Microsoft has poached chief medical officer David Rhew from Samsung Electronics to fill the same role at the Redmond, Washington-based company. Microsoft has grown its medical team under corporate VP Peter Lee, hiring staff away from Google Cloud and Verily, Alphabet’s life science group. (CNBC)
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) has criticized Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan over the company’s decision to hide manipulated data from the Food and Drug Administration, calling the decision “reprehensible.” (Endpoints) Grassley has demanded more information from Novartis about data discrepancies related to gene therapy Zolgensma. (Reuters)
Employers, get ready to pay more for workers’ healthcare benefits next year. The cost of employees’ health benefits is set to surpass $15,000 per staffer in 2020, according to the National Business Group on Health’s study of nearly 150 of the country’s biggest employers. (CNBC)
A key healthcare policy adviser is leaving the Trump administration. John O’Brien, senior adviser to the secretary of Health and Human Services for drug pricing reform, is exiting the department after less than a year. He’s also been a lobbyist and worked for BlueCross BlueShield. (Endpoints)
It’s actually come to this. The FDA issued a warning this week telling people not to drink a bleach-like cocktail that shady online sources have touted as a remedy for autism, HIV and AIDS and other conditions. “Ingesting these products is the same as drinking bleach,” said acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharples. (NBC News)
