Today's Healthcare Pulse
FDA greenlights durvalumab combo for high‑risk bladder cancer
The FDA approved durvalumab (Imfinzi) combined with Bacillus Calmette‑Guerin for BCG‑naïve, high‑risk non‑muscle invasive bladder cancer. The POTOMAC trial enrolled 1,018 patients and showed a 32% reduction in disease recurrence risk (hazard ratio 0.68, p=0.015). Durvalumab is given at 1,500 mg IV every four weeks for up to 13 cycles.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Apogee Therapeutics raises $1.3B royalty financing
The American Diabetes Association Urges Continued Commitment to Federal Funding for Critical Diabetes Research and Prevention Programs
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) issued a statement urging the President and Congress to maintain and increase federal funding for diabetes and obesity research and prevention in the FY 2027 budget. It highlighted that diabetes accounts for one‑quarter of U.S. healthcare spending and that obesity contributes to more than half of new type‑2 diabetes cases. The ADA cited the critical role of agencies such as the NIH, CDC, and the National Diabetes Prevention Program in driving breakthroughs. It called for sustained investment to curb the growing chronic‑disease epidemic.
Buffalo Bills, Kaleida Health Extend Naming Rights Partnership
Buffalo Bills and Kaleida Health have renewed their partnership, granting Kaleida naming rights to the team’s training complex, now called the Kaleida Health Performance Center. The agreement keeps Kaleida as the Bills’ official health‑care provider and expands joint community‑health initiatives...
Changemaker and HIMSS Michigan Founder Continues Lifetime of Leadership
Veteran healthcare IT executive Helen Hill, SEMHIE Vice President and CIO, continues to shape Michigan’s health information landscape. She founded the state’s HIMSS chapter and now serves on the board and chairs the interoperability task force for the Michigan health...
FDA Approves Extension of Eylea HD Dosing Intervals
The FDA has approved an extension of dosing intervals for Regeneron's Eylea HD, allowing injections as infrequently as every 20 weeks for patients with wet age‑related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). The label update incorporates two‑year efficacy and...
CORRECTING and REPLACING ATL Medical Integrates OMNIVISION’s OVMed® OH0131 Image Signal Processor Into Its PREVOYANCE® Medical Imaging System
ATL Medical announced the integration of Omnivision’s OVMed® OH0131 image signal processor into its Prevoyance® medical imaging platform. The OVMed ISP brings advanced algorithms that fine‑tune brightness, contrast, saturation, hue and sharpness while aggressively reducing noise. The press release was...
White House Seeks 12% Cut to HHS in 2027
The White House’s FY 2027 budget proposal slashes the Health and Human Services (HHS) discretionary budget by $15.8 billion, a 12.5% cut from FY 2026. The National Institutes of Health would see funding drop $5 billion to $41 billion, and several agencies—including the National Institute...
White House Seeks 12% Cut to HHS in 2027
The White House’s FY 2027 budget request calls for a 12.5% cut to the Department of Health and Human Services, slashing $15.8 billion from the agency’s discretionary budget. The proposal trims NIH funding by $5 billion, eliminates the National Institute on Minority Health...
AI-Driven Healthcare Coverage: Automating Institutional-Grade Research
I'm building out "AI-native" coverage on my old healthcare coverage (153 healthcare stocks ex-therapeutics that I covered institutionally for ~10 years). I am testing how close I can get to institutional-grade coverage while doing as little as possible manually: ramping...
Researchers Create Blended Immune System to Cure Type 1 Diabetes in Mice
Scientists have cured type 1 diabetes in mice by engineering a hybrid immune system that accepts donor insulin‑producing cells without long‑term immunosuppression. The breakthrough could reshape how autoimmune diseases are treated, moving beyond blanket immune suppression toward targeted tolerance.
AHA Unveils 2026 Dietary Guidance with Nine Heart‑Healthy Eating Rules
The American Heart Association today released its 2026 Dietary Guidance, presenting nine science‑backed eating rules aimed at reducing cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity. The guidance stresses plant‑forward meals, limits on sugar, salt and ultra‑processed foods, and lifelong adoption from prenatal...
White House Issues FY 2027 Budget Request
The White House unveiled its FY 2027 budget request, projecting roughly $1.5 trillion in total federal outlays with a notable boost to health‑related programs. The proposal follows the American Hospital Association’s latest *Costs of Caring* report, which highlights rising expenses for hospitals...
Proactive Approaches May Mitigate QOL Impacts of MASH
A new real‑world study published in JHEP Reports shows that patients with metabolic dysfunction‑associated steatohepatitis (MASH) experience markedly lower health‑related quality of life when advanced fibrosis and cardiovascular‑renal‑metabolic (CVRM) comorbidities are present. The analysis of 2,675 patients across Canada, France,...
Pfizer, BioNTech Abort U.S. Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Trial as Enrollment Falters
Pfizer and its partner BioNTech have ended a U.S. phase III trial of an updated COVID-19 vaccine for healthy adults aged 50‑64, citing insufficient enrollment. The decision, announced in a March 30 letter, comes amid waning demand for boosters and...
RSF Drone Strike Kills 10 Medical Staff at Sudan’s Al‑Jabalain Hospital
The Rapid Support Forces (RSF) launched a drone strike on Al‑Jabalain Hospital in Sudan’s White Nile state, killing ten medical and administrative workers, including the director, and wounding 22 civilians. The attack, condemned by Médecins Sans Frontières and Sudanese officials,...
Q&A: AWS on New AI Agents, Quantum Computing in Healthcare
At HIMSS 2026, AWS chief medical officer Dr. Rowland Illing outlined the company’s new AI‑driven agent platform, Amazon Connect Health, which bundles five agents to streamline patient‑provider interactions while keeping a human in the loop. He emphasized AWS’s push for...
RA/QA News Roll: Late March 2026
The late‑March FDA Group news roll highlights mounting political pressure on HHS officials after a POLITICO MAHA poll showed mixed support for President Trump’s health agenda, while the agency grapples with internal turnover that could impede reform. FDA leadership announced...
Joint Commission Launches Outcome-Driven Certifications on Perinatal Care, Cardiac Procedures
The Joint Commission announced the rollout of outcome‑driven certifications, debuting two programs that assess hospital performance in perinatal care and cardiac surgeries. The perinatal certification will measure maternal and newborn outcomes alongside patient‑experience scores, while the cardiac certification will track...
Balancing Efficacy and Tolerability in Skin Cancer Treatment: Todd Schlesinger, MD
At the American Academy of Dermatology meeting, Dr. Todd Schlesinger emphasized that proactive management of adverse events is essential for keeping skin‑cancer patients on effective therapies. He outlined next‑step options for melanoma that progresses on immunotherapy, including clinical trials, switching...
Collaborative Care Is Redefining Survival in Multiple Myeloma
Collaborative, multidisciplinary care is reshaping multiple myeloma treatment, linking hematology, transplant, pharmacy, infectious disease, and supportive services across the disease continuum. The non‑linear therapy pathway—spanning induction, autologous stem‑cell transplant, maintenance, CAR‑T and bispecific antibodies—requires constant cross‑specialty communication to avoid delays...
H.H.S. Takes a First Step Toward Restoring Vaccine Advisory Committee
The Health and Human Services Department is set to renew the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) charter for two years, allowing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appoint new members after a federal judge halted the committee’s work....
Can Facet Arthroplasty Outperform TLIF for Spondy?
A prospective, multicenter FDA IDE trial compared the Total Posterior Spine (TOPS) facet arthroplasty system with traditional transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) in 249 patients with single‑level grade I degenerative spondylolisthesis. At 24 months, TOPS achieved an 85% composite clinical success rate...
CZI Biohub Leverages AI to Outpace Funders in Biomedical Research
CZI’s Biohub aims to harness AI for groundbreaking biomedical research, potentially surpassing other leading funders in influence and investment. Wendy Paris Reports: https://tinyurl.com/28f6rnzc Related IP Resources: The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative -https://tinyurl.com/nhhw9a9u Disease Research Grants -https://tinyurl.com/akr4pv9h Grants for Science Research -https://tinyurl.com/mpdstvy2 Tech Philanthropists -https://tinyurl.com/bdewp5v8 Journalism
Intranasal EV Vaccine Delivers Broad, Cross‑protective Flu Immunity
An intranasal vaccine using extracellular vesicles displaying inverted influenza hemagglutinins induced broad, cross-protective immunity in mice, offering a promising strategy for universal flu prevention at the mucosal level. vaccines
MedeAnalytics Showcases How Health Plans Turn AI-Driven Insights Into Measurable Performance Improvement
MedeAnalytics announced its participation in several payer‑focused events, including Becker’s webinars, the Spring Payer Issues Roundtable, and OpsIgnite 2026. The company will showcase how its AI‑powered Health Fabric™ platform unifies fragmented data, enabling health plans to improve medical loss ratio,...
Autonomous Clinical Care Scales to 3 Million Conversations
First fully autonomous clinical encounter in the end of 2023, to 3 million autonomous clinical conversations with patients in 2.5 years. The co-pilot to autopilot transition is underway in specialty care, and we're thrilled to deepen our partnership with Insight...
Complementary Value of CEUS-Guided Hookwire Localization Combined with Methylene Blue Staining for Sentinel Lymph Node Detection, and the Predictive Role...
A single‑arm study of 76 patients evaluated contrast‑enhanced ultrasound (CEUS)‑guided hookwire localization combined with intra‑operative methylene blue staining for sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection. The dual‑modality approach identified SLNs in 73 patients, achieving a 96.05% overall detection rate, with each...
260: Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, Pioneer in Holistic Dentistry: Your Dentist Might Know Your Sleep Problem
In this episode, Dr. Michelle Jorgensen, a holistic dentist, explains how oral health—particularly mercury‑containing fillings, hidden infections, and airway obstruction—can drive inflammation and compromise sleep quality, leading to issues like bruxism and sleep apnea. She shares her personal journey from...
Spacelabs Healthcare Announces Agreement to Provide Its Rothman Index® to Hospitals and Health Systems Through DEPTH Health
Spacelabs Healthcare has signed an agreement with DEPTH Health to integrate its Rothman Index into DEPTH’s Real‑Time Advisor for Clinical Expert Routing (RACER) platform. The Rothman Index aggregates 26 clinical data points into a 200‑point risk score that updates continuously,...
Reconstruction of Dialysis Access in an End-Stage Renal Disease Patient with Severe Peritonitis and Thoracic Deformity: A Case Report
A 39‑year‑old man with end‑stage renal disease, severe peritonitis, thoracic deformity, and extensive vascular calcification faced repeated dialysis access failures. After conventional fistula and graft attempts failed, clinicians placed a cuffed dialysis catheter via the left innominate vein using digital...
Immune-Capable Cervix-on-a-Chip Enables Study of Sexually Transmitted Infections
Researchers at the University of Maryland and partner institutions have unveiled the first immune‑capable cervix‑on‑a‑chip, a microphysiological system that mimics the human cervical environment, including epithelial, stromal, immune cells and a native microbiome. The platform was validated with Chlamydia trachomatis...
An Injectable Particle Could Make Surgery Safer for Infants
Researchers at North Carolina State University have engineered an injectable microgel, called BK‑TriGs, that dramatically reduces surgical bleeding in infants. In mouse models mimicking neonatal hemostasis, the particles cut blood loss by 50‑60 percent compared with controls. The microgel leverages...
Beyond BMI: Shawn Davis, MD on Why Adiposity Is the Better Measure for Managing Obesity
Shawn Davis, MD, argues that adiposity—actual body fat—offers a more precise gauge of metabolic risk than the traditional body mass index (BMI). She notes that targeting a modest 5%‑15% reduction in adiposity can markedly improve hypertension, dyslipidemia, and sleep apnea,...
Be the only Specialist, Not Just the Best
🧵 Doctors, don’t try to be the best. Become the only. “Best doctor” is crowded. Every clinic claims it. “Only doctor for this problem” is clear. No comparison. Pick one condition. Own it deeply. Be known for it. Patients don’t remember the best. They remember the specific. Are you just another...
AI Medical Tools Need Evidence, Not RCTs, to Trust
How can we trust CDS AI like OpenEvidence, DoximityGPT, etc if no one's done studies showing their use improves patient outcomes? While I understand the intent, I think it's ultimately a misguided question. Anytime a new medical textbook comes out, should...
Zanubrutinib Demonstrates Favorable Tolerability in R/R CLL/SLL
A systematic review and meta‑analysis of four trials involving 508 relapsed or refractory CLL/SLL patients found that zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) has low treatment‑discontinuation (7.2%) and atrial fibrillation rates (2.9%). While 98.5% of patients experienced at least one adverse event, only 67%...
NMN and NR Show No Benefit for Elderly Muscle
The Effect of Nicotinamide Mononucleotide and Riboside on Skeletal Muscle Mass and Function: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis “… In conclusion, current evidence does not support the use of NMN and NR as effective interventions for improving muscle function and mass...
HHS Undermines U.S. Biotech, Promotes Pseudoscience
Hasn’t HHS already done enough damage to U.S. biomedical science and biotech? Why kill one of the few things that still works in America? ANS: it’s part of a darker dystopian MAHA vision to elevate pseudoscience in its place. My...
Disparities Widen Across Regions as Global Hypertension Burden Grows
A new meta‑analysis of 287 studies covering 6.1 million adults shows that 1.71 billion people—about one‑third of the global adult population—had hypertension in 2020. While high‑income nations saw a modest 2.7 % drop in age‑standardized prevalence, low‑ and middle‑income countries experienced a 5.8 %...
Trump Proposes $5 B NIH Cut; Congress Unlikely to Approve
NIH would get $5 billion cut under Trump’s 2027 budget, but Congress unlikely to go along https://t.co/PPQbrSBwi0 via @statnews
Good AI Diagnoses, Bad Chat Interface Worsens Outcomes
This new Nature paper (using old models) illustrates the point of my latest Substack post on AI interfaces. AI did a good job diagnosing medical issues, but when users had to interact with chatbots the interface led to confusion &...
Operationalizing Seamless Care Between Community and Academic Centers: Turab Mohammed, MD
Dr. Turab Mohammed, a hematologist‑oncologist at Novant Health, outlined how community systems can operationalize seamless collaboration with academic centers through dedicated care‑navigation teams and real‑time communication protocols. He emphasized early referral of high‑risk leukemia and lymphoma patients to preserve T‑cell...
Friday Subscriber Discussion - Prove It
The newsletter featured a subscriber‑driven discussion on practical steps doctors’ offices can take to demonstrate thoughtful patient care. Contributors highlighted tangible improvements such as clear signage, comfortable waiting rooms, transparent pricing, staff communication training, and digital check‑in tools. The dialogue...
How a Minor Dry Cough Amplifies Caregiver Burden in Home Health Care
A seemingly minor dry cough can dominate daily life for families providing home health care, interrupting sleep, meals, and conversations. Because the symptom often disappears in the clinical setting, physicians may underestimate its impact, leaving caregivers to manage endless adjustments...
How to Treat Sacroiliac Joint Pain Effectively Today
The sacroiliac (SI) joint is responsible for roughly 15‑30% of chronic low‑back pain and is frequently misdiagnosed. Physicians use a stepwise approach—patient history, a cluster of provocation tests, selective imaging, and a diagnostic injection—to pinpoint the joint with about 91%...
Hospital Sues Cardiology Practice for Alleged Breach of Contract, Ending Years-Long Partnership
Boone Health, a 392‑bed hospital in Columbia, Missouri, has sued its longtime cardiology partner, Missouri Heart Center, alleging breach of a non‑compete clause and refusal to release patient data. The cardiology group intends to exit the partnership in May and...
Development of a Culturally Sensitive Breast Cancer Patient Education Toolkit in Rwanda: A Methodological Approach
Breast cancer cases in Rwanda are expected to rise from 1,131 in 2018 to roughly 2,420 by 2040, creating a critical need for patient education. OAZIS Health responded with the ICYIZERE Initiative, developing a culturally sensitive education toolkit through four...
Multi-Target Gene Therapy for Osteoarthritis: Dual-Axis Modeling and In Silico Validation
A computational study proposes a multi‑target gene therapy for osteoarthritis that combines anti‑inflammatory, anabolic, and catabolic‑blocking transgenes delivered via a dual‑vector AAV system. Network perturbation modeling shows the multi‑axis approach achieves an ECM Recovery Score of 76.2, markedly higher than...
Update on FDA’s Ongoing Evaluation of Reports of Suicidal Thoughts or Actions in Patients Taking a Certain Type of Medicines...
The FDA’s November 1, 2024 drug safety communication reports a preliminary review of suicidal thoughts and actions among patients using glucagon‑like peptide‑1 receptor agonists (GLP‑1 RAs). After analyzing adverse event reports, clinical trials and observational studies, regulators found no clear causal link,...
Scientists Map How the Body Traps 'Sleeping' Tuberculosis
Scientists at James Cook University used spatial transcriptomics to map where latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis resides within lymph nodes and bone marrow, revealing how the immune system contains the dormant bacteria. The study, published in Nature Communications, identified CD8⁺ T cells...
FDA Adds Warning About Rare Occurrence of Serious Liver Injury with Use of Veozah (Fezolinetant) for Hot Flashes Due to...
On December 16, 2024, the FDA issued a Boxed Warning for Veozah (fezolinetant), the first non‑hormonal drug approved for menopausal hot flashes, highlighting a rare but serious risk of liver injury. The agency now mandates baseline liver testing and monthly...