Sept. 9 Media Roundup

Looking back at last week’s news, we saw some notable announcements in the Pharma and Life Sciences space. I spoke with Gail Janowitz, an expert in all-things pharma who also happens to be a Vice President of Marketing, about some of the stories from last week. Gail thought two pieces of news stood out from the rest last week -- the collaboration between Google and Sanofi as well as the news that the FDA and pharma companies are increasingly listening to patients’ opinions. “I found the piece about the FDA and pharmaceutical companies’ engagement with patients to have some interesting points. It underlines the importance -- and challenges -- of bringing patient voices to clinical trials.” 

Keep on reading for the two articles Gail found noteworthy as well as all of our other news highlights from the past week. 

Pharma and Life Science News

• Google and Sanofi will be working on new ways to monitor and treat diabetes. European pharmaceutical company Sanofi is a leading maker of diabetes medication and Google will bring Big Data to the equation.
• The FDA and pharma companies are increasingly listening to patients in drug development. Patients’ thoughts and opinions are being factored into decisions related to diseases, symptoms and treatment options.
• Thanks to “endurance drugs,” new methods are being developed to retain beneficial chemicals and keep prescription drugs from being flushed from the body. It’s great news for anyone who uses daily prescriptions!
• In a push to bring the latest cancer treatments and clinical trial access to patients far from research institutes, cancer organizations are building new treatment centers outside of cities to reach an aging population. Last year, the Advisory Board found that more than 25% of oncology departments were either building or had built a new center in the past three years.
• In recent news, findings are beginning to show that precision medicine has potential to impact reproductive health. Read up on the complex implications and potential of the news delivered by David Shaywitz on Forbes.  
• Medidata partner Cancer Research UK has announced new funding to study population research. The research will look at the patterns, causes and effects of cancer across large numbers of people rather than cells growing in a lab.
• If you’ve ever had a sneaking suspicion that drug development is harder than rocket science, you just might be right. PhRMA has created an infographic that shows why drug development is more difficult than rocket science. 
• Have you heard of QCamp? It’s Qualcomm’s two-week engineering summer camp for middle school girls designed to also see if camp is enough to keep girls engaged with STEM in the long term. Such a great idea!

mHealth and Tech News

• Kinsa has introduced a smart, in-ear thermometer that wirelessly connects to a smartphone app over Bluetooth. Using the device, patients will be able to track, record and relay temperatures directly to doctors or other health professionals. 
• Even everyday medical tools are on the brink of becoming wired devices. Eko’s digital stethoscope has received FDA approval and will allow the sound of heartbeats to be recorded and stored in the cloud for reference or analyzation.    
• For those of you who can’t get enough mobile health technology, we’ve got great news for you. New car technology is being developed to make routine health checkups a daily part of every driver’s commute using a variety of sensors and monitors. 
• Mercer is teaming up with health analytics startup Jiff to prevent chronic illness in employees. The new product will use biometrics and employee-shared data to guide benefit recommendations and reduce company healthcare costs.
• New research findings show that the wearables market grew 223% in Q2 2015, and that Apple is in the number 2 spot right behind Fitbit.  
• In a new public-private initiative, Apple, HP and Boeing have joined forces with the DoD to deliver wearable devices to the U.S. Armed Forces. The goal? Create devices that monitor the wearer’s vital signs without restricting the range of motion or becoming a distraction in a dangerous situation.
• Often acting as the unofficial “Chief Health Officer” of families, modern Moms are increasingly using tech and data to make big health decisions for their families.

Academia

• In a blow for the human race, it seems that computers can predict psychosis better than doctors. Using an automated speech program, computers can predict with 100% accuracy between people who will and will not develop psychosis.

Company News

• Last week our company made the headlines with the news that Australia-based company Admedus has adopted the Medidata Clinical Cloud platform to power its immunotherapy vaccine trial. Using our software, the company anticipates better trial speed and better data.  
• Our COO Mike Capone (and a former CIO at ADP) was featured in an article that discussed how CIOs are increasingly getting involved in business operations outside of IT.

We're excited to be working with The New York Academy of Sciences to bring you Mobile Health: The Power of Wearables, Sensors and Apps to Transform Clinical Trials on September 30 and October 1. Learn more about the event and register here!