1. In a Phase-III trial of people with heart disease, Ilaris, a Novartis drug currently approved to treat certain kinds of arthritis, prevented heart attacks and strokes by targeting inflammation. (Forbes)

2. Senate lawmakers formally unveiled a healthcare bill that would end the insurance mandate as well as make significant cuts to Medicaid. (NYT)

3. Pfizer received a Complete Response Letter from the FDA over its application for a biosimilar of Amgen’s anemia drug Epogen. The FDA cited an issue with a manufacturing plant in Kansas. (Endpoints)

4. Drug companies continue to race to develop therapies for NASH, a form of nonalcoholic fatty-liver disease. There are over 40 drugs in mid- and late-stage trials vying for approval to treat the disease or its symptoms. (WSJ)

5. Bluebird Bio reported positive early results from a Phase-III trial evaluating its LentiGlobin gene therapy in patients with a rare blood disease. The FDA has yet to approve a gene-therapy drug. (Xconomy)