Morning read: Ironwood Pharma buys U.S. rights to AstraZeneca’s gout drug in $265M deal
Also, an FDA panel has rejected Sarepta Therapeutics' Duchenne muscular dystrophy treatment, and Zimmer Biomet Holdings will acquire Cayenne Medical.
Valeant has a new CEO whose strength is ‘fostering an ethical culture’
Valeant Pharmaceuticals just poached Perrigo CEO Joseph Papa to be its new chief executive. He'll replace the somewhat reviled current CEO, Michael Pearson, in early May.
Using Informed Awareness to Transform Care Coordination and Improve the Clinical and Patient Experience
This eBook, in collaboration with Care Logistics, details how hospitals and health systems can facilitate more effective decision-making by operationalizing elevated awareness.
On athenahealth’s acquisition of Arsenal Health: 5 must-read stories from MedCity News this week
Every week, we compile the most trafficked and thoughtful stories on MedCity News. Most influential: A deeper dive into what athenahealth's acquisition of Arsenal Health means for patient management.
J. Craig Venter snubbed White House, but OK with working with British
During a September 2015 keynote at Mayo Clinic's Individualizing Medicine Conference, Venter was asked whether he had any interest in teaming up with the White House's Precision Medicine Initiative — melding Human Longevity's database with the government's. His reply? "Unlikely."
Why are there gnome statues decorating Blueprint Medicines?
Just about a year ago, Blueprint Medicines raised $169 million in Massachusetts' largest biotech IPO. Today, it's got three drugs in clinical trials - and, with a well-padded bank account, has time for a little whimsy.
AstraZeneca, teaming with J. Craig Venter, is integrating genomics into every phase of its R&D
Working with J. Craig Venter's Human Longevity Inc, the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and Finland's Institute for Molecular Medicine, AstraZeneca — and its biologics R&D arm MedImmune — plans to integrate genomics research into every step of drug development.
At ViVE 2024, Panelists Share Prior Authorization Progress and Frustration in Payer Insights Program
At the Payer Insights sessions on Day 1 of ViVE 2024, a panel on prior authorization offered compelling insights from speakers who shared the positive developments in this area after years of mounting frustration. Speakers also shared challenges as they work with providers to figure out how policy developments and technology will work in practice.
Avisa Pharma developing 10-minute tuberculosis breath test
Avisa Pharma is focusing primarily on tuberculosis detection, with aims to develop a rapid, point-of-care test that could determine if a patient has the disease within 10 minutes.
Morning Read: Peter Thiel-backed Auris Surgical Robots acquires Hansen Medical for $80M
Also, Medtronic recalls nearly 10,000 battery backs for patient breathing monitors over heat damage risk and Alere loses half a billion dollars in value as investors fear Abbott's acquisition will fall through.
Advantagene raising $35M for prostate cancer vaccine
The company is developing a prostate cancer vaccine called ProstAtak that's in Phase 3 development - though its gene-mediate cytotoxic approach could be applied to several other solid tumor cancers, the company says.
Pfizer, Roche join $42.6M round to fund microbiome player Second Genome
Second Genome uses genomics, computational biology and phenotypic screening to identify the molecular mechanisms of the microbiome that cause disease.
Unlocking Transparency in PBM Pricing
The TSX Venture Exchange has a strong history of helping early-stage health and life sciences companies raise patient capital for research and development.
On heels of Genome Compiler buy, Twist Bioscience raises small round
Twist Bioscience's platform centers around scaling DNA synthesis, building genetic sequences out at a fraction of the price of what they've historically cost.
Science advisor to Bill Gates launches new firm Biomatics Capital Partners, raising $150M fund
The new Seattle-based firm Biomatics Capital Partners is led by Boris Nikolic, a science advisor to Bill Gates. It is raising $150 million.
The Theranos death knell? A criminal probe is now underway
Theranos is now embroiled in a criminal investigation, the Wall Street Journal reported, with federal prosecutors questioning whether the beleaguered diagnostics company misled government officials and, importantly, its investors.
Elizabeth Holmes to finally unveil Theranos data in August — if she lasts
Elizabeth Holmes, CEO of erstwhile diagnostics company Theranos, will finally reveal data about its secretive technology at the AACC conference this August.
Best of INVEST: Breath Diagnostics detects cancer with breath tests
Louisville startup Breath Diagnostics has developed technology to pick up cancer-related compounds that are exhaled in one's breath.