1. Now that the proposed merger between Pfizer and Allergan has been called off, Pfizer faces limited options if it tries to seek other acquisitions. Its other possibility, long-discussed, is to break up the company. (NYT)
2. Allergan CEO Brent Saunders told The Wall Street Journal that the Treasury Department’s change in rules was “un-American” and “capricious.” But the drugmaker is moving forward, announcing a global R&D and commercialization agreement with Heptares Therapeutics to develop experimental treatments for neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease. (WSJ)
3. IBM partners with Pfizer to study Parkinson’s disease symptoms. To better gather a continuous stream of data, the two organizations plan to place sensors around patients’ home and on their bodies. (TechCrunch)
4. The cost of insulin rose almost 200% between 2002 and 2013, driven by increased use of newer types of insulin like analog insulins. Researchers said they don’t expect the price of insulin to decrease anytime soon. (Reuters)
5. Two researchers said that doctors are overdiagnosing asthma and that by prescribing steroid inhalers they are putting children at risk. (Stat)
