Facebook approached hospitals for anonymous patient data for a proposed research project that would have matched the information with its user data to help medical centers figure out which patients might need special care or treatment. However, Facebook put the project on hold in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal. (CNBC)
The surgeon general called on more Americans on Thursday to carry naloxone to help stem the opioid epidemic. One maker of the treatment, Kaléo, announced initiatives at the same time to sell its injectable naloxone to federal and state governments for a reduced price and make it more easily available in six states. (BioPharma Dive)
Pharma companies gave at least $116 million to patient advocacy groups in 2015, according to a Kaiser Health News report. The report questioned whether the patient groups are representing their members or their funders. (Kaiser Health News)
A melanoma treatment from Incyte and Merck failed a late-stage study. The two pharma companies are stopping the study after the drug didn’t improve progression-free survival. (Reuters)
Six advocacy groups have asked the federal government to lower the price of one drug for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The advocacy groups are pressing health regulators to take action to lower the price of Sarepta’s drug Exondys 51, which goes for about $300,000 per year. (Endpoints News)
