Today's Healthcare Pulse
Abridge teams with Eli Lilly and Nvidia to expand AI scribe platform
Abridge announced a strategic investment from Eli Lilly and a partnership with Nvidia to build a foundation model for clinical conversations. The collaboration aims to broaden Abridge’s AI‑scribe services across more health systems and integrate with payers. The company already supports over 300 health systems.
Also developing:
What Happens When You Stop Taking Ozempic?
Clinical trials and recent reviews show that most patients regain the majority of weight lost on GLP‑1 drugs such as Ozempic once treatment stops. The STEP 1 extension found a two‑thirds rebound within a year, while a 2026 Cambridge meta‑analysis reported a 60% regain in the same period. Evidence also indicates that exercising while on the medication can reduce post‑stop weight regain by roughly a quarter. The article outlines a habit‑focused playbook to mitigate rebound, emphasizing exercise, protein intake, meal planning, and gradual tapering.
A Vaccine for Lyme Disease Could Be on the Horizon
Pfizer and Valneva reported that their Lyme disease vaccine candidate LB6V reduced cases by about 70% in a Phase 3 trial. The four‑dose regimen targets the OspA protein, preventing bacterial transmission from ticks to humans. If regulators approve it, the...
Suncoast Hospice Co-Founder Mary Jean Etten Passes Away
Mary Jean Etten, co‑founder of Suncoast Hospice, died on April 17. The hospice, established in 1976, became part of Empath Health after a 2015 reorganization and a 2020 merger with Stratum Health. Etten spent 33 years teaching nursing, thanatology and...
Anti‑vax Rhetoric Masks Ableist Message About Disabled Lives
Anti-vax rhetoric has a coded message nobody says out loud: that a disabled life is worse than a dead one. Ashna Shome, a pediatrics resident in the Bronx who lives with cerebral palsy, named this on The Podcast by KevinMD....
Decoding Resistance to Targeted Therapy via New Cancer Models
ATCC and the Broad Institute have created a panel of isogenic non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines that model resistance to osimertinib, the newest EGFR inhibitor. Using CRISPR editing and gene‑overexpression, the team introduced six clinically observed resistance mechanisms,...
Pheast Therapeutics Reports Early P-Ia Data for PHST001 at AACR 2026
Pheast Therapeutics presented initial Phase Ia data for its anti‑CD24 macrophage checkpoint inhibitor PHST001 at the AACR 2026 meeting. The study showed clear target engagement, activation of innate immunity and a favorable safety profile across dose‑escalation cohorts. Early clinical signals...
Allurion Treats First Commercial Patients in the United States, Marking Major Milestone
Allurion Technologies announced it has treated its first commercial patients in the United States, marking the company’s entry into the country’s $200 billion obesity market. The Allurion Program offers a non‑surgical, non‑pharmaceutical weight‑loss solution that appeals to patients who have stopped...
Medical Training Favors Memorization, Undermining True Understanding
The Paradox of Knowledge: Why Medical Students Know More But Understand Less 💯👨⚕️ 👉"This paradox stems from an educational system that prioritizes rote memorization and exam performance over critical thinking and conceptual understanding. 👉Information overload, protocol-driven learning, and exam-focused curricula contribute to...
Boehringer Ingelheim Launches AI Center for Pharma Research in London
Boehringer Ingelheim announced the launch of a new artificial‑intelligence and machine‑learning centre in London, its fourth dedicated AI hub after sites in Austria, Germany and the United States. The company will invest £150 million (about $200 million) over the next ten years...
How Late 2025 and Early 2026 Earnings Calls Expose the Medicare Advantage Pullback, the Migration of Margin From Insurance to...
Late‑2025 and early‑2026 earnings calls reveal that senior health‑care utilization has reset at a higher level, forcing insurers to reprice rather than recover margins. Medicare Advantage growth has stalled, with carriers cutting supplemental benefits and focusing on per‑member profitability, hurting...
Declaring Health Sovereignty
The episode examines the fallout from the United States’ withdrawal from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the broader implications for global health governance. Host James Corbett critiques the WHO’s pandemic response, highlights emerging threats like avian influenza, and explores...
ASCO to Shine Light on Multimodal AI Models: Plus, Melanoma Diagnostics and Gastroesophageal Cancer Targets
At ASCO 2026 in Chicago, Stanford oncologist Janice Lu will lead a session spotlighting the clinical translation of artificial‑intelligence tools in cancer care. The program stresses disciplined validation, multimodal integration of pathology, imaging, molecular and liquid‑biopsy data, and robust governance...
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[Podcast] From Protocol to Patient: Inside Clinical Supply with Almac Clinical Services
Almac Clinical Services has launched a six‑part podcast series that walks listeners through the end‑to‑end clinical supply chain, from protocol translation to global regulatory release. The series targets biopharma sponsors, highlighting how early collaboration with supply partners can streamline planning,...
Who Is Dr. Houman Hemmati, Potentially CBER’s Next Leader?
Dr. Houman Hemmati, a board‑certified ophthalmologist and biotech entrepreneur, is the leading candidate to replace Dr. Vinay Prasad as director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Hemmati co‑founded Optigo Biotherapeutics, held senior roles at companies such as...
Update: Lilly Makes $7bn Bid for in Vivo CAR-T Firm Kelonia
Eli Lilly has confirmed a $3.25 billion upfront offer for Kelonia Therapeutics, with milestone payments that could lift the total value to $7 billion. Kelonia’s in vivo CAR‑T candidate KLN‑1010 demonstrated MRD‑negative responses in a four‑patient early‑stage study, highlighting the promise of off‑the‑shelf cell...
One Year In: How Medtech Companies Are Coping with Tariff Challenges
One year after President Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs on China, Mexico, Canada, the EU and other partners, medtech firms are still feeling the financial sting. Unlike pharma, device makers have not reshored at scale, opting instead to absorb costs and...
Nektar’s Long-Term Mid-Stage Alopecia Data Fuel Phase 3 Plans
Nektar Therapeutics reported that its IL-2 variant rezpegaldesleukin achieved modest efficacy and safety signals in the long‑term extension of a previously failed Phase 2b alopecia areata trial, barely meeting Wall Street expectations. The data revive confidence in the program and...
Maternal Health in War: UNFPA’s Faye Callaghan on Ukraine’s Frontline Birth Crisis
UNFPA maternal‑health specialist Faye Callaghan describes how Ukraine’s war has turned childbirth into a high‑risk, unpredictable operation. Bunkerized maternity wards are being repurposed from underground shelters to protect mothers and newborns from bombardment. Recent UNFPA data show a rise in...
![[Comment] Treatment of Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections in Women](https://hixhlmpcokxhartfkpyi.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/images/thumbnails/89a267f4f4bf9d67549ac574f13354b4.webp)
[Comment] Treatment of Uncomplicated Lower Urinary Tract Infections in Women
Uncomplicated lower urinary tract infections affect roughly half of women at some point, making them a leading cause of outpatient antibiotic prescriptions. While single‑dose fosfomycin trometamol has been favored for convenience, recent randomized data—including the 2018 Huttner trial and the...
STAT+: Extended Use of Nektar Therapeutics Drug Shows Promise in Alopecia
Nektar Therapeutics announced that its experimental oral drug rezpeg produced significant hair regrowth in patients with severe alopecia areata. After a year of treatment, 27% of participants reached a SALT Score 20, meaning at least 80% of the scalp was covered...
Novo Nordisk Reports Positive P-III (HIBISCUS) Study Data for Etavopivat in Sickle Cell Disease
Novo Nordisk announced that its oral pyruvate kinase activator etavopivat met both primary endpoints in the Phase III HIBISCUS trial for sickle cell disease. In 385 patients aged 12 and older, the drug reduced vaso‑occlusive crisis (VOC) rates by 27% and...
From Test to Treatment: How Quality Diagnostics Improve Patient Care
SYNLAB Nigeria is positioning diagnostic quality as a core component of patient care by operating over 35 labs nationwide and offering a fully digital test‑ordering and results platform. The company’s ISO 15189 accreditation mandates continuous auditing, equipment calibration and staff competency,...
This Missing Vitamin Could Stop Cancer Cells in Their Tracks
Researchers at the University of Lausanne discovered that vitamin B7 (biotin) is essential for the mitochondrial enzyme pyruvate carboxylase, which lets cancer cells sidestep their usual glutamine addiction. When biotin is removed, the enzyme stalls, cutting off an alternative fuel pathway...
Health Visitors Call for Limits on 'Impossible' 1,000-Family Caseloads
The Institute of Health Visiting (iHV) is urging England to set safe‑staffing limits after a 45% drop in health visitor numbers leaves many handling more than 1,000 families each. The workforce has fallen from 10,200 to 5,575 in a decade,...
From Near-Exit to Times Square AI Healthcare Spotlight
I never thought I’d say this: I almost left medicine. Today my work in AI/Robotics-powered healthcare transformation is being recognised in Times Square, linked to a Health 2.0 award where I spoke on safe AI integration. Airs today (Mon Apr 20,...
A Future Where Coffee Helps Fight Cancer? Research Suggests It's Possible
Scientists at Texas A&M have engineered caffeine‑responsive proteins, called caffebodies, that act as an on/off switch for CRISPR gene‑editing tools. The system activates with just 20 mg of caffeine—about one‑fifth of a typical coffee—and deactivates as caffeine clears, with rapamycin providing...
🌊 Is Marijuana Dangerous?
The blog notes that marijuana legalization has exploded—38 states now permit medical use and 24 plus Washington, D.C. allow recreation—while THC potency has surged from 1‑4% in the 1970s to the mid‑20s today, with some extracts topping 90%. A recent...
Brainjo Secures €2m in Seed Funding for VR Mental Health Tech
German startup brainjo announced a €2 million (≈$2.2 million) seed round to develop its first virtual‑reality Digital Health Application (DiGA). The VR‑based tool is designed as a prescribable adjunct for children with ADHD, allowing at‑home use alongside traditional psychotherapy. Funding was led...
New Protections in Checklist for Patients, Donors, and Blood
The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has updated its transfusion‑medicine accreditation checklist for 2026, adding new safety controls that affect every hospital blood bank in the United States. The revisions require repeat or historical ABO/Rh verification for all compatibility‑testing methods,...
AstraZeneca Reports Positive P-III (MIRANDA) Data for Tozorakimab in COPD
AstraZeneca announced that its anti‑IL‑33 antibody tozorakimab achieved its primary endpoint in the Phase III MIRANDA trial, delivering a statistically significant reduction in the annualised rate of moderate‑to‑severe COPD exacerbations. The double‑blind study enrolled 1,454 patients receiving standard inhaled therapy and...
Vaginal Drug Delivery Had A Funding Problem—Merck Changed That
Calla Lily Clinical Care’s tampon‑shaped vaginal drug delivery platform, Callavid, has secured a strategic collaboration with Merck to accelerate clinical development for IVF luteal‑phase support and miscarriage prevention. The device, cleared under FDA 510(k) and patented in 14 countries, promises...
AZ Is Three for Three with COPD Hope Tozorakimab
AstraZeneca’s anti‑IL‑33 antibody tozorakimab has succeeded in all three pivotal Phase 3 COPD trials, showing a statistically significant reduction in moderate‑to‑severe exacerbations. The MIRANDA study confirmed benefit with biweekly dosing, while OBERON and TITANIA validated once‑monthly regimens. These results place AZ...
Latin American Study Links Teen Social‑Media Use to Attention, Emotion and Identity Challenges
A study highlighted in the Latin American Post finds that intensive social‑media use among teens in the region correlates with a thinner cerebral cortex and heightened attention, emotional and identity struggles. The findings raise alarms for parents, schools and policymakers...
WHO Webinar Highlights Health Sector Strategies to Empower Fathers in Child Care
The World Health Organization, together with the Child Health Task Force and the ECD Action Network, hosted a webinar outlining how health systems can embed father‑specific caregiving resources into routine services. Case studies from Jordan and the United Republic of...
Novo Nordisk’s Sickle Cell Therapy Hits in Phase 3, but Data Lag Expectations
Novo Nordisk announced that its oral sickle‑cell drug etavopivat met its primary endpoint in a Phase 3 trial, showing a statistically significant reduction in painful vaso‑occlusive crises. The study, however, fell short of the ambitious efficacy and safety benchmarks the...
Omada Health Study Shows 6% Weight Loss and Muscle Preservation on GLP-1 Program
Omada Health released a 12‑week study of 245 adults with obesity showing its GLP‑1 Care Track delivered 6.0% average weight loss, a 3.3‑point drop in body‑fat percentage and a threefold rise in muscle‑mass share compared with a control group. The...
REITs Own One‑Fifth of U.S. Senior Housing, Raising Care Quality Concerns
Real‑estate investment trusts have bought roughly 20% of the nation’s senior‑housing portfolio and a sixth of its nursing homes, prompting lawsuits over resident deaths and renewed scrutiny of their influence on care quality. Critics argue that rent‑focused lease terms and...
United Therapeutics Supports 120+ Experts at Quantum Biology Forum
United Therapeutics CEO Martine Rothblatt funded the inaugural Quantum Biology Forum, drawing over 120 scientists, industry leaders, and innovators to explore quantum mechanics as a therapeutic target. The two‑day event, hosted by Northwell Health, examined quantum effects such as electron...
Haryana Drugs Regulator Reports Fake Mounjaro Seizure in Gurugram: Eli Lilly
Eli Lilly disclosed that Haryana’s drug regulator seized roughly ₹70 lakh (about $85,000) of counterfeit Mounjaro injections in Gurugram. The company said it is actively supporting the investigation and praised the authorities’ enforcement action. Mounjaro, a GLP‑1 drug used for obesity, has...
UCB to Acquire Neurona Therapeutics for $650M, Adding Regenerative Epilepsy Asset
UCB announced a definitive agreement to acquire Neurona Therapeutics for $650 million upfront and up to $500 million in milestones, adding the regenerative cell therapy NRTX‑1001 to its epilepsy pipeline. The deal, expected to close by Q2 2026, expands UCB’s portfolio into advanced‑therapy...
Innate Pharma to Present P-II (MATISSE) Interim Data of IPH5201 in NSCLC at AACR 2026
Innate Pharma will present interim Phase‑II (MATISSE) data for its anti‑CD39 antibody IPH5201 in resectable non‑small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at the AACR 2026 meeting. The analysis of 40 patients shows a pathological complete response (pCR) of 35.7% in tumors...
CNET Highlights Top FDA-Cleared Red Light Therapy Devices as Market Nears $660 Million by 2032
CNET released its 2026 roundup of FDA-cleared red light therapy devices, naming the Shark CryoGlow mask, Smoothskin DuoLux patches, iRestore Elite hair helmet, and Clearlight Personal Tower panel as the top picks. The guide cites rapid market growth from $421 M...
WINCEE Launch: Women’s Health Research Top of the Agenda
At the NutraFood Poland event, WINCEE co‑chairs Ewa Hudson and Agnieszka Anielska highlighted the massive economic upside of closing the women’s health gap, estimating a $1 trillion annual boost to the global economy. They pointed out that women account for only...
Certain Drugs Like SGLT2 Inhibitors Cut Mortality Risk
A 2024 study on half a million UK individuals analyzed the mortality effects of 406 medications 92% were seen to be associated with increased mortality risk because of the underlying diseases. However, 14 were surprisingly associated with reduced mortality. An overview by...
Closing Rural L&D Units Triggers Cascading Care Desert
Maternal care deserts don't happen overnight. A rural hospital closes its L&D unit. Deliveries stop. Then the mothers start going elsewhere for all their care. Pediatrics follows. Then the rest. That's the spiral Dr. Blake Porter of @AccessTeleCare described on Lifers: Spotify: https://t.co/ynEfLfzYQo Apple:...
Eli Lilly in Advanced Talks to Buy Kelonia Therapeutics for over $2 Billion
Eli Lilly is in advanced talks to acquire Kelonia Therapeutics for over $2 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal, which may include milestone payments, could be announced as early as Monday and would bolster Lilly’s oncology pipeline. Shares...
Measles Surge Pushes Anti‑vaxxers to Adopt MMR
Bloomberg: “As Measles Takes Toll on Kids, Anti-Vaxxers Have Change of Heart: Enough parents are quietly embracing the MMR that it’s helping to slow the outbreaks.” https://t.co/HLcfl5flNY https://t.co/tuE89RwR4F
Wearable Health Data Boom Drives Doctors Toward New Big‑Data Analytics
A surge in consumer wearables—now a $100 bn industry—has clinicians scrambling to integrate continuous biometric streams into medical workflows. Doctors cite raw data overload, new AI‑driven coaching tools and emerging analytics platforms as essential to turn wrist‑ and finger‑sourced metrics into...
Nanobiotix's Nanoprimer Boosts LNP‑DNA Immunotherapy Bioavailability, Cuts Toxicity
Nanobiotix unveiled preclinical results that its Nanoprimer platform, given before lipid‑nanoparticle DNA immunotherapies, markedly increases systemic exposure and reduces hepatic toxicity in mice. The data, presented at the 2026 AACR meeting, could unlock more effective LNP‑based cancer treatments.
As UK Regulators Tighten the Rules on Mental Health Apps, the Next Test Is Post-Treatment Monitoring
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has introduced robust guidance that forces mental‑health apps to meet minimum safety standards, display a CE or UKCA mark and be listed on an official register. The new rules also give...