – TechCrunch
A recent report from Navigant Research examines the market for drone and robotics technologies for transmission and distribution, providing an analysis of market issues and global forecasts for revenue, segmented by region and technology, through 2024. — BusinessWire
About five months after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) first charged the marketers of a vision improvement app, called UltimEyes, with deceptively claiming their program was scientifically proven to improve the user’s eye sight, the FTC has approved a final consent order that requires the company to stop making these claims. — MobiHealthNews
POLITICS
House Democratic leaders this week are amplifying their attacks on the GOP’s Planned Parenthood investigation, warning that the politically charged language surrounding the probe could incite acts of violence against clinics nationwide. — The Hill
A Senate panel voted Tuesday to advance legislation that would block states from imposing labeling requirements for genetically modified foods. — The Hill
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
A French company is harnessing the power of bioluminescent bacteria to light up public areas. Glowee, a Parisian start-up, plans to use bacteria found in squid to illuminate shop fronts, public spaces, and installations, with the hope of lighting up whole streets with these microbial lamps. — IFLScience