Jul 31, 2017

LabCorp buys drug research company for $1.2 billion

Cliff Owen / AP

Laboratory Corporation of America is acquiring Chiltern, a firm that runs clinical trials for drug companies, in an all-cash deal worth $1.2 billion. The buyout comes a little more than a month after LabCorp lost a bidding battle over Parexel International, another drug research company.

Why it matters: Few health care companies want to specialize in only one area these days. LabCorp is best known for its giant diagnostic lab business. But LabCorp has significantly increased its presence in the drug development and contract research field since its $6 billion purchase of Covance in 2015.

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Mike Allen, author of AM
33 mins ago - Politics & Policy

Trump-Biden venom on display during final debate

Photos: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images; Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

Joe Biden twice referred to President Trump as "this guy," and Trump called the former vice president's family "like a vacuum cleaner" for foreign money.

Why it matters: The personal venom — during Thursday's final presidential debate, in Nashville — was a reminder that even during a more normal debate, nothing this year is normal.

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Dave Lawler, author of World
2 hours ago - World

Special report: Trump's hopes of nuclear deal with Putin come down to the wire

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

A surprise offer from Vladimir Putin has the U.S. and Russia once again circling a potential pre-election nuclear deal.

The big picture: The last treaty constraining the U.S. and Russia, New START, is due to expire on Feb. 5, 2021, two weeks after the next U.S. presidential inauguration. For the first time since the height of the Cold War, the nuclear guardrails could come off.

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Margaret Talev, Alexi McCammond
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy

The cliffhanger could be ... Georgia

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

It hasn't backed a Democrat for president since 1992, but Georgia's changing demographics may prove pivotal this year — not only to Trump v. Biden, but also to whether Democrats take control of the Senate.

Why it matters: If the fate of the Senate did hinge on Georgia, it might be January before we know the outcome. Meanwhile, voters' understanding of this power in the final days of the election could juice turnout enough to impact presidential results.

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