The Justice Department is moving closer to approving Cigna’s planned acquisition of Express Scripts and CVS Health’s deal for Aetna. The DOJ’s nod could come in the next few weeks. CVS and Aetna may divest their Medicare prescription drug plans due to government concerns about harmed competition. (Wall Street Journal)
GlaxoSmithKline has cut 650 jobs as part of its cost-savings strategy, which it disclosed in July with the goal of eliminating a half-billion dollars in costs. GSK CEO Emma Walmsley wants to focus on improving the company’s pharma business and strengthening its R&D pipeline. (Pharma Phorum)
Civica Rx, a nonprofit that manufactures generic medicines to combat high drug prices, has named former Amgen executive Martin van Trieste as CEO. The nonprofit consists of the Mayo Clinic, Intermountain Healthcare, HCA Healthcare, and four other organizations representing 500 hospitals in the U.S. The group will initially focus on 14 generics. (CNBC)
Tech companies have been cooperating with the FDA to cut down on the sale of illegal opioids on the internet. Meanwhile, lawmakers are discussing other measures. Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) suggested using legislation passed this year that allows victims of sex trafficking to sue online platforms if they facilitated the crime. (Axios)
23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki addressed customer data and the company’s deal with GlaxoSmithKline at TechCrunch’s Disrupt show on Wednesday. The deal would give GSK exclusive rights to customer data. Users won’t be asked to opt-in; instead, they must choose to opt-out via email. (TechCrunch)
