TOP STORIES

The FDA has green-lighted Novartis’ heart failure drug Entresto six weeks ahead of schedule. Heart failure is a common condition affecting 5.1 million people in the U.S. alone and up to 50 percent of patients die within five years of diagnosis. Proponents think it could be a blockbuster drug. But at its current estimated price of $12.50 per pill, the payers will need some convincing that it can improve outcomes. — Pharma Times, The Wall Street Journal

CVS slammed the door on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in protest of its stance on tobacco. The move follows an article by The New York Times that the chamber had lobbied against anti-smoking laws in developing countries. It cited

the personal involvement of Thomas J. Donohue, who heads the chamber, although the chamber said it doesn’t support smoking. In a statement a CVS said:

“We were surprised to read recent press reports concerning the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s position on tobacco products outside the United States…CVS Health’s purpose is to help people on their path to better health, and we fundamentally believe tobacco use is in direct conflict with this purpose.”

CVS ended tobacco sales at its stores last year around the same time it rebranded to CVS Health — The New York Times

LIFE SCIENCE

Dublin-based Horizon, a biopharma company that develops treatments for orphan diseases, has made a $1.75 billion offer to buy Depomed, a California-based drug developer focusing on central nervous system disorders and pain treatments. — The Wall Street Journal

Aimmune is looking for as much as $115M in IPO for its allergy therapy drug. The Brisbane, California-based company, which changed its name to Aimmune from Allergen Research Corp. in May, tries to desensitize patients who are allergic to products like peanuts by exposing them to peanuts. It gives them controlled doses of these allergens to increase the threshold of allergens individuals can handle. —Xconomy

CF Foundation, thanks to the royalties it makes from a CF drug,has the most net assets for a disease focused charity, surpassing the American Cancer Society, American Heart Association and the breast cancer charity Susan G Komen for the Cure. It recently sold its royalties for Kalydeco for $3.3 billion. — Bloomberg

POLITICS

A state representative has proposed legislation that would extend Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program, to include low-income adults living in the state illegally. – Kaiser Health News

The feds are becoming more concerned with the high rate of heroin use. – The Hill

TECH

Here’s a look at recent notable digital health hires, including former Massachusetts Governor Deval L. Patrick and a Teva exec joining American Well board. — MobiHealthNews

A LITTLE BIT EXTRA

A new piece of Android malware is now showing up in third-party app stores looking like a classic Nintendo game.

Cybersecurity firm Palo Alto Networks says it has discovered a new family of malware that looks and behaves like advertising software, all while stealing personal information from infected Android devices. The malware is called Gunpoder, and it’s hidden in a gaming app. — VentureBeat

Photo: Flickr user Matt Anderson