CVS said on Tuesday that Walmart pharmacies will likely leave its drugstore networks due to a price dispute. The change would affect people with CVS-administered benefits and Medicaid enrollees with CVS drug coverage. Walmart has 4,600 U.S. pharmacy locations. (CNBC)
Edwards Lifesciences has paid $180 million to competitor Boston Scientific to end long-standing patent disputes. The two companies had been facing off on legal cases involving heart valve replacement systems, including transcatheter aortic valves. (Reuters)
Pfizer is eliminating 150 positions in its preclinical R&D group for biosimilars, cutting jobs in Lake Forest, Illinois, and Chennai, India. The company is also ending the development of five preclinical programs. (Endpoints)
The newly Democratic House Oversight Committee Is investigating 12 pharmaceutical companies for raising drug prices. Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD), the committee’s chairman, has sent letters to AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Sanofi, among others, asking for information about pricing practices. (CNBC)
The partial government shutdown could put a halt to possible approvals of treatments from pharma companies including Janssen and Novartis. More than 10 drugmakers are expecting FDA decisions on new treatments in March. (STAT) Meanwhile, the FDA said it is ready to resume food inspections that had been halted by the shutdown. The federal agency is prioritizing the riskiest foods, such as infant formula, produce, and cheese. (Associated Press)
