1. Novartis said its profit fell for the seventh straight quarter, due in part to generic competition for its cancer drug Gleevec. The drugmaker is working to fill out its commercial portfolio to replace Gleevec’s lost revenue, but said sales of heart-failure drug Entresto and psoriasis treatment Cosentyx, two new therapies, both missed quarterly forecasts. (Bloomberg)
2. The members of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility, an investor group, have called upon 17 drugmakers to be more transparent about their pricing practices. The institutional investors own shares in the 17 companies. (WSJ)
3. Amgen invested in eHealth Ventures, a digital health incubator in Israel. An Amgen executive said the investment will help the drugmaker expand its digital-health pipeline.
4. Sanofi is partnering with Myriad Genetics to conduct a biomarker analysis of blood samples gathered in a clinical trial for Adlyxin, a diabetes treatment marketed by Sanofi. The testing will be used to better understand cardiovascular risk in patients with type 2 diabetes.
5. WPP acquired a stake in ScrollMotion, a software company that develops content for interactive touchscreens. The company will work with ghg, which plans to incorporate the software into health initiatives.
