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1. The American Medical Association said it supports value-based pricing for drugs, arguing that drug prices should be established by independent organizations and with transparent processes. (Modern Healthcare)  

2. Amgen, which markets a PCSK9 inhibitor, Repatha, said that insurers are balking at covering the pricey drug. An Amgen executive said insurers deny between 80% to 90% of all claims for patients who meet the criteria for PCSK9 inhibitors at first. Separately, a study released this week has promising new data for Repatha. (NYT)

3. Physicians say that prices are not a key factor when deciding what drugs to prescribe to their patients. However, about 47% of primary-care physicians said that the issue is a key concern, compared to five other types of physicians. (Stat)

4. Patients taking Johnson & Johnson’s anticoagulant Xarelto and clopidogrel suffer fewer clinically significant bleeding events than patients taking a three-drug regimen that doesn’t include Xarelto, a new study found. (WSJ)

5. Several new startups are focused on using music to help patients. One startup is Tinnitracks, a prescription app available in three countries in Europe, that seeks to treat tinnitus using a patient’s music from their smartphone. (Pitchfork)