June 14 P&P Quick Takes: Washington state approved for subscription HCV model; plus Merck and IBM, BGI, and more

Washington follows Louisiana in creating 'Netflix' model to buy HCV drugs
CMS approved Washington's Medicaid state plan amendment proposal to establish a subscription-based model for HCV drugs, under which the state would pay a fixed annual amount to a manufacturer for an unlimited supply of the medicine. Louisiana has a similar arrangement with Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) (see "Louisiana Picks Gilead's Generics Unit for HCV Subscription Model").

Merck, IBM to help FDA track drug distribution
FDA tapped IBM Corp. (NYSE:IBM), Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK), KPMG International Cooperative (Zug, Switzerland) and Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) to participate in a pilot program to identify, track and trace prescription medicines and vaccines distributed in the U.S. The goal of the project is to create a blockchain network that allows real-time monitoring of products to increase time efficiency and accuracy of monitoring. The pilot is scheduled to end in 4Q19. Results will be published in an FDA report...