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DOJ may block UnitedHealth-Change deal

Today's Rundown

After a year as Merck KGaA healthcare CEO, Guenter reflects on I-O bispecific flop, spots new multiple sclerosis strategy
Lilly's tirzepatide doesn't necessarily top diabetes rivals Jardiance and Ozempic, ICER says
Reports swirl, again, that DOJ may sue to block UnitedHealth-Change deal
FDA clears Tandem's smartphone app for programming insulin doses
Sage, Biogen score on phase 3 depression trial, but we still don't know about durability
As Johnson & Johnson fights for bankruptcy ploy in talc litigation, Congress is weighing in
Senators explore improving reimbursement rates as a way to ease mental health provider shortage
Electronics giant Casio scores first FDA clearance in decades for dermatology camera system
NIAID vaccine R&D director who collaborated with Moderna on COVID-19 vaccine to retire
After FDA’s surprising about-face, Acadia revives Nuplazid’s expansion bid with narrower Alzheimer’s focus
RWJBarnabas reflects on its anti-racist pledge one year in: Incremental changes to drive a culture shift
Companion Spine nets $55M to carry ex-Medtronic implants to US market

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After a year as Merck KGaA healthcare CEO, Guenter reflects on I-O bispecific flop, spots new multiple sclerosis strategy

By Angus Liu

Just a few days after Peter Guenter joined Merck KGaA as its healthcare CEO at the beginning of 2021, the 22-year Sanofi veteran found himself picking up the pieces from the high-profile flop of then-GlaxoSmithKline-partnered PD-L1 bispecific, bintrafusp alfa. He has come out with an important lesson learned.

Lilly's tirzepatide doesn't necessarily top diabetes rivals Jardiance and Ozempic, ICER says

By Fraiser Kansteiner

Data on Eli Lilly’s type 2 diabetes hopeful tirzepatide look good so far, one watchdog says. But how much better is the med than Novo Nordisk’s entrenched GLP-1 blockbuster Ozempic or Lilly's Boehringer Ingelheim-partnered Jardiance?

Reports swirl, again, that DOJ may sue to block UnitedHealth-Change deal

By Paige Minemyer

Change Healthcare's stocks took a dive Tuesday afternoon amid reports that the Department of Justice may sue to intervene in its $8 billion merger with UnitedHealth Group.

FDA clears Tandem's smartphone app for programming insulin doses

By Andrea Park

Diabetes patients who use Tandem’s t:slim X2 insulin pump will now be able to use the app to either program or cancel bolus requests, which deliver an extra dose of short- or rapid-acting insulin at mealtimes to regulate blood sugar levels.

Sage, Biogen score on phase 3 depression trial, but we still don't know about durability

By Annalee Armstrong

Sage and Biogen’s depression drug quickly relieved symptoms of depression in a phase 3 trial, but the readout did little to quell concerns about the med’s durability of effect, an issue that investors and analysts have been concerned about.

As Johnson & Johnson fights for bankruptcy ploy in talc litigation, Congress is weighing in

By Kevin Dunleavy

As Johnson & Johnson wages a court battle this week to protect its strategy to free itself from talc liabilities by creating a company for them and declaring bankruptcy, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin has attempted to bring more scrutiny on the company for its tactics.

Senators explore improving reimbursement rates as a way to ease mental health provider shortage

By Robert King

Senators are searching for ways to improve workforce shortage among mental health providers, including whether to raise reimbursement rates under Medicaid.

Electronics giant Casio scores first FDA clearance in decades for dermatology camera system

By Andrea Park

More than half a century into its life span as a prolific producer of wristwatches, digital musical instruments, calculators and more, Casio has ventured back into the world of medical devices.

NIAID vaccine R&D director who collaborated with Moderna on COVID-19 vaccine to retire

By Max Bayer

John Mascola, M.D., director of the Vaccine Research Center at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is retiring at the end of March after more than eight years at the helm, a stint that most notably included collaboration with Moderna on its COVID-19 vaccine.

After FDA’s surprising about-face, Acadia revives Nuplazid’s expansion bid with narrower Alzheimer’s focus

By Angus Liu

Ten months after a surprising FDA rejection and after at least three subsequent meetings, Acadia Pharmaceuticals is back with a refiling of antipsychotic drug Nuplazid. This time, it's seeking approval for a smaller patient population—but even that constraint is riddled with regulatory uncertainties.

RWJBarnabas reflects on its anti-racist pledge one year in: Incremental changes to drive a culture shift

By Anastassia Gliadkovskaya

One year since launching its commitment to being an anti-racist organization, RWJBarnabas Health, the largest academic system in New Jersey, is seeing progress in real time. DeAnna Minus-Vincent, the health system's chief social justice and accountability officer, has been leading these efforts and shared how the organization moved beyond simply talking about racism to actively addressing it.

Companion Spine nets $55M to carry ex-Medtronic implants to US market

By Conor Hale

Based in France and the U.S., the startup maintains patents plus an inventory of instruments and implants acquired in part from Medtronic.

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