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
A New Chapter in Healthcare
Melinda Taschetta‑Millane has been appointed Market Content Director of Healthcare Editorial and Head of Content for Healthcare Innovation. With over two decades in B2B healthcare media—including roles at the American Academy of Pediatrics, medical aesthetics, radiology and cardiology—she brings deep industry insight. Her mandate is to sharpen editorial quality, expand the Healthcare Innovation Summit Series, and foster a vibrant community for healthcare leaders. The move signals a strategic push to deliver trusted, technology‑focused content amid rapid industry change.
Recordati Says It's Received a $12B+ Takeover Bid
Italian pharmaceutical group Recordati announced it has received a takeover proposal valued at more than $12 billion. The bid, disclosed in a press release, comes from an undisclosed consortium of investors. Recordati, known for specialty drugs and generics, said the offer...
50 Years Ago, Karen Quinlan’s Coma Sparked the Movement for Patients’ Rights Near the End of Life
March 31, 2026 marks the 50th anniversary of the New Jersey Supreme Court’s Quinlan decision, which affirmed a constitutional right to refuse life‑sustaining treatment. The ruling shifted end‑of‑life decision‑making from physicians to patients and their families, establishing patient autonomy as...
Canada’s Alkan Air Adds Three King Air 350s Medevacs
Alkan Air is leasing three King Air 350 turboprops from Yukon First Nations Air Leasing Limited Partnership, with the partnership granting YFNAL LP a 75% stake in each aircraft. The three planes were added to Alkan’s certificate in October 2025, expanding a fleet...
Collectly Acquires AI Automation Startup Pledge Health to Streamline Pre-Service Workflows
Collectly, an AI‑driven patient financial platform that has processed over $1 billion for more than 3,000 facilities, announced the acquisition of Y Combinator‑backed Pledge Health. The deal adds upstream pre‑service automation—coverage verification, cost estimates, and prior‑auth readiness—to Collectly’s existing post‑visit billing suite....
Poll: U.S. Voters Want PBM and Insurance Reform—And Strong Biotech
A new Biotechnology Innovation Organization poll of 1,000 U.S. voters shows eight in ten would back leaders who lower drug costs by reforming pharmacy‑benefit managers, insurers, and the 340B program. Across party lines, 88% support passing PBM rebates directly to...
Stereoelectroencephalography in the Presurgical Evaluation of Drug–Resistant Epilepsy: Retrospective Analysis of Clinical Efficacy and Safety in 71 Procedures
A retrospective review of 71 drug‑resistant epilepsy patients undergoing stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) showed that the technique confirmed the pre‑implantation hypothesis in 85% of cases. SEEG‑guided radiofrequency thermocoagulation (RF‑TC) was performed in 52% of patients, yielding seizure improvement in 73% at 12...
Phenylalanine-Associated Ocular Risk Stratification in Early-Treated Children with Phenylketonuria: A Cross-Sectional Study
A cross‑sectional study of 33 early‑treated PKU children found ocular abnormalities common, linked to higher serum phenylalanine. Comprehensive eye exams revealed anterior and posterior segment issues. ROC analysis defined phenylalanine thresholds that predict elevated ocular risk. Findings suggest metabolic control...
A Comparison of the ABC and AIMS65 Scores in Predicting Outcomes in Patients with Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Retrospective...
A retrospective multicenter analysis of 2,009 U.S. patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding found the ABC risk score outperforms AIMS65 in predicting in‑hospital mortality, achieving an AUC of 0.793 versus 0.661 (p<0.0001). Each one‑point rise in the ABC score increased...
The Effects of Three Different Pilates Methods on Pelvic Floor Muscle Function: A Randomized Comparative Interventional Study
A randomized trial compared Reformer Pilates, Mat Pilates, and a home‑based exercise regimen in 48 healthy women over ten weeks. Both Reformer and Mat Pilates produced statistically significant improvements in pelvic floor muscle strength and endurance, as well as core...
Valneva to Participate in Multiple Events at the 26th World Vaccine Congress in Washington DC
Valneva SE announced its participation in the 26th World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C., from March 31 to April 2, 2026. The company’s CEO, Thomas Lingelbach, and senior executives will present data on the chikungunya vaccine IXCHIQ® and join a...
Transgene to Deliver an Oral Presentation on Its Individualized Neoantigen Therapeutic Vaccine TG4050 at the World Vaccine Congress
Transgene (Euronext: TNG) will deliver a 30‑minute oral presentation on its individualized neoantigen therapeutic vaccine TG4050 at the World Vaccine Congress in Washington, D.C. on April 1, 2026. TG4050, built on the AI‑driven myvac® platform, targets patient‑specific tumor mutations. Phase 1 data in...
Editorial. Weighty Matter
The GLP‑1 drug semaglutide has entered the Indian market as generic versions after its patent expired last week, driving monthly prices down from roughly $144 to $36. The steep discount makes the medication affordable for a broader segment of diabetics...
Cold Weather Responsible for Many More Stroke and Heart Attack Deaths than Heat
A new study presented at ACC.26 reveals that cold weather drives far more cardiovascular deaths in the United States than heat. Analyzing over 14 million deaths across 819 counties from 2000‑2020, researchers found the optimal heart‑health temperature is 74 °F. Temperatures below...
UR Medicine Calls for Nutrition Counseling with GLP‑1 Weight‑Loss Drugs
The University of Rochester Medical Center’s Center for Community Health & Prevention is urging patients on GLP‑1 weight‑loss medications to enroll in nutrition counseling. The guidance highlights 80‑100 g of daily protein and adequate hydration to protect muscle mass and curb...
Study Finds Frequent Ejaculation Boosts Sperm Quality, Raising IVF Success by 10%
Researchers led by Dr Krish Sanghvi at Oxford analyzed 115 studies of 55,000 men and found that longer abstinence increases sperm DNA damage. Men who ejaculated less than 48 hours before IVF achieved a 46% pregnancy rate versus 36% for the standard...
Study Shows Metformin Acts in Brain, Prompting New Longevity Hacks
Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine identified a brain pathway that enables metformin to lower blood sugar, a discovery that could expand the drug’s use beyond diabetes and fuel new longevity protocols among biohackers.
Cellular Senescence and Senotherapeutics: The Expert Roundup
Cellular senescence has become a focal point for longevity medicine, prompting a surge of senolytic and senomorphic drug development. Pioneering studies showed that clearing senescent cells can extend healthspan, leading biotech firms like Rubedo, SENISCA, Deciduous Therapeutics, and Arda Therapeutics...
Magnetic Silk‑Iron Nanoparticles Offer Precise Steering of Drugs to Hard‑to‑Reach Disease Sites
A research team has created magnetic silk‑iron nanoparticles that can be steered with external magnetic fields to deliver therapeutics to otherwise inaccessible disease locations. The nanoplatform merges biocompatible silk fibroin with iron oxide, enabling magnetic control while maintaining safety, a...
WHO Issues New Guidance for Simpler Tuberculosis Tests
The World Health Organization announced new policy guidance aimed at simplifying tuberculosis detection tests, signaling a major push for more accessible diagnostics. While the guidance outlines a framework for low‑cost, point‑of‑care testing, specific technical details were not disclosed in the...
Blossom Health Secures $20M to Scale AI Psychiatry Platform
Blossom Health, a New York‑based telepsychiatry startup, raised $20 million in Seed and Series A financing led by Headline and a broad investor syndicate. The capital will fund geographic expansion, new payer contracts, clinician onboarding, and accelerated AI research. Blossom’s platform combines...
Announcing the Winners of the MedGemma Impact Challenge
Google announced the winners of its MedGemma Impact Challenge, a competition that attracted over 850 global developer teams to build prototype health applications using open‑weight models from the Health AI Developer Foundations (HAI‑DEF) program. First‑place went to EpiCast, a mobile...
Mayo Clinic Study Uses Wearables and Machine Learning to Predict COPD Rehab Participation
Mayo Clinic researchers published a study in Mayo Clinic Proceedings: Digital Health showing that wearable‑derived sleep metrics can forecast patient participation in remote COPD pulmonary rehabilitation. Participants wore wrist activity monitors for a week before a 12‑week home‑based program, generating...
Doctors Hide Their Struggles, Forget Their Own Well‑Being
🧵 No one talks about this part of being a doctor. You keep showing up. Even when you’re tired. Even when you don’t feel like it. Even when life outside is falling apart. Because patients don’t see your bad days. They see a doctor. So you hold...
Stroke Survivors’ Brains Rejuvenate to Compensate for Injury
A global ENIGMA study of over 500 chronic stroke survivors used deep‑learning MRI analysis to estimate regional brain‑predicted age differences (brain‑PAD). The damaged hemisphere showed accelerated aging, while the opposite, undamaged side—especially the frontoparietal network—exhibited a younger structural profile. This...
NYC Partnership Targets Medicaid Population for HRSN Screenings
A coalition of Yuvo Health, Public Health Solutions and Hyphen aims to complete 40,000 health‑related social‑needs (HRSN) screenings across New York City’s Federally Qualified Health Center network by June 30, 2026. The effort targets Medicaid enrollees under New York State’s 1115 Health Equity Reform...
Cleveland Clinic Expands Hospital at Home in Ohio
Cleveland Clinic is rolling out its Hospital Care at Home program to the west side of Cleveland, extending services to Northeast Ohio. The initiative lets eligible patients within a 25‑mile radius of Fairview or Avon hospitals receive acute care at...
How $50 Billion in Rural Funding Could Help Kodiak Island Nonprofit
Kodiak KINDNESS, a nonprofit on Alaska’s remote Kodiak Island, provides infant feeding support to nearly all local families, including Coast Guard, Native, Hispanic and Filipino households. The program runs on a modest $150,000 annual budget, relying heavily on volunteers and...
High‑Dose Psilocybin Outperforms Nicotine Patches Sixfold
One large psilocybin dose beat nicotine patches by 6x odds for smoking cessation. 82 otherwise-healthy cigarette smokers, 42 received a single high-dose 30mg/70kg psilocybin session, and 40 initiated an 8- to 10-week course of nicotine patch treatment. At 6 months; participants were 6x...
Joining LifespanRI Advisory Board to Advance Longevity Research
Pleased to join the Scientific Advisory Board at @LifespanRI, an organization dedicated to accelerating research on age-related disease and extending healthy human lifespan. Looking forward to contributing to this important work. 🚀 https://t.co/HSdyrtABCK https://t.co/754TAi6znw
Why Symptom Variability in Chronic Illness Is Not Failure
Donald Kushner, MD argues that symptom variability in chronic illness is often misread as failure because clinicians and patients equate predictability with stability. He explains that biological systems naturally fluctuate and that chronic disease merely amplifies awareness of this natural...
Obesity Drug News Sinks Wave, Lifts Kodiak
Wave crashes on obesity drug update; Kodiak’s reboot pays dividends https://t.co/20H9OXVtIB $WVE - 54% $KOD + 58%
Obesity Prevention Offers Far Greater Cancer Protection Than Expected
"A much stronger cancer-preventive potential of obesity prevention and control than previously established" https://t.co/QatHKVMbfz @JAMAOnc https://t.co/OQ62MunGTu
Endologix to Close Production Facility, Lay Off 31 People
Endologix announced the closure of its Milpitas, California production facility, resulting in 31 layoffs. The plant was acquired in 2021 when Endologix bought PQ Bypass, adding the Detour peripheral arterial disease device to its portfolio. Layoffs will occur primarily on...
FDA Guidance Sparks Innovation Path for Inherited Disorders
My article in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum, on FDA's new rare disease guidance, and how the agency can build on these policy steps to promote innovation for inherited disorders, authored with Maarika...
FDA Approval Propels Denali, Boosts Rare Disease Biotech
FDA clears Denali drug in ‘clear step’ for rare disease biotechs https://t.co/x9yL4nyPaj by Kristin Jensen $DNLI #biotech
Jona and Everlywell Partner to Launch AI-Powered Gut Microbiome Test
Jona, an AI‑driven gut microbiome startup, has teamed up with Everlywell to bring a high‑resolution microbiome test to the U.S. consumer market. The test employs deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing, delivering strain‑level data on bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Jona’s proprietary...
APOE4 Linked to Meningeal Lymphatic Dysfunction, In
1 of 4 people have an APOE4 allele, a risk factor for Alzheimer's disease. New evidence this is linked to abnormal meningeal lymphatic function, brain inflammation, and important sex-differences @NeuroCellPress https://t.co/mUUqLedS9V https://t.co/FADCoemvum
The Metrics That Matter in Direct-to-Patient Strategies
Jordan Armstrong, VP of Business Development at AssistRx, highlighted that speed and data are the core metrics for evaluating direct‑to‑patient (DTP) programs. He explained that rapid therapy initiation, combined with insights on patient coverage and affordability, can differentiate DTP from...
Kodiak’s Phase 3 Eye Drug Success; Innate Discontinues Anti-CD20 Program
Kodiak Sciences announced that its experimental eye drug Zenkuda (tarcocimab tedromer) achieved positive topline results in the GLow2 Phase 3 trial for diabetic retinopathy, outperforming sham treatment. The study met its primary endpoint, delivering a statistically significant gain in visual acuity...
Post-Hoc: It’s Time to Make ACIP Serious Again
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is under renewed scrutiny after former member Robert Malone suggested on social media that the committee could be disbanded. Critics argue that political interference has eroded the panel’s scientific credibility, prompting calls for structural...
Frozen Does Not Mean Stable: Rethinking Cryopreservation in Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing
Cryopreservation remains a linchpin for cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing, yet frozen material is not inherently stable. Real‑world operations introduce transient warming events (TWEs) when products are moved, accessed, or shipped, silently degrading viability and potency. Traditional reliance on...
Digital Tools Extend Care Outside Hospital Walls
Wearables, IoT devices and home‑based care are being deployed to reduce hospital stays and boost quality of life for South Korea’s aging population, according to Samsung Medical Center CMIO Dr. Meong Hi Son. The interview emphasizes remote monitoring as a...
Why Your Patient’s Disability Claim Was Denied
Physicians often complete disability insurance forms only to see claims denied because insurers read medical records differently. Insurers focus on functional ability—how long a patient can sit, stand, concentrate, or maintain a work schedule—rather than the clinical diagnosis. Routine clinical...
IPHYF Falls Short of Promise, Future Uncertain
Of all the IO companies I've met and covered in the past ~15 years I'm struggling to think of one that's been more disappointing vs its initial promise than $IPHYF. Will it even last beyond Q3? Via @ByMadeleineA -> https://t.co/DepdZfDBdY
DPC Is Scaling — The Financing Architecture Isn’t Ready
Direct primary care (DPC) practices have exploded, growing 83 percent since 2018 to over 2,700 sites serving roughly 250,000 patients, and the global market is projected to reach $93 billion by 2034. While DPC delivers longer visits and lower utilization, the migration...
Alberta Court of Appeal Refuses to Stay Next Steps of Psychiatrist’s Disciplinary Case
The Alberta Court of Appeal rejected a psychiatrist’s request to stay the next steps of a disciplinary proceeding initiated by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta. The appeal reiterated that the applicant’s arguments mirrored earlier, already‑rejected claims about...
Allogene's Interim Data Hints at Off‑Shelf CAR‑T Breakthrough
This week's Biotech Scorecard: Allogene $ALLO: A preview of its April interim analysis. Very interesting (to me, at least) There just might be a path forward for off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy in B-cell lymphoma. Frontline consolidation. Read all about it: https://t.co/tcPFelUH3C
3D Systems Granted Full-Scope Certification Under EU Medical Device Regulation 2017/745
3D Systems has secured full‑scope certification under the EU Medical Device Regulation (MDR) 2017/745, confirming its quality system, documentation, and clinical evidence meet Europe’s strict standards. The approval clears the path for the NextDent Jetted Denture Solution to launch across...
Harvard's Light Chip Enables Sorting Mirror-Image Molecules
Harvard’s twistable light chip could give drug developers a new tool for sorting mirror-image molecules https://t.co/WkjjD38exo https://t.co/5kr4d9f6sa