Jan 24, 2017 - Health

Biotech billionaire in talks to oversee health care for Trump

Evan Vucci / AP

STAT's Dylan Scott has a big scoop this morning: Biotech billionaire and surgeon Dr. Patrick-Shiong is in talks with the Trump administration about the prospect of overseeing the U.S. health care system. Soon-Shiong has met with Trump and his team at least twice in the past few weeks about serving as a "health care czar" with a broad portfolio.

Between the lines: Soon-Shiong really gets around. STAT notes that he pitched the Obama administration on a similar role. He also did a lot of self-promotion when he consulted with then-Vice President Joe Biden on his cancer "moonshot" program.

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Bob Herman
1 hour ago - Health

The top-selling drugs in the U.S. in 2019

Data: IQVIA, company financial documents; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

The 10 highest-selling drugs in the U.S. last year gave away more than $23 billion in rebates to insurance intermediaries, but still netted almost $58 billion in sales.

The big picture: The U.S. drug pricing system is filled with confusing numbers, and many entities profit off the flow of drugs, but pharmaceutical companies retain a vast majority of the proceeds.

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Caitlin Owens, author of Vitals
1 hour ago - Health

America's flying blind on its coronavirus response

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

A month after the Trump administration changed how hospital data is reported, the public release of this data "has slowed to a crawl," the Wall Street Journal reports.

The big picture: This is the latest example of how the world's wealthiest country just can't get it together.

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Rebecca Falconer
Updated 2 hours ago - World

Pandemic plunges U.K. into "largest recession on record"

The scene near the Royal Exchange and the Bank of England in the City of London, England. Photo: Tolga Akmen/AFP via Getty Images

The United Kingdom slumped into recession as its gross domestic product GDP shrank 20.4% compared with the first three months of the year, the Office of National Statistics (ONS) confirmed Wednesday.

Why it matters: Per an ONS statement, "It is clear that the U.K. is in the largest recession on record." The U.K. has faired worse than any other major European economy from coronavirus lockdowns, Bloomberg notes. And finance minister Rishi Sunak warns the situation is likely to worsen.

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