Direct-to-consumer advertising may not seem like the most logical investment for companies trying to reach tiny, targeted patient populations. When drug prices are high enough, though? It's worth it for some drugmakers, and that's got them putting some of the industry's priciest treatments on display. More from FiercePharma
> AstraZeneca ($AZN) won the FDA's breakthrough designation for its forthcoming PD-1 cancer fighter durvalumab; if approved, it would compete head-to-head with Bristol-Myers Squibb's ($BMY) Opdivo and Merck & Co.'s ($MRK) Keytruda. Release
> Japanese drugmaker Eisai teamed up with Swiss-based PIQUR Therapeutics to test its breast cancer drug Halaven alongside PIQUR's PQR309 against triple-negative breast cancer. Release
> Bristol-Myers Squibb and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute are partnering up to research rare cancers. Release
> Kantar Health has rolled out a new app, in partnership with Lumi Technologies, that uses mobile phones to delve into patients' healthcare experience, including medication adherence and health outcomes. Release
> Gastric reflux drugs may be linked to dementia risk, according to a study in German patients. Report
> California regulators are set to implement a law making birth control pills available over the counter. Report
And Finally... Merck KGaA CEO Karl-Ludwig Kley won the Weizmann Award in science and the humanities, from the Israel-based Weizmann Institute. Release