Information technology
Arkansas medical board OKs first-time doctor visits with telemedicine | ArkansasOnline.comThe Arkansas State Medical Board approved regulations that would allow first-time doctor appointments to take place through telemedicine services. The Arkansas Medical Society opposed the regulation, stating that looking at a patient's medical history online doesn't count as a valid patient-physician relationship.
Michigan health information exchange partners on clinical interface | Grand Rapids (Mich.) Business Journal
The not-for-profit Great Lakes Health Connect in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Salt Lake City-based VorroHealth announced a partnership to implement VorroHealth's clinical interface product, BridgeGateHealth, an advanced integration technology, across Michigan.
Medical devices and equipment
Devicemaker wins $1.4 billion tax case | The Wall Street JournalThe U.S. Tax Court ruled that the Puerto Rican subsidiary of drug maker Medtronic allocated an appropriate amount of its profits to its U.S. operations. The case involved transfer pricing, or rules that govern transactions between different branches of the same company. The court was critical of some of Medtronic's analysis but ultimately decided it estimated pricing accurately.
Pharmaceuticals
FDA seeks suspension of 4,402 illegal prescription drug websites | ReutersThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday it, along with international authorities, has formally sought to suspend 4,402 websites that illegally sell potentially dangerous, counterfeit or unapproved prescription drugs to U.S. consumers.
AstraZeneca sells aging meds in $770 million deal | FiercePharma
The U.K.-based drug maker is selling seven of its anesthetic drugs to pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare. The South African-based company will pay $550 million up front, and up to $250 million in the next two years. AstraZeneca will continue to manufacture the drugs for 10 years and will collect royalties on sales.
Drug trafficker gets 60-month prison sentence | FiercePharma
A 47-year-old man behind a scheme that sold $17 million worth of drugs was sentenced to 60 months in prison for fraud. A six-week trial against William Scully found that he bought foreign-made chemo meds and other drugs, and sold them to U.S. doctors, telling them they were FDA approved. The doctors administered them to patients, some of whom were suffering from cancer.
