Here are the editors' top picks for the week ended May 11.
Takeda claims Shire on 5th attempt, vaults into top 10 of global pharma
Shire PLC finally capitulated to Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.'s fifth offer in just over a month, advising shareholders to accept the £46 billion bid, which will vault the Japan-headquartered merged group into the top 10 largest pharmaceutical companies in the world.
Healthcare CEOs and payers: Big data holds potential to cut waste, costs
Vast amounts of real-world data promise new avenues of drug development — yet also expose healthcare costs ripe for outsider intervention, according to speakers and attendees at the HLTH conference in Las Vegas this week.
House committee backs over 2 dozen bills to tackle US opioid epidemic
The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced more than two dozen bills aimed at tackling the U.S. opioid epidemic, with those measures now headed to the chamber floor for consideration.
GSK CFO, architect of drugmaker's swap with Novartis, to step down in 2019
GlaxoSmithKline PLC said CFO Simon Dingemans, best known for drawing up joint ventures such as the Novartis AG consumer swap and ViiV with Pfizer Inc., will leave the company as CEO Emma Walmsley continues to put her stamp on management a year into the job.
New venture, investors see supply chain change in health's future
In the midst of HLTH conference panels on big data and health unicorns, three industry veterans launched an investment fund while others put expiration dates on sections of an ever-consolidating supply chain.
Luye Pharma bolsters central nervous system pipeline with AstraZeneca's Seroquel
The Chinese pharma will also benefit from Seroquel's reimbursement status as it is included in China's National Reimbursement Drug List.
Opioid distributors grilled over responsibility for US epidemic
During testimony on Capitol Hill, drug distributor executives declined to say whether their corporations played any role in creating the U.S. opioid crisis — all but one, who admitted his company was at fault.
Trump official targets pharmacy benefit managers, rejects Medicaid limits
In a broad-ranging speech, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid chief Seema Verma affirmed that pharmacy benefit managers are a target for the White House's plan to lower drug costs and also revealed she had rejected Kansas' waiver to limit Medicaid.
Capitol Checkup: Mega study starts; opioid markups held apart; VP's doc departs
The heads of the All of Us study vowed that the data would be protected against would-be hackers; a House panel has split its markup hearing to consider nearly 60 opioid-related bills into two sessions; and the vice president's doctor quit.
Administration: Medicare has authority to cut drug discounts for hospitals
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told a federal appeals court May 4 that it does not have the power to overturn the Trump administration's decision to slash Medicare reimbursements to hospitals for discounted drugs.
Earnings coverage
Mylan alleviates industry concerns as deadline for US generic approvals nears
Mylan NV executives stuck with their launch timelines for certain key products as decision dates approach for their U.S. regulatory approval.
Celgene CEO: Drugmaker 'back on track' after growing pains, pipeline setbacks
Celgene Corp.'s management says the company is back on track after resetting a pipeline drug's approval timeline, absorbing $10 billion of acquisitions and scrapping a late-stage program.