1. The U.K. will become the first country to sell an over-the-counter version of Pfizer’s erectile dysfunction drug Viagra. Consumers will be able to buy Viagra Connect without a prescription in spring of 2018. (Fortune)
2. Startup Decibel Therapeutics struck a deal with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. In exchange for helping Decibel develop hearing-loss drugs, Regeneron will receive an undisclosed equity stake in the company and receive royalties for drugs that go to market in the future. (Stat)
3. Digital health publisher Remedy Health was acquired by private equity firm Topspin Partners, the parties announced today. The acquisition follows other recent M&A in the health media space, including Rodale’s sale to Hearst in October and WebMD’s sale to KKR in July.
4. A new study found that doctors accommodate patient requests 85% of the time. When doctors did not fulfill these requests, however, patients were more likely to give them poor reviews. (Reuters)
5. Phase-III trials for Pfizer and Merck KGaA’s PD-L1 drug Bavencio failed to prolong the survival of advanced gastric cancer patients compared with the existing standard of care. (Endpoints News)
