1. The FDA’s Office of Prescription Drug Promotion sent Canadian drugmaker Cipher Pharmaceuticals a warning letter for its promotion of opioid drug Conzip. The agency said one of Cipher’s detail aids is false and misleading because it does not contain important risk information.
2. IBM’s Watson for Oncology may not be living up to the hype in its effort to help hospitals more effectively treat patients with cancer. A new report says that the supercomputer is having difficulty understanding the different forms of cancer. (STAT)
3. 23andMe raised $200 million in a funding round, according to unnamed sources. The genetic testing company hired former Genentech business-development exec Angele Maki in January, suggesting that it may be making inroads in drug development. (TechCrunch)
4. Merck plans to acquire biotech Rigontec in a deal worth up to $603 million. Rigontec is developing a type of immuno-oncology technology. (Endpoints News)
5. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie proposed a new regulation that would cap the amount of money prescribers can receive from drugmakers for speaking engagements and consulting. The cap would not apply to CME events.
