This ad for Linzess, Tell Me Something I Don’t Know, debuted in March 2016.
1. Ironwood Pharmaceuticals and Allergan, its co-marketing partner for irritable bowel syndrome drug, Linzess, boosted prescriptions for the therapy by fine-tuning its DTC ad. New ads that launched in 2015 and 2016 led to a 27% and 30% increase, respectively, in total prescriptions following the launch of the first ad in 2014. (BioPharmaDive)
2. Certain Republican lawmakers spent the better part of Thursday on a treasure hunt, searching for a draft of the replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act. After being denied entry to the room where the bill was reportedly being discussed, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky), with a copy machine in tote, said, “This is being presented as if it’s a national secret. As if it’s a plot to invade another country.” (Vox)
3. Roche said patients taking a combination of Perjeta and Herceptin lived longer than patients taking a combination of Herceptin and chemotherapy. The drugmaker is testing the combination therapy in patients with breast cancer. (WSJ)
4. A new European study found it’s safe for certain patients to stop taking Novartis’ blood-cancer drug Gleevec if their cancer is in remission. One of the study’s lead authors said the goal is cure chronic myelogenous leukemia, which means that patients would stop taking the drug. (AP)
5. Otsuka America Pharmaceutical will buy Neurovance in a deal worth up to $250 million. As part of the agreement, Otsuka will obtain an experimental ADHD drug, centanafadine, that is expected to head into Phase III trials. (GEN)
