1. MannKind — the company that created an inhalable insulin product Afrezza — is developing a new product: inhalable epinephrine. The drugmaker plans to produce an alternative to Mylan’s EpiPen, which is an emergency treatment for anaphylaxis. (LAT)
2. Two Democratic lawmakers accused Mylan of avoiding paying higher Medicaid rebates by incorrectly classifying the therapy. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore) and Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) wrote in a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services that the “EpiPen may have been incorrectly designated by relevant pharmaceuticals companies as a generic in the Medicaid program, despite being considered a brand-name drug by the Food and Drug Administration and Medicare.” (Stat)
3. The United Kingdom’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence rejected the use of Roche’s combination skin cancer drug, Cotellic/Zelboraf, in a final guidance. NICE said the drug was too expensive compared to alternative treatments. (PharmaTimes)
4. Danaher agreed to buy molecular diagnostics company Cepheid in a deal valued at roughly $4 billion. Cepheid manufactures instruments that are used in genetic testing. (Bloomberg)
5. ICYMI: Takeda Pharmaceutical announced that it will work to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus. The drugmaker said it receive funding from the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services. (Stat)
