Pharmacy

Novartis has acquired Parsipanny, N.J.-based drugmaker Medicines Co. for $9.7 billion.

President Donald Trump tweeted Nov. 22 that he will "soon" release a plan to allow the U.S. to import prescription drugs from other countries. 

Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) updated their drug pricing bill with new measures expected to be released in December, according to Politico's Prescription Pulse newsletter. 

Walgreens will join Buckeye Health Plan, Ohio's second-largest Medicaid provider, just weeks after the state's top Medicaid provider dropped the retail pharmacy chain from its network, according to The Columbus Dispatch.

Drug prices have risen steeply in recent years, taking a toll on the finances of many Americans as lawmakers propose a wide variety of potential solutions. The cost crisis has hit providers too, forcing many health system and hospital leaders…

Sanofi is holding talks with financial advisers over options to sell its consumer health unit, which could be worth as much as $30 billion, according to Bloomberg.

The FDA approved Nov. 21 SK Life Science's drug, Xcopri, designed to treat partial-onset seizures in adults.

Medicare takes much longer than private insurers to cover new generic drugs, according to a Nov. 21 report from the generic drug lobbying group Access for Affordable Medicines cited by Bloomberg.

Artificial intelligence will be able to discover new drug candidates within the next three years, machine learning experts predicted Nov. 21 at a STAT Summit.

The FDA approved Nov. 21 AstraZeneca's drug, Calquence, designed to treat adults with chronic lymphocytic leukemia or small lymphocytic lymphoma.