Panama Papers leak led to reform in one out of five countries

Global scope of investigation led to higher rate of reform than in comparable analysis

Nearly a fifth of countries in which the Panama Papers investigation was reported saw at least one instance of concrete reform, researchers from the University of Oxford found.

The reform included a new law or policy designed to address problems exposed in the reporting which grew out of a trove of files leaked from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca, at the time one of the world’s largest providers of offshore services. read more »

Former Brazil president Michel Temer arrested on corruption charges

Former Brazilian President Michel Temer was arrested on Thursday morning, two months after he stepped down from the presidency, as part of a sweeping corruption investigation that has brought down dozens of Brazil’s top politicians.

Temer, who has consistently denied wrongdoing, took office after former president Dilma Rousseff was impeached for budget irregularities. read more »

Biogen Alzheimer’s Bust Goes Way Beyond a Setback

A train wreck that everyone sees coming still hurts

Biogen Inc. announced Thursday that it was discontinuing late-stage studies of its Alzheimer’s medicine aducanumab. That shouldn’t be a huge surprise: Every  other drug attempting to treat Alzheimer’s the same way – by targeting the buildup of amyloid beta plaques in the brain – has failed.

At some point, the conclusion has to be that the approach is fundamentally flawed. Other firms got there earlier and less expensively than Biogen, which has made Alzheimer’s gambles the center of its drug pipeline. Now, Biogen investors are paying the price – the firm’s shares slumped more than 25 percent in early trading Thursday, wiping away a decent chunk of the company’s market value. read more »