Recon: Incyte, Merck melanoma combo therapy fails in study

• Incyte, Merck melanoma combo therapy fails study, shares slide (Reuters) (STAT) (Fierce) (Endpoints) (Financial Times)
• Leap of faith? Buzzy anti-aging biotech Unity pitches an $85M IPO based on mouse data (Fierce)
• When These New Pharma Bros Show Up, Drug Prices Tend to Go Monumentally Higher (Bloomberg-$)
• Facebook sent a doctor on a secret mission to ask hospitals to share patient data (CNBC) (The Hill) (The Verge) (Fortune)

• Novartis, still embroiled in Greek probe, faces kickback allegation in China—again (Fierce)
• China pushes generics over brands with another round of new pharma policies (Fierce)
• Generics likely to suffer most from Trump's trade war with China (The Pharma Letter)
• Torrent Pharmaceuticals drops plan to buy Sanofi's Europe business (Business Standard) (Fierce)
• Lupin gets EIR from US FDA for Pithampur facility (Economic Times) (Business Line) 

• J&J Must Pay Millions Over Banker's Baby Powder Cancer Claim (Bloomberg-$) (Reuters)
• With a deadline looming, Takeda CEO Weber woos analysts for support of a Shire buyout (Endpoints)
• Caravans of Biotech Immigrant Executives (Life Sci VC)
• Sarepta Therapeutics beats bid to revive shareholder class action (Reuters)
• Merck gets a lift, Pfizer a ding as analysts assess immuno-oncology, M&A outlook (Fierce)
• Feds broaden the definition of ‘pharmacy’ in a bid to level playing field for startups (STAT-$)
• Drug makers have to post policies for patients seeking experimental medicines. Not all do (STAT-$)

• Hydrogel delivery enables long-lasting, ‘flare-responsive’ arthritis treatment (Fierce)
• Trials for potential ALS treatment using stem cells spark cautious hope (STAT-$)
• Columbia Researchers Grew Tissue That Acts Just Like Human Heart Muscle (Fortune)
• Fine-tuning formulation with Fluid Imaging Technologies’ FlowCam (Drug Delivery Business News)
• Clinical trials may be based on flimsy animal data (Science Magazine)
• UCLA scientists pioneer new method for watching brain cells interact in real time (UCLA)

• LeMaitre Vascular deals Reddick surgical assets to Symmetry for $7m (MassDevice)
• Bard Meshes Didn't Harm Woman, Harvard Doctor Tells Jury (Law360-$)
• Researchers back outcomes-based payments for medical devices as industry braces for a shift (Fierce)
• SEC sues Nova Oculus owner Peter Pocklington and 5 others for alleged $14M fraud (Fierce)
• Cardiva Medical Announces FDA Approval of VASCADE Vascular Closure System for Use in Femoral Vein Closure (Press)

• How Trump's New Medicare Rules Boost Amazon And Walmart (Forbes)
• Massachusetts Wants To Drive Down Medicaid Drug Costs: Why Is The Administration So Nervous? (Health Affairs)
• Democrats Aim to Turn Obamacare Into Asset From Burden in 2018 (Bloomberg)
• Missing CDC worker Timothy Cunningham likely drowned, no signs of foul play: Officials (ABC  News) (CNN) (The Washington Post) (TIME)
• CMS’ plan to ‘wind down’ federal exchanges by 2020 relies on a big ask from Congress (Fierce)
• The CHRONIC Care Act Is A Good Start, But Caregivers Need More Help (Forbes)
• Aetna HIV Privacy Suit Goes Back To Calif. State Court (Law360-$)
• Registration open: FDA seminar “Management of Risk through the Product Life-Cycle” (Notice)
• Multiple Interim Patent Term Extensions Revisited and the Rule of Three (FDA Law Blog)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request FDA regulations regarding infant formula requirements (FDA)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Guidance for Industry on Postmarketing Adverse Event Reporting for Medical Products and Dietary Supplements During an Influenza Pandemic (FDA)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Blood Establishment Registration and Product Listing, Form FDA 2830 (FDA)
• Submission for Office of Management and Budget Review; Comment Request; Prominent and Conspicuous Mark of Manufacturers on Single-Use Devices (FDA)
• International Drug Scheduling; Convention on Psychotropic Substances; Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs; Cannabis Plant and Resin; Extracts and Tinctures of Cannabis; Delta-9 Tetrahydrocannabinol; Stereoisomers of Tetrahydrocannabinol; Cannabidiol; Request for Comments (FDA)

• FDA Advisory Committee Calendar
• E&C Hearing: Combating the Opioid Crisis: Improving the Ability of Medicare and Medicaid to Provide Care for Patients

• The Man That Launched Apple In Britain Is "Saving The Past" From His Barge (Forbes)
• Britain's sugar tax on soft drinks comes into effect (Reuters)
• NI digital “hub” aims to improve youngsters’ mental health (pharmaphorum)
• Kaiku bags cash to show software improves cancer outcomes (Fierce)
• Brexit at Halfway: Pharma and Medical Devices (Lexology)
• EMA to review Aradigm's appliation for Linhaliq (The Pharma Letter) (Press)
• Heads of Medicines Agencies (HMA) / European Medicines Agency (EMA) Joint Big Data Task Force meeting: Identifying solutions for big data challenges (EMA)
• Urgent: Recall Notification Prothrombin Complex Concentrate (Human) (FDA)

• PMDA views on applying continuous manufacturing to pharmaceutical products for industry (provisional draft) posted (PMDA)
• Healthcare affordability improves in Singapore (BioSpectrum)
• China sperm bank demands Communist Party loyalty from donors (BBC News)

• India's first ivy league healthcare management program for executives (Economic Times)
• India must revitalise its public health system (The Asian Age)
• Gujarat FDCA in talks with Abbott to train drug inspectors on new MD rules (pharmabiz)

• Medical devices and IVDs: Suspensions from the ARTG (TGA)
• TGA presentation: ARCS Regulatory Affairs Interest Area Meeting, 27 March 2018 (TGA)
• Australia's e-health push lifts start-up Tyde (Australian Financial Review)
• Breast cancer patients facing health cover gaps of more than $10,000, survey shows (The Guardian)

• Unauthorized products may pose serious health risks (Health Canada)
• Notice: (ICH) Guidance: E11(R1) Addendum (Health Canada)
• OxyContin maker to appeal judge's decision to reject $20M Canadian settlement (CBC News)
• Opioid Crisis The Living Legacy Of Public Health Agency's Neglect (Huffington Post Canada)
• Veterans Affairs Canada expands access to mental health services in Kingston (Press)

• Smartphones could help measure Parkinson's disease symptoms (Reuters)
• How To Make Health Insurance Part Of Your Retirement Planning (Forbes)
• Older People Can Still Produce New Brain Cells, Study Shows (Forbes)
• Kindred Shareholders Approve Humana Deal Amid Walmart Speculation (Forbes)
• The most common knee surgery for seniors is costly, and usually a waste (CNBC)
• Doctors like me are at a loss when parents can’t agree on their child’s treatment (STAT)
• How to Pay Less for Your Meds (Consumer Reports)