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:
RFK Jr. Says He’ll Reform Preventive Task Force: 4 Hearing Takeaways
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced plans to overhaul the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) during a Ways and Means Committee hearing. He pledged more frequent meetings, greater transparency, and the addition of new members with a clear vision. Kennedy also addressed measles trends, rural provider retirements, and the impact of site‑neutrality payment rules on specialty care access. The reforms could reshape which preventive services insurers must cover at no cost.
New Guidelines Recommend AI-Based Breast Cancer Risk Assessments
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network’s 2026 Clinical Practice Guidelines now recommend image‑based artificial‑intelligence risk assessments as a primary tool for breast cancer screening. The guidance advises using AI‑derived five‑year risk scores from routine mammograms, with a 1.7 % risk threshold prompting...
10 Fastest-Growing Jobs for New Graduates
LinkedIn’s 2023‑2025 analysis identified the ten fastest‑growing entry‑level jobs for recent graduates, led by AI engineer and marketing coordinator roles. The study examined millions of member profiles, measuring growth based on the first full‑time post‑graduation position and excluding internships or...
Designing Implants that Don’t Scar the Brain
A new study systematically compared stiff silicon electrodes with flexible polyimide probes for intracortical neural implants. The researchers found that material choice dominates tissue response: polyimide probes trigger far less scarring and inflammation than silicon, while probe thickness or wireless...
Northwestern Medicine Posts 4.5% Operating Margin in Q2
Northwestern Medicine reported a $132.7 million operating income, translating to a 4.5% operating margin for Q2 2026, down from a 5.7% margin a year earlier. Total operating revenue rose to $3 billion, propelled by higher patient service and rental income, while operating...
How Language Shapes Physician Migration and Medical Training
A recent qualitative survey of medical students from Sudan, Nigeria, Oman and North Africa shows that language, not just salary, determines where physicians can migrate. English‑medium education acts as a professional passport, making the United States, Canada and the United...
Tenet’s 5 Highest-Paid Execs in 2025
Tenet Healthcare’s chair and CEO Saum Sutaria earned $43.1 million in 2025, a 75% increase from the prior year, driven largely by $31.7 million in stock awards and a $9 million non‑equity incentive. The Dallas‑based operator reported $21.3 billion in revenue, $4.6 billion in adjusted...
Trump Nominates Former Coast Guard Doctor as CDC Chief
President Trump nominated retired Rear Admiral Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former Coast Guard chief medical officer and deputy surgeon general, to become the next CDC director. The nomination requires Senate approval, with acting director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya continuing in the...
Podcast Episode 28: Evaluating and Funding a New Kind of Grant (Clubfoot Treatment)
GiveWell announced a new grant to MiracleFeet to expand free Ponseti clubfoot treatment in low‑ and middle‑income countries, following a site visit in Côte d’Ivoire. The program trains health workers, supplies materials, and educates communities, resulting in hundreds of children...
What’s Driving Retention For An Evolving Home-Based Care Workforce
Home‑based care providers are shifting from hiring shortages to a retention‑first strategy as the aging boom and new worker generations reshape the market. Executives at a recent virtual staffing summit highlighted radical transparency and education‑as‑currency as the two most effective...
Kennedy: 90% Of FDA Reviewers Are Using AI For Faster Drug Approvals
U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told the House Ways & Means Committee that more than 90% of FDA reviewers are now using artificial‑intelligence tools to speed drug approvals. The AI applications are also being rolled...
FDA Clears First AI-Enabled, Detector-Based Spectral CT System
Philips received FDA 510(k) clearance for its Verida spectral CT system, the first AI‑enabled, detector‑based scanner of its kind. The platform combines a dual‑layer Nano‑panel detector with AI‑driven image reconstruction, delivering always‑on spectral imaging without extra scans. Verida can reconstruct...
‘Shirtless in a Hot Tub with Kid Rock’: Dems Question RFK Jr. On HHS Priorities and Budget Decisions
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. testified before the House Ways and Means Committee, expressing displeasure with the Trump administration’s proposal to cut $15.8 billion—12.5%—from HHS, including SNAP and WIC programs. He argued the cuts would undermine efforts...
Vitamin C Cuts Iron‑Related Aging Markers in Monkeys
Researchers have demonstrated that high‑dose vitamin C supplementation lowers iron‑induced oxidative damage and senescence markers in aged cynomolgus monkeys. The findings point to a nutraceutical strategy for slowing cellular aging and have sparked interest across the biohacking community.
Jefferson Health’s $180 Million Loss Highlights GLP‑1 Drug Cost Surge for Employers
Jefferson Health’s employee insurance plan posted a $180 million loss in 2025, about one‑third of which stemmed from coverage of GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs. The surge forced the nonprofit system to tighten eligibility rules, sparking a broader debate on how rising prescription...
AIP to Take Avanos Medical Private in $1.27 B Deal
Private‑equity sponsor AIP announced a $1.27 billion cash offer to take Avanos Medical private. The deal values the med‑tech company at a premium to its 2025 revenue of $701.2 million and promises additional resources for its specialty‑nutrition and pain‑management portfolios.
Biogen's Stock Slumps as Biosimilars Hit MS Sales and Alzheimer Setbacks Loom
Biogen (BIIB) saw its stock slip after reporting modest revenue growth, heightened biosimilar competition in multiple sclerosis, and lingering commercial challenges for its Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi. The biotech’s 2025 revenue rose only 2% to $9.9 billion while adjusted EPS fell 7%,...
Aurora Cannabis Buys EU GMP Cultivator Safari Flower for $26.5 Million
Aurora Cannabis Inc. completed the purchase of Safari Flower Company for $26.5 million, adding EU GMP‑certified manufacturing capacity. The deal includes $15 million cash, a $2 million contingent payment and over 2.4 million Aurora shares, positioning the Canadian firm to capture more of Europe’s...
Re: Managing Resistant Hypertension . . . And Other Research
A retired physician, David Levine, wrote to BMJ questioning the reported cardiovascular event numbers in a recent LDL‑lowering study, noting that the intensive‑therapy arm was listed with 147 events versus 100 in the conventional arm. He suggests the figures may...
Smarter Oncology Management Needed as Costs Continue to Climb
At the AMCP 2026 meeting, experts warned that oncology has become the largest cost driver for health plans, with cancer drugs accounting for 50‑60% of total cancer spend. They highlighted that expanding FDA approvals, longer treatment courses, and combination regimens...
Spotlight On: Biosimilar Litigations - April 2026
The April 2026 Spotlight On: Biosimilar Litigations memo outlines which patent disputes are tracked in the sector. It clarifies that lawsuits between biosimilar applicants or manufacturers and reference‑product sponsors are included, while conflicts solely among reference sponsors or non‑practicing entities are...
UK Says It Has Hit Target on Commercial Trial Set-Up Times
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) reported that average clinical‑trial set‑up time fell to 122 days in the six months to March, beating its 150‑day target set for March 2026. The reduction follows a suite of reforms,...
HIMSS Executive Connect Brings 'Life-Changing' New Perspectives
The HIMSS Executive Connect program gave Sophia Brown, RN and CEO of Strategic Informatics Solutions, a fresh view on collaborative problem‑solving across health‑tech firms. By convening leaders from diverse organizations, the initiative highlighted shared challenges in AI, business intelligence and...
High-Dose Folic Acid Slashes Birth Defect Risks
A large Nordic study of over 13,000 pregnancies shows that high‑dose folic acid taken at least one month before conception cuts the risk of major congenital anomalies in children of women using antiseizure medications by about 45%, an absolute reduction...
How The Trump Administration Is Blocking Access To Home Care
The Trump Administration is simultaneously touting consumer choice while tightening two levers that restrict home‑based care: aggressive immigration curbs that shrink the caregiver pool and sweeping Medicaid reforms that slash federal funding. Over the next decade, the budget bill will...
Psychologist Argues Against Legalizing Psychedelics for Therapy
I'm not a narc. But as a psychologist and past clinical researcher, I currently oppose the legalization of psychedelics for mental health. Here's why.
Nanoz Rolls Out AI‑powered 2 Mm Nanosensors for Health and Environmental Monitoring
Nanoz, a French deep‑tech company, announced the industrial launch of AI‑enabled nanosensors no larger than 2 mm. The devices combine metal‑oxide semiconductor gas detection with machine‑learning algorithms to identify disease biomarkers, cabin‑air hazards and urban pollutants, opening new markets in healthcare,...
Researchers Encode Full Hepatitis D Genome on IBM Quantum System One
Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, Oxford, Cambridge, Melbourne and Kyiv Academic University have loaded a complete Hepatitis D virus genome onto IBM Quantum System One’s 156‑qubit Heron processor. The milestone, achieved under the Wellcome Leap‑funded Q4Bio Challenge, demonstrates that...
DIGI Search Launches Full-Service Dental Web Platform Tied to NextGen TV Ads
DIGI Search announced a new full-service dental web management platform that integrates its proprietary NextGen TV advertising suite. The initiative aims to move dental practices away from fragmented social‑media ads toward high‑impact, household‑level TV placements, promising higher‑value case acquisition.
MeiraGTx Reacquires Gene Therapy Candidate Bota-Vec for X‑Linked Retinitis Pigmentosa
MeiraGTx Holdings plc announced it has signed an asset purchase agreement with Johnson & Johnson to reacquire botaretigene sparoparvovec (bota-vec), its AAV‑RPGR gene‑therapy for X‑linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP). The company says the deal positions it to file Biologics License Applications...
The Category 2 Peptide Unwind: How a Rogan Appearance, 14 Withdrawn Nominations & a July PCAC Docket Will Reprice the...
Kennedy’s appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience announced that roughly fourteen peptides could be re‑classified from FDA Category 2 back to Category 1, but no Federal Register rule has been issued yet. The announcement highlights a procedural path where nominators withdraw nominations,...
Another Win for Opportunistic Screening: AI Turns Head CT Scans Into Heart Assessments
Researchers at Harvard Medical School have trained deep‑learning models on nearly 100,000 head CT scans to predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk and estimate coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores. The AI‑derived CVD timing model outperformed the American Heart Association’s PREVENT risk...
Staging, ctDNA, and the Art of Personalizing Metastatic Breast Cancer Therapy: Hayley Knollman, MD
Hayley M. Knollman, MD, highlighted how estrogen‑receptor‑positive metastatic breast cancer still relies on conventional staging—blood work, imaging, and tissue biopsies—while emerging HER2‑low categories gain relevance only after disease spreads. She noted that circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) and broad genomic panels are now...
AI Documentation Seen as a ‘Competitive Advantage’ in Hospice Regulatory Labyrinth
Hospices are turning to artificial‑intelligence documentation platforms to ease staffing shortages and meet mounting Medicare audit demands. Dr. Brian Haas, national medical director at Ascend Hospice, argues that precise, rapid documentation will become a measurable competitive advantage. While AI can...
![[April 2026] FDA Form 483 Response Guidance, Weight Loss Device Framework + AI-Driven Device Warning Letter](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CHiL!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fbucketeer-e05bbc84-baa3-437e-9518-adb32be77984.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F59dae4d3-b9e4-442b-8b97-0a78fab4dc99_582x582.png)
[April 2026] FDA Form 483 Response Guidance, Weight Loss Device Framework + AI-Driven Device Warning Letter
The FDA released three pivotal documents in April 2026: a finalized guidance on responding to Form 483 observations, a structured benefit‑risk framework for weight‑loss devices, and a warning letter to an autonomous insulin‑delivery system. The Form 483 guidance offers the...
Utah Measles Outbreak Tops 600 Cases as Connecticut Leads Nation in Vaccination Rate
Utah is grappling with a severe measles outbreak that has surpassed 600 confirmed cases, with more than 400 reported since the start of 2026 and nearly 50 hospitalizations. About 85% of those infected are unvaccinated, despite roughly 90% overall MMR...
RFK Jr. Defends FDA, Makary Following Republican Questions
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the podium before the House Energy & Commerce Committee on April 16, 2026 to defend the Food and Drug Administration and its commissioner, Marty Makary, after a line of Republican inquiries. Kennedy asserted that the FDA’s approval processes remain...
OpenAI Debuts GPT-Rosalind, a New Limited Access Model for Life Sciences, and Broader Codex Plugin on Github
OpenAI unveiled GPT‑Rosalind, a domain‑specific reasoning model built to accelerate life‑science research, alongside a Codex plugin that links the model to over 50 public multi‑omics databases. The model demonstrated top‑tier performance on benchmarks such as BixBench and LABBench2, surpassing GPT‑5.4...
Closing the Execution Reliability Gap in Health Care Systems
Katherine Owen highlights the "execution reliability gap"—the disconnect between well‑designed discharge plans and patients' ability to follow them at home. While hospitals excel at diagnosis and risk prediction, they often lack the infrastructure to ensure patients translate instructions into daily...
Flawed Study Groups Failed and Successful Alzheimer Drugs Together
This new analysis of Alzheimer's drugs is such a good example of why we can't make any headway as a society. There is probably a good debate to be had on whether the risks and costs of the two approved beta...
Trump Touts Choice, Cuts Medicaid Home Care Access
Trump promotes consumer choice in health care but limits access to popular Medicaid home care https://t.co/VxNeURdmwO #medicaid #olderadults #hcbs #seniors
Spotlight On: Humira® (Adalimumab) / Amjevita™ (Adalimumab-Atto) / Cyltezo® (Adalimumab-Adbm) / Hyrimoz™ (Adalimumab-Adaz) / Hadlima™ (Adalimumab-Bwwd) / Abrilada™ (Adalimumab-Afzb) /...
The April 2026 update spotlights the extensive patent‑litigation landscape surrounding adalimumab and its biosimilar portfolio, including Humira® and ten newer biosimilars such as Amjevita™ and Cyltezo®. It explains how claims are tallied across Inter‑Partes Review (IPR) proceedings and federal lawsuits, noting...
Erika Schwartz Nominated to Lead CDC After Vacancy
#CDC has been without a director for most of Trump 2.0. A new nominee was put forward today, Erika Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general. (Nomination was scooped earlier this week by @ddiamond & @bylenasun ). Let's see what happens....
Even Small Alcohol Increases Heart Rate, Lowers HRV
"Researchers looked at over 5 million days of data and found that even a modest amount of alcohol caused resting heart rates to climb and heart rate variability (a sign of how well your body handles stress) to drop." https://t.co/qg4663hHCS
For Regrowing Human Limbs, This Salamander Gene Could Hold the Key
Scientists identified SP6 and SP8 as conserved genes that drive limb regeneration in axolotls, zebrafish and mice, and demonstrated that a viral gene‑therapy delivering FGF8 can partially rescue digit regrowth in mice lacking these genes. The work, published in PNAS,...
Inside Epic's Confidential Vendor Deal Reveals Innovation Barriers
Second Opinion just published its first scoop: And it's a look inside Epic's confidential vendor services agreement. A source shared it with @RuthReader to give us a sense of why it's so hard out there for healthcare innovators. View in...
RFK Jr. Defends FDA Chief Amid Industry Backlash
RFK Jr. defends FDA, Makary following Republican questions - also defends the $REPL CRL: "Marty made the correct decision to not approve that drug. But everybody goes after him because the industry is so powerful." https://t.co/CuEeNFCYpp
FDA Signals Potential Expansion of Testosterone Therapy to Treat Low Libido in Idiopathic Hypogonadism
The FDA announced it will entertain supplemental new drug applications to add low libido in men with idiopathic hypogonadism as an approved indication for existing testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) products. The move follows a December 2025 expert panel review of...
OpenAI Debuts GPT‑Rosalind, Entering Biopharma After Anthropic
NEW: OpenAI is the latest tech giant to move into biopharma, launching Thursday GPT-Rosalind, a life sciences-tailored version of its LLM Trails behind the very similar launch of Anthropic's Claude for Life Sciences by ~5 months. More here: https://t.co/zkXDwY0BBI
RFK Jr. Hearing Reveals Changing Health Care Politics
RFK Jr.'s first in a marathon series of hearings offers a window into a shifting politics of health care — for the Trump administration and Democrats alike w/ @ChelseaCirruzzo https://t.co/uZQqM1ximT