News from other sources

Pharmaceuticals

As cancer tears through Africa, drug makers draw up a battle plan | The New York Times

Pfizer and Cipla, with the American Cancer Society, are charging cheaper prices for their cancer drugs in certain African countries. Currently, about 450,000 Africans die from cancer every year.

Pressure mounts to lift FDA restrictions on off-label drugs | The Washington Post

Some are pushing for the FDA to stop restricting pharmaceuticals from marketing their drugs for off-label uses, saying that people can easily find information about these drugs online.

Gov. Brown to sign drug pricing transparency bill | The Mercury News

California Gov. Jerry Brown will sign legislation to make drug prices more transparent by requiring pharmaceuticals to give insurers 60-day notice of—and explanation for—price increases over a certain percentage.

Information technology

HHS, FDA, VA among the 24 federal agencies with ineffective security, report says | Healthcare IT News

The FDA and HHS have weak security programs that "jeopardize the confidentiality, integrity and availability of [their] information systems and industry and public health data," according to a new GAO report.

Medical devices

Peerbridge's wireless multi-channel ECG cleared by FDA | Mobihealthnews

Peerbridge's Cor System, an ECG device, has been cleared by the FDA. In a clincal trial at Northwell Health System's Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, the device did better than the standard in patients certain conditions.

In other news

The painful side of positive healthcare marketing | NPR

Health systems' focus on positivity in their marketing doesn't go over well with patients who are dying.