TOP STORIES
The federal government gets a new whip to wield against insurance companies on Friday: the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be able to fine insurers up to $25,000 per beneficiary for errors in Medicare Advantage plan directories. But payers are already paying millions for claims adjustments. In a tell-us-something-we-don’t-know quote of the year: “It’s the Wild West out there for consumers who are trying to confirm that the plans they choose have the doctors they want.” – Wall Street Journal
Something has got to give on Theranos. – Fast Company
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
LIFE SCIENCES
Here’s how Valeant will manage the company while Michael Pearson is ill. – Reuters
Two KaloBios Pharmaceuticals board members close to Martin Shkreli – Tom Fernandez and Marek Biestek – have resigned. In the meantime, there’s this interesting fact: Shkreli hired the same auditor for KaloBios as the one he used Retrophin, the company that got him in trouble with the federal government.- MarketWatch, Bloomberg
Andarta Medical, a University of Minnesota spinout, has raised $1.9 million to develop a device to reduce time on ventilators. – Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
How do we focus on preventing cancer as opposed to curing it once it starts? “R & D on cancer prevention and treatment of early-stage cancer is very socially valuable … yet our work shows that society provides private firms — perhaps inadvertently — with surprisingly few incentives to conduct this kind of research.” – The New York Times
The Journal’s Top 10 healthcare stories of the year? No. 1: Drug Prices. No. 10? Tech. – Wall Street Journal
Chimerix’s lead drug didn’t produce in a Phase 3 study to prevent CMV infections during transplants, sending the stock careening 81 percent. – Xconomy
PAYERS-PROVIDERS
Nurses have new deals at two Sutter Health hospitals: Auburn Faith and Roseville Medical Center. – Sacramento Business Journal
TECHNOLOGY
Patients with severe acne will pay $25 for video consults to accompany their prescription. – mHealth Intelligence
Why CES still matters. – Re/Code
A LITTLE BIT EXTRA
This question is roiling the Internet: How would a dog wear pants? – Imgur
