Heart medications and prescription digital therapeutics highlighted day three of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Amarin CEO John Thero discussed the company’s fish-oil-derived cardiovascular treatment Vascepa, and Pear Therapeutics CEO Corey McCann shed light on his company’s new products. (MM&M)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) are planning to introduce a bill on Thursday to lower prescription drug prices. The three-part bill would use the median drug price from five countries to set the U.S. cost. Under the legislation, the secretary of Health and Human Services could negotiate drug prices in Medicare Part D, and consumers could purchase more affordable drugs from other countries. (Reuters)
A patient with brain cancer has been the first to receive experimental treatment under the Right to Try Law, signed into law by President Donald Trump last May. ERC-USA and the University of California at Irvine have been treating the patient since November with ERC-1671, which is in Phase II clinical trials. (Endpoints)
A new smartphone app can detect an opioid overdose and alert emergency services. The app, Second Chance, created by researchers at the University of Washington, uses sonar to track breathing patterns. The developers are applying for FDA approval. (CNBC)
Nominations are open for MM&M’s 2019 Top 40 Healthcare Transformers and Top 10 Innovation Catalysts. Honorees will be celebrated at a dinner on May 7 and profiled in the May issue. The deadline for nominations is January 31. (MM&M)
