Today's Healthcare Pulse
Allogene Therapeutics CEO David Chang to step down
Allogene Therapeutics announced that chief executive David Chang will leave his role. The news was reported by STAT+ and echoed in a follow‑up piece covering broader pharma updates.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Boston Scientific invests $1.5B for 34% stake in MiRus
DIG-RHD: Digoxin Effective in Rheumatic Heart Disease
The DIG‑RHD trial, presented at ACC 2026, randomized 1,759 patients with symptomatic rheumatic heart disease in India to digoxin or placebo. Over a median 2.1‑year follow‑up, digoxin achieved a 4.1‑percentage‑point absolute reduction in the composite of all‑cause death or new‑onset/worsening heart failure (41.4% vs 35.5%; HR 0.82). The benefit was driven by fewer heart‑failure hospitalizations, while overall mortality remained unchanged. Conducted for under $600,000, the study highlights an inexpensive, widely available therapy for a disease that disproportionately affects low‑income populations.
Abu Dhabi AI Platform Targets Early Detection of Alzheimer’s, Boosts Big‑Data Medicine
Researchers at Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) launched MAGNET-AD, an AI platform that predicts Alzheimer’s disease up to two decades before clinical onset. The system leverages massive multimodal health datasets and a spatiotemporal graph neural network, delivering...
Mayo Clinic's Dual-Drug Nanotherapy Doubles Survival in Glioblastoma Models
Mayo Clinic scientists have created a lipid‑based nanocarrier that transports everolimus and vinorelbine across the blood‑brain barrier, extending survival more than twofold in patient‑derived glioblastoma models. The preclinical breakthrough could reshape treatment strategies for the deadliest brain cancer.
IPLEDGE Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)
The FDA approved a set of modifications to the iPLEDGE Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy on February 9, 2026, aimed at easing administrative burdens while preserving safety for isotretinoin users. Key changes include allowing home pregnancy tests during and after...
Hims & Hers Says Limited Data Stolen in Social Engineering Attack
Hims & Hers disclosed a sophisticated social‑engineering breach that compromised its third‑party customer‑service platform from February 4‑7, 2026. Hackers accessed service tickets, exposing customer names and email addresses, but the firm confirmed that electronic medical records and provider communications were untouched....
Screening and Treatment for Chronic Kidney Disease in Heart Disease Patients Needs to Be Expanded
A new multinational INTERASPIRE study of 4,548 coronary artery disease (CAD) patients found chronic kidney disease (CKD) is under‑detected and undertreated. Relying solely on eGFR missed about half of CKD cases, while adding urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) captured the majority....
Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS)
The FDA’s Opioid Analgesic Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) now requires manufacturers to supply prepaid mail‑back envelopes (MBEs) for safe opioid disposal, with pharmacies able to order them starting March 31 2025. The REMS education program, funded by unrestricted grants, offers...
Low-Cost, Single Sample Blood Test Detects Different Cancers, Liver Disorders, and Other Diseases
UCLA researchers unveiled MethylScan, a low‑cost blood test that analyzes cell‑free DNA methylation to detect multiple cancers and liver disorders in a single sample. By using methylation‑sensitive enzymes to strip away background DNA, the assay reduces sequencing needs to about...
Court Strikes HRSA 340B Policy Restricting Initial Hospital Drug Purchases Through GPOs
On March 31, a U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. vacated the Health Resources and Services Administration’s 2013 rule that barred disproportionate‑share hospitals from making initial outpatient drug purchases through both the 340B Drug Pricing Program and a group purchasing...
AHA Podcast: The CMO’s Role in Better Outcomes
The American Hospital Association podcast spotlights Chief Medical Officer Phillip Chang of CommonSpirit Health, who discusses how CMOs are reshaping health‑care delivery. He emphasizes the need for robust data measurement and quality metrics to drive better patient outcomes. Chang also...
The $4B Bifurcation: Why Digital Health Funding Is Consolidating Around the Mega-Deal
U.S. digital health funding surged to $4.0 billion in Q1 2025, spread across 110 deals with an average size of $36.7 million, the highest since late 2021. Nearly 60% of that capital was captured by just 12 companies securing $100 million‑plus mega deals, including Whoop’s...
Pair of New Health Care Initiatives Formed
The Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, together with its CEO Council, launched a $350,000 employer‑led workforce initiative called “A Paradigm Shift” to train students for high‑demand jobs, beginning with health care. Partnering with the Los Angeles Community College District,...
CMS: More Flexible Plan Choices for Medicare Beneficiaries
CMS announced updates to Medicare Advantage and Part D plans for 2027, aiming to simplify star ratings, add a depression‑screening measure, and reduce regulatory burdens. The agency will streamline the star‑rating measure set, keep the Diabetes Care‑Eye Exam metric, and drop...
Data Platform Unifies Blood Cancer 'Omics' And Clinical Data to Accelerate Discovery
Scientists from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, the American Society for Hematology and the Munich Leukemia Laboratory launched the ASH HematOmics (ASHOP) platform, uniting genomics, transcriptomics and clinical data from 5,960 blood‑cancer patients. The open resource combines whole‑genome and whole‑transcriptome...
Detecting Multiple Cancers and Other Diseases From a Single Blood Sample
UCLA researchers introduced MethylScan, a blood test that reads cell‑free DNA methylation to flag multiple cancers and liver diseases in a single assay. In a cohort of 1,061 participants the test achieved 98% specificity, detecting about 63% of cancers overall...
New Federal Market Access Restrictions: Optimizing Manufacturer Strategies as PBMs Gain Power
The 2026 Consolidated Appropriations Act forces pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to pass 100% of rebates, fees and discounts through to employer‑sponsored health plans, ending spread‑pricing and increasing transparency. To protect revenue, PBMs will lean on more aggressive formulary tiering, expanded...
Under-the-Skin Tepezza Comparable to Infused Version in Key Study, Amgen Says
Amgen announced that its subcutaneous on‑body injector version of Tepezza, called Tepezza OBI, met both primary and key secondary endpoints in a late‑stage trial, showing 77% of patients achieved a meaningful reduction in eye bulging. The efficacy was comparable to...
2026 Perspectives in Private Equity: Health Care & Life Sciences
Private equity in health care and life sciences faces a turbulent 2026 as the new administration rolls back ACA subsidies and implements the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, slashing Medicaid spending by roughly $800 billion over the next decade. The loss...
VDyne Secures FDA Nod to Start Pivotal Trial for Tricuspid Valve
VDyne received FDA approval for an investigational device exemption to launch its pivotal TRIVITA trial of a transcatheter tricuspid valve replacement system. The study will assess safety and efficacy in patients with severe symptomatic tricuspid regurgitation, a condition affecting roughly...
FDA Warns Resin Change May Have Caused Tubing Danger
The FDA issued an urgent alert that B. Braun’s recent tubing‑resin change in its Streamline Airless System and B3 Low Volume hemodialysis bloodlines is causing small air bubbles to adhere inside the arterial line. These bubbles trigger machine alarms, halt treatment...
FDA Public Meeting: FDA-Led Patient-Focused Drug Development Meeting for Nonhealing Chronic Wounds - 08/25/2026
On August 25, 2026 the FDA will host a hybrid Patient‑Focused Drug Development meeting dedicated to non‑healing chronic wounds. The public session runs from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET and combines a virtual webcast with an in‑person gathering at the White Oak Campus....
Proposed FDA Budget Sets Makary up to Boost US Biotech
The White House’s FY budget proposes a sizable increase for the FDA, positioning Dr. Robert Makary to spearhead regulatory reforms aimed at accelerating U.S. biotech development. The plan includes policy changes that would shorten clinical‑trial timelines, lower fees for early‑stage...
What Are Rural Healthcare IT Priorities In a Changing Funding Landscape?
Rural healthcare organizations are bracing for reduced Medicaid funding while eyeing the $10 billion‑per‑year Rural Health Transformation Program. Tight cash reserves are driving IT leaders to prioritize short‑term resilience, cost‑cutting measures and rapid‑ROI technologies such as AI‑enabled documentation, cloud migration, and...
CMS Proposes New Transparency Measures to Strengthen Oversight of Hospice Providers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule that adds unannounced site visits, revocations of non‑compliant hospices, and a new Medicare.gov icon to flag providers that fail quality‑reporting standards. A publicly available scoring system will evaluate...
Can Medicinal Cannabis Help Kids’ Autism, ADHD or Tourette’s? Here’s What We Know so Far
Interest in medicinal cannabis for children with autism, ADHD and Tourette's has grown, prompting the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to confirm that doctors are prescribing it for these conditions. While parents hope it could reduce reliance on stimulants, antidepressants and...
Global Cohort Data Bolster Confidence in Dolutegravir for Pediatric HIV Care
A new analysis presented at CROI 2026 used International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (IeDEA) data from Africa, Asia‑Pacific, and Latin America, covering over 90% of the world’s children with HIV. The study found that dolutegravir initiates modest early weight gain...
Tozorakimab Scores Double Win in Phase III COPD Trials
AstraZeneca announced that its IL‑33 monoclonal antibody tozorakimab achieved its primary endpoints in two Phase III COPD trials, Oberon and Titania. The drug significantly reduced the annual rate of moderate‑to‑severe exacerbations versus placebo across former and current smokers. AstraZeneca positions tozorakimab...
Experts Warn MA Auto Enrollment Would Limit Choice, Raise Costs
Health policy experts are warning that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is exploring automatic enrollment of Medicare beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage (MA) plans. They argue the move could curtail seniors' ability to choose alternative coverage and drive up...
New Technique Identifies Proteins that Trigger Immune Responses in Transplants and Implants
Mayo Clinic researchers introduced a new method called the Ratio of Immunogenicity (ROI) to identify proteins that provoke strong immune responses. By measuring protein abundance and immune activation, the ROI ranks proteins from most to least immunogenic, revealing that mitochondrial...
Startup Approved to Let AI System Prescribe Psychiatric Medication
Legion Health, a San Francisco startup, received Utah regulatory approval to let its AI chatbot renew psychiatric prescriptions for a limited set of antidepressants such as Prozac and Zoloft. The system can only prescribe drugs previously authorized by a human...
Holland Foundation Looks to Expand Vision-Saving Transplants
The Holland Foundation for Sight Restoration is scaling its Cincinnati Protocol for ocular surface stem‑cell transplantation by establishing “centers of excellence” and expanding surgeon education. To date, five centers—from Cincinnati to UC Irvine, Virginia Eye Consultants, and Massachusetts Eye and...
A Key Antitrust Case Against Providers, Plus the Marriage of Patient Experience and AI
In a recent HFMA podcast, senior editor Erika Grotto and FinThrive’s Jonathan Wiik dissect a high‑profile antitrust lawsuit targeting alleged price‑fixing among hospital providers. The discussion also explores how artificial intelligence can be woven into the patient‑experience journey to boost...
The Fatal Conceit of Cheap Drugs
The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari in Hikma v. Amarin, a dispute over whether a generic maker can be liable for inducing patent infringement when it markets a “skinny‑label” version that omits a patented use. The case spotlights the broader...
AED Algorithm Could Improve Location of Lifesaving Devices
Cedars‑Sinai researchers have created a geospatial algorithm that identifies clusters of sudden cardiac arrests and recommends optimal public AED locations within 200 meters of those hotspots. The model analyzed incidents from 2012‑2023 in Ventura County, California, and Multnomah County, Oregon,...
HL7 Launches Device Interoperability Implementation Community
Health Level Seven International (HL7) has launched the Caliper FHIR Accelerator implementation community to accelerate real‑world exchange of data from medical and personal health devices. The multi‑stakeholder group builds on the Gemini Device Interoperability Program and will use FHIR standards,...
About 80% of Breast Cancer Biopsies Turn Out Benign. New Imaging Tool Promises Clearer Diagnoses and Fewer Biopsies
About 80% of breast biopsies in the United States turn out benign, prompting calls for less invasive diagnostics. Researchers have developed a hand‑held device that merges traditional ultrasound with diffuse optical tomography (DOT), which maps blood hemoglobin and oxygen levels...
Study Outlines Life-Enhancement Paths for Those in Long-Term Care Facilities
A University at Buffalo mixed‑methods study observed 20 life‑enhancement sessions in a Canadian long‑term care facility, identifying how activity design and delivery affect resident engagement. Researchers tracked self‑initiative, social interaction, emotional expression, and distractions, finding that interactive, music‑rich, facilitator‑led activities...
Op/Ed: Why Rare Disease Brands Are Losing Patients at Critical Moments
Anthony Bianciella argues rare‑disease brands lose patients because their HCP journey maps stop at prescribing intent, neglecting the complex post‑diagnosis steps such as referrals, prior authorizations and hub enrollment. He explains that specialists see these handoffs rarely, so the process...
Diabetes Drug Replicates Exercise Effects in Prostate Cancer Patients
How a Diabetes Drug May Echo the Benefits of Exercise in Prostate Cancer Care “From a clinical standpoint, seeing a metabolic signal that mirrors what we associate with intense exercise was striking… For patients whose treatments or symptoms limit physical activity,...
Swallowable Robot Camera Redefines Future Endoscopy
PillBot: The Swallowable #Robot Camera Transforming the Future of Endoscopy by @pascal_bornet #HealthTech #Tech #Technology #EmergingTech #TechForGood https://t.co/FnSO96W0A0
"Have Research? Want Readers?"
OTW has launched a dedicated Spine Research Hub that places orthopedic and spine research directly in front of thousands of practicing surgeons. The service promises to turn years of academic effort into measurable surgeon awareness, interest, and action. Researchers can...
Study Shows Subcutaneous Tepezza Matches Infused Version
Under-the-skin Tepezza comparable to infused version in key study, Amgen says https://t.co/rOQqbRmEpL $AMGN $VRDN - 25%
White House Budget Officially Ends COVID Mask Mandates on Flights
White House Budget Bans COVID Air Travel Mask Mandates — Four Years After They Already Ended - View from the Wing https://t.co/UMKew7Rr5W
FDA Drug Info Rounds Video
The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research has launched the Drug Info Rounds video series, a free on‑demand library that educates health‑care professionals on drug safety, regulatory processes, and compliance. The series covers topics such as MedWatch reporting, Medication...
Vegetarian and Vegan Diets Linked to Higher Hip Fracture Risk
Could a plant-based diet make your bones weaker? In this meta-analysis that looked at 529,672 participants (average ages of 46–63; 57% women, 43% men), both vegetarian diets and vegan diets were associated with a HIGHER risk of hip fracture: https://t.co/3u18PxPmrk...
Bad Peptide Manufacturing, Not the Peptides, Drives Danger
Just because peptides are manufactured badly and contain toxins does not mean that they will be safe and effective if manufactured well. Seriously, just eat whole foods, exercise, and maybe take a damn statin.
AI-Written Code Can Beat Humans at Biomedical Analysis, some Studies Find. What Does that Mean for the Field?
A recent study published in Cell Reports Medicine shows that large language models can generate biomedical analysis code that matches or exceeds expert performance. Junior researchers, including a graduate student and a high‑school student, used simple prompts to produce accurate...
AI Will Serve as First-Line Support, Not Replace Therapists
Simply put, #AI won't replace therapists, but it will absolutely become the first line of support for many people who otherwise would have no access to care—so governance and guardrails matter more than ever. #health #healthcare https://t.co/aCaFxLV5kI
Meta-Analyses Reveal Psychedelics Boost Brain Circuits
Two systematic, meta-analyses on psychedelic drugs today Brain Circuit Function @NatureMedicine https://t.co/nBmjreYEXU Depression @NatMentHealth https://t.co/zJR06AsC0Z https://t.co/qpWdjzBR4D
Cell Senescence Drives Cancer Risk, Yet Can Be Modulated
Cell senescence and how it predisposes to cancer, no less how we may be able to modulate it. An outstanding @CellCellPress review https://t.co/bmAXOS1Ybz