The COO of Haven, the health venture formed by Amazon, JP Morgan and Berkshire Hathaway, is leaving. Jack Stoddard is exiting his role after only nine months on the job in what could be a setback for the young company. Stoddard said he is leaving for personal reasons. Haven has not named a replacement. (CNBC)
The high price of Gilead HIV-prevention drug Truvada is being blamed for stalling efforts to prevent HIV. The drug, also known as PrEP, costs $21,000 annually. Activists say that price tag is keeping patients from accessing the drug. (Bloomberg)
JP Morgan Chase is buying medical payments technology firm InstaMed. The bank is paying more than $500 million for the company that automates medical billing and connects players in the industry for information and payments. (CNBC)
Optum is investing in machine learning healthcare startup Health at Scale. The startup wants to work with insurers and hospitals using machine learning to make treatment more data-driven. Optum was the only backer in Health at Scale’s Series A funding round, investing $16 million. (TechCrunch)
Beverly Hills, California, is considering the first ban on sales of tobacco products in the U.S. The ban would apply to tobacco products sold in gas stations, convenience stores, pharmacies and grocery stores. Critics said it would only shift tobacco sales to neighboring jurisdictions. (CNBC)
