Reuters - Health Report

Click to View in Browser

Monday, October 30, 2017

CVS bid for Aetna: A $66 billion bet on cutting drug costs

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The proposed merger between U.S. pharmacy operator CVS Health Corp and No. 3 health insurer Aetna Inc represents a $66 billion bet that insurers can drive down high U.S. drug prices by cutting out the middleman.

AstraZeneca licenses genetic disease drug to Mereo BioPharma

LONDON (Reuters) - Mereo BioPharma has agreed a licensing deal and acquisition option for a rare disease drug from AstraZeneca as the big drugmaker continues to divest non-core assets.

Insys founder resigns from board after charges in U.S. opioid bribe case

(Reuters) - The billionaire founder of Insys Therapeutics Inc, John Kapoor, has resigned from the company's board of directors, Insys said in a statement on Sunday.

Merck Keytruda sales soar, but European application pulled

(Reuters) - Merck & Co on Friday said quarterly sales of its Keytruda cancer immunotherapy exceeded $1 billion for the first time, but it withdrew an application for European use of the drug in lung cancer, raising questions about future sales.

In pro-Trump Ohio county, opioid announcement disappoints

COLUMBUS, Ohio (Reuters) - Doug Corcoran is in the trenches every day in the fight against the opioid crisis in the rural Ohio county he helps oversee.

CVS deal for Aetna could help retailer face Amazon entry: analysts

(Reuters) - U.S. pharmacy operator CVS Health Corp's move to buy health insurer Aetna Inc could shore-up CVS' vulnerable pharmacy business and spur another round of dealmaking in an industry fearing Amazon's arrival, analysts said.

CVS makes more than $66 billion bid for Aetna: sources

(Reuters) - U.S. pharmacy operator CVS Health Corp has made an offer to acquire No. 3 U.S. health insurer Aetna Inc for more than $200 per share, or over $66 billion, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

McDonald's sets new welfare standards for chickens

CHICAGO (Reuters) - McDonald's Corp will require suppliers to follow new standards for raising and slaughtering chickens served in its restaurants, the company said on Friday, the latest changes affecting popular menu items like McNuggets.

Sex and drugs: U.S. study links marijuana use to more intercourse

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Where there is smoke, there tends to be fire, say medical researchers who found frequent marijuana users have about 20 percent more sex than those who abstain.

Large decrease in uninsured new cancer patients linked to Affordable Care Act

(Reuters Health) - The number of newly diagnosed cancer patients without health insurance declined by one-third in 2014, which is likely an effect of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a small study suggests.