1. Merck CEO Ken Frazier quit President Trump’s American Manufacturing Council, saying in a statement that “America’s leaders must honor our fundamental views by clearly rejecting expressions of hatred, bigotry, and group supremacy.” Trump responded in a tweet saying Frazier will now have more time to “lower ripoff drug prices.” (WSJ)
2. Cancer researchers are not finding enough patients to participate in new clinical trials for experimental cancer treatments. There are too many drugs in too many trials, and the criteria for those trials have become increasingly selective, according to commentary published in Nature. (NYT)
3. Roche shareholders sued the Swiss drugmaker over differences between when the company reported top-line clinical data for breast cancer drug Perjeta and when it released the full results of the same trial. The top-line report showed the drug helped patients live longer on average, but the full results showed that benefit was marginal. (WSJ)
4. Regeneron ended a Phase-III trial for suptavumab, an experimental drug for respiratory syncytial virus, which is a contagious respiratory illness that affects babies and young children. (Endpoints)
5. Anthem said it will leave the Obamacare market in Virginia in 2018. President Trump has threatened to cut subsidy payments to insurers for health exchange plans. (Reuters)
