Information technology
What’s behind those billion-dollar biotech deals? Often, a whole lot of hype | STATSTAT analyzed 700 biotech licensing deals from the past four years and found that “biobucks” hugely outweigh actual cash. On average, just 14% of the total announced value was paid out upon signing, according to data from EvaluatePharma.
GE, Children’s Hospital form medical software venture | The Boston Globe
Boston Children’s Hospital is teaming up with General Electric Co. to produce software that will help doctors more accurately interpret brain scans of young patients.
Pharmaceuticals
Drugmakers find competition doesn’t keep a lid on prices | The Wall Street JournalPfizer and Eli Lilly have raised the price of their erectile-dysfunction drugs Viagra and Cialis almost in lockstep over the past few years, a common practice in the pharmaceutical industry.
Can’t get to sleep? Lay off the drugs | The Wall Street Journal
It’s easy to get into the habit of popping a pill to have a good night’s sleep. But as evidence has mounted about the risks of drugging the brain to induce or maintain slumber, more doctors are steering patients away from sleep aids.
Safety, quality and clinical practice
Alone and aging: Creating a safety net for isolated seniors | Kaiser Health NewsBoosting social ties among elders is part of a national campaign launched last week by the AARP Foundation and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging, a nonprofit. The aim is to combat loneliness.
Patients increasingly influence the direction of medical research | NPR
Patients and their advocates are getting an ever-larger voice in how medical research is carried out. They participate in the design of experiments and have a greater say in what outcomes they care about most—and it's not always simply living longer.
