Information technology
After NantHealth IPO, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong prepares for two more | BloombergBillionaire entrepreneur Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, whose NantHealth went public on Wednesday, says he has two more health companies in the pipeline. Soon-Shiong is building an empire of intertwined companies that range across the healthcare system. NantKwest, which first sold shares to the public in July, is a cancer drugmaker focused on a part of the immune system called a natural killer cell, while NantHealth provides software and medical records systems to doctors and hospitals.
U.S. rep calls for telemedicine expansion among rural hospitals | Grand Forks Herald
U.S. Rep. Collin Peterson visited Lakewood Health System in Staples, Minn., a rural hospital that has sought federal funding to expand telemedicine services. Peterson said expansion of rural telemedicine services is necessary for improved healthcare services. About 10% of physicians practice in rural areas, according to the National Rural Health Association.
Pharmaceuticals
Combination cancer treatments raise drug costs | The Wall Street JournalCombining expensive cancer drugs can sometimes improve conditions, but it also adds to the tension of high drug costs. Researchers recommend adding a third drug, Darzalex, to a two-drug treatment option for patients with multiple myeloma but it would cost $180,000 on average for the first year of treatment. Pharmaceutical companies are considering discounting drugs that are combined.
Sanders pressures Clinton to back drug price initiative | The Hill
Hillary Clinton is under mounting pressure from supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) to back California's ballot measure aimed at reducing steep drug prices ahead of the state's primary on Tuesday.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
Pittsburgh's Allegheny Health Network plans policy on opioids | Pittsburgh Post-GazetteDoctors with Allegheny Health Network may soon write fewer narcotics prescriptions, part of a company push to help tame the epidemic of opioid addiction. The Pittsburgh system is drafting a unified policy that will govern when and how its 1,100 physicians should offer addictive painkillers such as morphine and oxycodone, said Jack Kabazie, the AHN division director for pain medicine.
