New coalition of smaller PBMs champions federal policies requiring ‘100% pass-through’ of rebates, with PBMs then paid by a flat, disclosed fee.

Recent executive-level company changes and promotions in the biopharma, medical device, and diagnostics industries.

The dealmaking column is a survey of recent transactions, including strategic alliances, mergers & acquisitions, and financings, in the life sciences industries. Deals are listed by the following industry sectors: in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and research/analytical instrumentation and reagents. All transactions are excerpted from Elsevier's Strategic Transactions database, providing comprehensive transaction coverage from 1991 to the present.

In a crowded field of companies marketing web-based handheld devices that allow physicians to perform a myriad of functions, ePocrates Inc. is trying to differentiate itself by offering less than its competition. That is, its idea is to ease physicians into using web-enabled devices with a package of prescription drug information.