Know What's Happening in Healthcare
Know What's Happening in Healthcare
FDA approves KRESLADI, first CIRM‑backed gene‑editing therapy
The FDA cleared KRESLADI, a gene‑editing treatment from Rocket Pharmaceuticals for severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency‑I in children, eliminating the need for a bone‑marrow donor. It is the first product directly funded by California’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine to receive approval.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Syneron Bio raises $150M Series B
The phase II KARDINAL trial evaluated monthly versus single‑dose tonlamarsen, an angiotensinogen‑targeted nucleic‑acid therapy, in patients with resistant hypertension on multiple drugs. While monthly injections achieved a 67% reduction in plasma AGT compared with 23% after a single dose, both regimens lowered office systolic blood pressure by the same 6.7 mm Hg over 20 weeks. Serious adverse events occurred in 5% of the monthly group versus 2% with a single dose, and one death was deemed unrelated. The study lacked a placebo‑only comparator, limiting definitive efficacy conclusions.
The article argues that cartel arrests, such as the killing of Jalisco New Generation Cartel leader “El Mencho,” have limited impact on the U.S. synthetic opioid crisis. Fentanyl’s synthetic nature allows rapid shifts in supply chains, leading to unpredictable adulterants...
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is scaling up emergency mental‑health services in Lebanon amid a sharp rise in psychological distress. Hotline calls have doubled, with more than half of callers reporting acute emotional strain, prompting the IRC to expand its...
The American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and nine other medical societies released updated cholesterol guidelines on March 27, 2026. The new recommendations tighten LDL‑cholesterol targets, introduce routine Lp(a) testing and push clinicians to act on borderline lipid...
Merck announced a cash deal to acquire TERN, while CORT secured FDA clearance for its cancer therapy. In parallel, INSM reported positive trial data, VALN fell short of expectations, and Anavex withdrew its EU filing for an Alzheimer’s candidate.
Egypt’s medical‑tourism sector surged in 2025, with revenues jumping 76.7% to roughly $8 million. The growth is driven by a government push to market affordable, high‑quality care to nearby Gulf and African nations, leveraging the country’s tourism infrastructure. A new national...
I've seen hospital CEOs cancel innovations that reduced readmissions and ED visits. The outcomes were incredible - but the financial ROI was too hard to prove. And since "ROI is needed to justify everything right now in healthcare" many great innovations...
Psilocybin therapy is rapidly expanding across U.S. states, with Oregon reporting 5,935 patients in 2025 and Colorado opening its first regulated healing center. New Mexico is developing its own medical program while the federal government maintains prohibition. Scientific evidence shows...
Takeda announced Phase 3 data for its oral TYK2 inhibitor, zasocitinib, showing rapid and durable skin clearance in moderate‑to‑severe plaque psoriasis. At week 16, 71% of patients achieved clear or almost clear skin (sPGA 0/1) versus roughly 10% on placebo and 30% on...
An 88‑year‑old civil‑rights veteran used an AI‑powered dyslexia program and saw his reading accuracy jump from 50 % to 80 % in phonemic awareness. Clinical evidence shows that neuroplasticity remains viable in seniors, allowing language‑based cognitive training to improve reading and memory...
FDA approval of icotrokinra introduces a new oral therapy for moderate‑to‑severe psoriasis. In the ICONIC‑ADVANCE trials, 100 % of patients achieved complete skin clearance through week 52, outperforming the oral benchmark deucravacitinib. The drug’s safety profile matched placebo, with fewer infections and...
Dermatologists are facing a rapidly shifting regulatory environment as dozens of states enact bans or restrictions on gender‑affirming care, affecting roughly 40% of transgender youth. Dr. Klint Peebles emphasizes that precise, evidence‑based documentation is essential to protect clinicians and ensure...
Approximately 30% of depression patients are treatment‑resistant, prompting research into deep brain stimulation (DBS) as a new therapeutic avenue. DBS, already FDA‑approved for movement disorders, delivers electrical pulses to white‑matter tracts to “unstick” the brain, with effects developing over weeks...
Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals presented two‑year open‑label extension data for plozasiran at the ACC 75th session, showing an 83% median triglyceride reduction in severe hypertriglyceridemia and 96% of patients dropping below the 500 mg/dL pancreatitis threshold. No adjudicated acute pancreatitis events occurred, and...
California physicians face a perfect storm of low Medi‑Cal reimbursements, the nation’s highest marginal tax rate, and soaring housing costs that erode take‑home pay. At the same time, the California Medical Board processes nearly 10,000 complaints annually, with about 1,000...
Brochure for assisted suicide for children and teens in Canada. The 2023 Special Joint Committee on MAiD recommended allowing "mature minors" (capable children, often referenced as 12+) access if death is reasonably foreseeable, consulting parents "where appropriate" but letting the child's...
A real‑world trial involving 384 fibromyalgia patients showed that adding transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to standard outpatient physical therapy significantly lowered movement‑evoked pain and, uniquely, reduced fatigue. The PT‑TENS group experienced a 1.2‑point drop on a 0‑10 pain scale...
The article outlines five common pitfalls in physician employment agreements, ranging from overbroad restrictive covenants to vague compensation formulas, misclassification of physicians, unclear termination terms, and insufficient regulatory clauses. State-by-state limits on non‑competes—such as bans in Alabama and Rhode Island...
A clinical trial of Dzeny’s AI‑assisted therapist showed participants’ anxiety scores fell 43% in eight weeks, a result comparable to conventional cognitive‑behavioral therapy. The study, led by psychologist Valentina Lipskaya, also reported gains in burnout, mood and quality of life,...
Researchers analyzing daily food logs from 112 overweight adults in a 12‑week behavioral program found that participants who ate the same foods repeatedly and kept daily calories steady lost 5.9% of body weight, versus 4.3% for those with varied diets....
The University of Texas at San Antonio has opened a precision clinical trial to evaluate rapamycin in non‑smoking, independently living seniors. Researchers hope the study will provide hard data on dosing and safety, moving the longevity drug from hype to...
Obesity (in the US) is much more common than prev thought: 69% vs. old 43% stat Based on new better definition that uses not only BMI but also anthropomorphic measures such as waist & ratios of it, which more accurately shows higher...
A recent industry report warns that AI‑driven drug discovery platforms are vulnerable to cyber‑attacks and data‑privacy breaches, citing outdated hardware, fragmented compliance frameworks, and supply‑chain pressures. The findings could force pharma firms to overhaul security protocols and accelerate regulatory engagement.
West Suburban Medical Center in Oak Park halted all patient care and furloughed many employees after its year‑old electronic medical record (EMR) system failed to process payroll. Owner Manoj Prasad cited the broken system as the trigger, leaving a 234‑bed...
GlucoTrack, Inc. saw its Nasdaq‑listed shares climb 34.09% to $1.46 after reporting key milestones that set the stage for an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) filing with the FDA in the second quarter of 2026. The company completed a first‑in‑human trial...
Tanabe Pharma announced that its oral investigational drug achieved positive results in a pivotal Phase 3 trial for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) and X‑linked protoporphyria (XLP), two ultra‑rare phototoxic disorders. The study met its primary endpoint of reducing light‑induced pain episodes and...
The HI‑PEITHO trial showed that ultrasound‑facilitated, catheter‑directed fibrinolysis combined with heparin cuts the 7‑day composite risk of PE‑related death, cardiorespiratory decompensation or collapse by 61% versus anticoagulation alone. In 544 intermediate‑risk pulmonary embolism patients, the number needed to treat was...
Researchers at Toronto Metropolitan University discovered that a 24‑minute session of music combined with auditory beat stimulation (ABS) significantly reduces anxiety symptoms in adults already taking medication. In a randomized trial of 144 participants, the 24‑minute condition outperformed a 12‑minute...
Irving Gold argues that occupational therapists (OTs) are the missing link in Canada’s addiction recovery system, which currently over‑invests in crisis care and under‑invests in everyday support. He describes how OTs address both the underlying mental‑health drivers and the practical...
The World Health Organization announced a partnership with Singapore’s state‑owned investment firm Temasek to develop interoperable digital health wallets, beginning with vaccine and prophylaxis certificates in the 11 ASEAN member states. The effort builds on recent International Health Regulations amendments...
University of Illinois Urbana‑Champaign researchers unveiled GIS‑ROTA, a Geographic Information System‑augmented spatial transcriptomics framework that visualizes biological pathway activity inside tumors. Applied to estrogen‑receptor‑positive breast cancer, the method exposed distinct spatial patterns differentiating primary from metastatic lesions and highlighted regions...
Physician burnout is increasingly recognized as a loss of professional identity rather than mere exhaustion. Drawing on Heinz Kohut’s psychoanalytic framework, the article identifies three invisible supports—mirroring, idealization, and twinship—that sustain doctors’ sense of self. Modern health‑care systems erode these...
A new study in Drug and Alcohol Dependence examined 115 adults with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and found that poor sleep is strongly associated with heightened negative emotions, but not with craving or executive function. Functional MRI revealed that poor...
Scotland’s 2006 smoke‑free law has cut second‑hand smoke exposure by 96%, according to a University of Stirling and Public Health Scotland study analyzing salivary cotinine data from 1998‑2024. Average cotinine levels in non‑smokers dropped 95.7%, and the share of smoke‑free...
Bristol Myers Squibb reported Phase 4 data showing that adults with schizophrenia can switch from oral atypical antipsychotics to Cobenfy (xanomeline‑trospium) without loss of symptom control. In an 8‑week open‑label trial, 86% of 105 patients completed the study, and mean PANSS...
The STEMI Door‑to‑Unload trial showed that using the Impella CP device 30 minutes before primary PCI in anterior STEMI patients without cardiogenic shock did not reduce infarct size compared with PCI alone, and it increased major bleeding and vascular complications. The study...
Teledermatology usage remains steady, with 63% of dermatologists adopting it in 2022 and about 60% continuing virtual care in 2025, primarily via live video. Experts at the 2026 AAD Annual Meeting highlighted telehealth as a revenue‑protective tool amid Medicare’s 2.5%...
As a medical school professor, I've watched GLP-1 drugs transform diabetes and obesity treatment. Now a Nature Cancer review reveals they may suppress cancer too. GLP-1 drugs reduce insulin resistance, lower inflammation, and cut body weight -- three of the biggest...
Validation of aggressive LDL lowering to reduce major adverse cardiovascular events, a randomized trial targeting LDL < 55 mg/dl. In participants with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (secondary prevention) @NEJM #ACC26 https://t.co/oLnkqhawOd
Congressional scrutiny of the National Resident Matching Program’s (NRMP) antitrust exemption intensified after a May 2025 hearing, highlighting wage suppression and a persistent residency bottleneck. In 2025, 52,498 medical students competed for 43,237 slots, leaving roughly 9,000 unmatched, while average...
In a field long defined by gender imbalance, it’s refreshing to be in the minority in this picture. Grateful to be part of this moment at the @AmerGastroAssn Women in GI Conference today in Atlanta, where leaders are shaping what comes...
MARCUS, the first visual language model trained on raw ECG, echocardiography, and MRI video imaging data that reasons interactively with clinicians. From @EuanAshley et al @StanfordMed https://t.co/nlwXin0G1b
Mexico's federal government announced a nationwide mental‑health program for secondary and upper‑secondary students, expanding a pilot effort after a school shooting in Michoacan. The plan adds teacher training, school psychologists and family guidance to curb trauma and violence among youth.
Will generate discussion: new @BrookingsInst report from David Cutler & @LevKlarnet (h/t @peter_orszag) suggesting early evidence that we're starting to bend US HC $ curve https://t.co/KUH3muQRFz @ScottGottliebMD @amitabhchandra2 One potential factor: tech... @DanielSodickson https://t.co/Ux1PT7QsgU
In the era of molecular and organ clocks and marked inter- and infra-individual variability of the aging process, we need to move beyond chronological age. "biologic measures predict outcomes more robustly than chronologic age" @NEJM https://t.co/DKmIfdJJUF https://t.co/d5Gc6xGKqn
The Natural Products Association led a coordinated push for the FDA to expand its definition of dietary supplement ingredients, targeting peptides, probiotics and other novel compounds. A public meeting on Friday brought industry executives, consumer advocates and academics together, highlighting...
Product designer Yujia Ke unveiled her AI learning app Lumo for children with dyslexia and highlighted the AI companion Milo for pediatric cancer patients, emphasizing a human‑centered approach that prioritizes confidence, safety, and emotional accessibility over pure efficiency.
The Kansas Senate voted 30-9 to override Governor Laura Kelly’s veto, allowing participants in Christian‑only health‑care sharing ministries to deduct up to $5,000 per individual or $10,000 per couple from state taxes. The fiscal note estimates 11,000 Kansans will benefit,...
Robert “Bobby” Leon Smith III was sentenced to more than 12 years in federal prison and ordered to pay $30 million in restitution for leading a $61.5 million Medicare and wire‑fraud conspiracy. The case, investigated by HHS‑OIG and the FBI, highlights vulnerabilities...
Public health is emerging from pandemic‑induced strain with tangible progress at global, national, and local levels. Internationally, Brazil approved a single‑dose dengue vaccine, WHO endorsed long‑acting HIV prevention injectables and prequalified a triple diagnostic test, and the 2025 Pandemic Agreement...
