Taxpayer money helped create this cancer drug. Should we be able to force the price down? | STAT
Xtandi, a prostate cancer drug marketed by Astellas Pharmaceuticals, is more expensive in the U.S. than anywhere else, despite the fact that the drug was developed at the University of California at Los Angeles with grants from the Defense Department and the National Institutes of Health. Two patient advocacy groups are now asking the NIH (PDF) to employ its little-used "march-in rights" to overturn the drug's patent.
Study: More Americans open to using online portals to access health information | Morning Consult
Over half of Americans would be interested in accessing their health records and health information online, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. When asked about a scenario in which their physician's office would upload the patient's information to a website the patient could access to view records and schedule appointments, 52% of respondents said that would be acceptable.
FDA clears Olympus duodenoscope with design modifications | Reuters
The Food and Drug Adminstration has approved changes in design and labeling in some endoscopes made by Olympus Corp. The device changes, which are aimed at reducing risk of bacterial infections, come after duodenoscopes made by Olympus and other manufacturers were linked to superbug outbreaks in several U.S. hospitals. Olympus says it will recall and repair the devices currently in use in U.S. hospitals.
For teenagers, adult-sized opioid addiction treatment doesn't fit | NPR
The opioid abuse epidemic has reached into all walks of American life, including teens who are still developing socially, emotionally and physically. Teen overdose deaths doubled between 2010 and 2012, but experts say addiction treatment for teens lags behind treatment for adults. Rehabilitation programs around the country are testing the effectiveness of a number of strategies for teens including telemedicine counseling, medication treatment, and family therapy.
A day in the life of Anne Wojcicki | Wall Street Journal
The Journal spends a day with Wojcicki, cofounder and CEO of genomics company 23andMe. Wojcicki is the head of seven enterprises, but spends most of her time on 23andMe, working to create a database of human genes which could someday be used as "a search engine for the human body."
