Pharmaceuticals
Amid controversy, FDA delays generic drug labeling rule again | StatThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration delayed the rule that would allow generic drug makers to independently update safety warnings until April 2017. Brand-name drug makers can currently update warning labels without the FDA's permission. Pharmaceutical companies like CVS oppose the proposed ruling, concerned it would impact competition.
Novartis expects heart failure drug to boost sales | Reuters
Despite disappointing initial results, Novartis will continue new trials of its heart failure drug Entresto. The Swedish-based pharmaceutical company expects $200 million in revenue from 2016 sales of Entresto, far above predictions from market analysis.
Medical devices and equipment
California engineer charged with stealing medical device trade secrets | Gov Info SecurityA federal grand jury has issued indictment charges on an Irvine, Calif.-based engineer for stealing trade secrets from two former employees at two unnamed medical device companies based in California. Wenfeng Lu worked at one medical device company for three years until he was arrested in 2012. He is charged with taking confidential information from employees' computers and sending them to his personal email account.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
Blindness, vision impairment expected to double | UPIThe number of Americans who are blind or visually impaired could double by 2050, according to a new study by JAMA Ophthalmology. Approximately 1 million people were blind in 2015. The number is expected to rise by 21% every decade through 2050 as the baby boomer population ages.
Cigna plans to reduce opioid use by 25% | Reuters
Joining the battle to reduce painkiller addiction, Cigna Corp. announced plans to cut its customers' prescriptions for opioid treatments by 25% in the next three years. The health insurer will require doctors to check state databases before prescribing opioid drugs to a patient for longer than 21 days.