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Pharmaceuticals

Trump: New HHS chief has already lowered drug prices | STAT

Alex Azar has been on the job for less than a month, but President Trump believes his new health and human services secretary is making progress toward a feat that's long bedeviled politicians and a host of other health care experts: lowering drug prices.

Sangamo in $3 billion gene-editing deal with Gilead | Reuters

U.S. drugmaker Gilead Sciences Inc will use Sangamo Therapeutics Inc's gene-editing technology to develop cancer treatments in a deal potentially worth about $3 billion to Sangamo, the companies said on Thursday.

FDA recognizes Cognoa's child development app as autism diagnostic | mobihealthnews

Palo Alto, California-based Cognoa's machine learning app for pediatric behavioral health has received categorization from the FDA as a Class 2 diagnostic medical device for autism, according to an announcement from the company.

Safety, quality and clinical practice

Opioids tied to risk of fatal infections | The New York Times

Opioids may be tied to an increased risk of life-threatening infections. Animal studies have shown that opioids suppress the immune system, but their clinical effect in human infections has not been widely studied.

Blacks in U.S. lose quality of life due to fewer knee replacements | Reuters

Black people with knee osteoarthritis may have a worse quality of life than white patients in part because they're less likely to be offered knee replacement surgery or to get the procedure when it's recommended, a U.S. study suggests.