As MACPAC moves toward formal recommendations, a CBO analysis finds that differential Medicaid rebates for drugs approved through the accelerated pathway could save the federal government up to $1bn over five years.

Private Company Edition: The astonishing pace of venture capital investment in drug development continues with another $1.5bn in financings of $100m or more, including $152m for Pyxis and $126m for Omega. New VC funds also continue to launch, including RiverVest’s fifth fund, totaling $275m.

Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee will meet for three days in April to consider whether indications for Tecentriq, Keytruda and Opdivo should remain on label despite failure to confirm clinical benefit; review is part of the Oncology Center of Excellence’s ‘industry-wide evaluation’ of accelerated approvals, which has led to withdrawals of four other PD-1/L-1 inhibitor claims.

Limiting interactions to two-dimensional settings will hinder collaboration, innovation and the mentoring of younger employees, Merck & Co. CEO Kenneth Frazier says. Frazier, who will retire in June, is looking forward to returning to public service but says "politics with a capital P is not my thing."