1. Harvard Pilgrim Health Care signed a pair of outcomes-based contracts with AstraZeneca. The contracts cover Brilinta, AZ’s treatment for acute coronary disease, and Bydureon, its type-2 diabetes drug.
2. Lobbyists for some of the most powerful sectors in the healthcare industry, including drugmakers, pharmacy benefit managers, and pharmacists, are engaging in a “civil war” over the issue of drug prices. (NYT)
3. Some physicians say that using a six-question screening test for adult ADHD cannot reliably identify adults with the condition. Earlier this year, a World Health Organization advisory group had endorsed the test. (NPR)
4. Gilead Sciences’ experimental combination HIV therapy, which mixes Descovy with investigational drug bictegravir, met its goal in four late-stage trials. If approved, the combo therapy would help Gilead compete with GlaxoSmithKline. (Reuters)
5. A patient with colon cancer who was treated with Merck’s immuno-therapy Keytruda reported success with the treatment. In this instance, the drug treated a genetic defect, found in about 4% of cancers, known as mismatch repair deficiency. (WaPo)
