Self-driving car testing bill may get Senate vote

by Yanchun (Roxanne) Liu | Jul 27, 2018 | Featured, Transportation

WASHINGTON – An industry-backed bill to speed up the rollout of automated vehicles may get a Senate vote after months of delay. The measure, which would allow manufacturers to test self-driving cars before the adoption of comprehensive federal safety rules and prevent...

Azar says HHS will create more open market for prescription drugs

by Yanchun (Roxanne) Liu | Jul 27, 2018 | Featured, Health

WASHINGTON — Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Thursday his agency will start taking steps to create a more open market for prescription drugs. The United States lacks “a real market for prescription drugs, ” Azar said in a speech at the...

Experts, lawmakers: NASA should focus more on Mars, less on moon

by Yanchun (Roxanne) Liu | Jul 27, 2018 | Business & Tech, Featured

WASHINGTON, July 26 (UPI) — Senators criticized NASA Wednesday for not spending enough money on the Trump administration-backed mission of sending humans to Mars in near future — urging the agency to make “tough decisions” and focus more on...

FDA chief says pharmas use rebates to block biosimilar competition

by Yanchun (Roxanne) Liu | Jul 19, 2018 | Business & Tech, Health

WASHINGTON — Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb Wednesday blamed pharmaceutical companies for manipulating rebates to stymie competition, which blocks patients’ access to affordable copycat drugs and costs them billions in higher-cost...

GAO: Some hospitals pocket savings from program meant to lower costs for low-income patients

by Yanchun (Roxanne) Liu | Jul 13, 2018 | Featured, Health

WASHINGTON — A federal program that requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to sell discounted drugs to certain health care providers was intended to expand services and lower costs for low-income consumers. But federal investigators found some hospitals are keeping the...