Seven drugmakers have been invited to testify before Congress about drug pricing practices. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Pfizer, and Sanofi have agreed to send an executive to testify this month. AstraZeneca is reviewing the request; AbbVie has not responded. (CNBC)
Coalition for Healthcare Communication executive director Jon Bigelow told healthcare marketers they must make their own case to lawmakers in Washington, DC. Speaking at MM&M’s Evolution of the Agency Universe event, Bigelow also revealed his four public policy areas to watch 2019. (MM&M)
CEOs from Novartis and Eli Lilly are backing the government’s plans to end the rebate system to cut drug prices. The proposal would do away with payments to PBMs and health insurers. Sanofi and Novo Nordisk have also backed the proposal. (PharmaPhorum)
Microsoft has developed a service allowing healthcare companies to use its Azure cloud platform to store patient data. This system will connect doctors, researchers, pharmacists, and others to make accessing and sharing health records easier. In addition, Microsoft is working on a healthcare chatbot that will allow patients to find clinical trials and drug therapies. (Bloomberg)
A study has found that blood levels of 10 proteins could determine if an individual has preclinical Alzheimer’s, a tool that would benefit drugmakers. The test could identify if an individual will develop the disease and discover if an asymptomatic patient has it. Researchers in Europe and Australia reported their findings in Science Advances on Wednesday. (STAT)
