A study in JAMA found that the U.S. spends roughly twice what other wealthy nations do on healthcare, despite having the lowest life expectancy and highest infant mortality rate. The study suggested that the high level of spending is due to steeper costs for drugs, medical devices, physician and nurse salaries, and administrative costs to process medical claims. (Reuters)

Uber, along with healthcare partner Stride Health, has asked the Department of Labor to allow gig workers holding down multiple jobs to be allowed to participate in association health plans. The Labor Department’s proposed rule would increase healthcare access by expanding the definition of “employer.” (Bloomberg)

MorphoSys is hoping for accelerated approval from regulators for its anti-CD19 antibody MOR208. The German biotech company is pointing to data showing that in 68 evaluable patients in its study for diffuse large B cell lymphoma, it tracked a 49% overall response rate and a 31% complete response rate, plus a preliminary progression free survival rate of 50.5% at 12 months. (Endpoints)

Alnylam is continuing to develop a rare disease therapy alone after Sanofi—and its rare disease arm, Genzyme—bowed out of a partnership. The two were slated to work together on lumasiran (ALN-GO1), an investigational RNAi therapeutic for Primary Hyperoxaluria Type 1 (PH1). (pharmaphorum)

Oregon State researchers have created a compound that genetically neutralizes a widespread bacterial pathogen’s ability to circumvent antibiotics—a critical step forward in the fight against drug resistance. Each year, 2 million people in the U.S. are severely infected with drug-resistant bacteria. (Medical Xpress)