Amazon is starting to sell software that mines data from medical records. The product, called Amazon Comprehend Medical, uses AI to help doctors and hospitals parse unstructured patient medical records to improve care and cut costs. Amazon is hoping to work with insurance companies, research centers, and pharma companies. (CNBC)
Juul is developing a product with less nicotine but more vapor after intense scrutiny. The company is hoping to sell the lower-nicotine products outside the U.S. where regulations on nicotine levels are stricter. Although the nicotine level is lower, experts say the larger amount of vapor could enhance the rate at which nicotine is absorbed in the body. (New York Times)
A former executive at opioid drugmaker Insys is expected to plead guilty to bribery charges. Alec Burlakoff, formerly VP of sales at the company, is charged with participating in a bribery scheme to get doctors to prescribe the company’s opioid, Subsys. (Reuters)
The Chinese scientist who claimed to have genetically edited human babies said there is another pregnancy underway. Speaking at a conference in Hong Kong, He Jiankui claimed that a second pregnancy with gene-edited embryos is in early stages. His announcement this week has caused controversy among scientists and spurred government investigations. (Associated Press)
Roche is buying U.S. biotech Jecure Therapeutics to add liver drugs to its portfolio. Jecure has early development drugs for inflammatory diseases like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), liver fibrosis, gout, inflammatory bowel disease, and cardiovascular diseases. Pharma companies including Pfizer, Gilead, and Novartis are trying to get in early on treatments for NASH. Roche did not disclose Jecure’s price tag. (Reuters)
