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
Hong Kong, Canada to Create Testbed for Agetech
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the University of Toronto have signed a memorandum of understanding to launch a Joint Research Centre on Healthy Ageing and AgeTech. The centre will conduct cross‑border pilots in hospitals, long‑term care homes and community housing to test and validate agetech solutions, with initial deployments expected within one to two years and broader scaling in three to four years. Emphasis will be placed on technologies for Cantonese‑speaking seniors, leveraging Hong Kong’s engineering ecosystem and Canada’s clinical research strengths.
Arq Inc (ARQ) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Arcutis Biotherapeutics reported record Q4 2025 results, with net product revenue of $127.5 million, an 84% year‑over‑year increase, and full‑year revenue up 123% to $372.1 million. Management raised its 2026 net product revenue guidance to $480‑$495 million, citing strong prescription growth, expanded Medicare...
Boundless Bio Inc (BOLD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Biodesix reported fiscal 2025 revenue of $88.5 million, a 4,124 % year‑over‑year increase driven largely by its lung‑diagnostics business. Gross margins rose to 83 % in Q4 and the company posted its first positive adjusted EBITDA of $530 k. A strengthened balance sheet now...
BETA Technologies Inc (BETA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Beta Bionics reported a 54% jump in 2025 net sales to $100.3 million, with Q4 revenue climbing 57% to $32.1 million. Gross margin improved to 55.4% for the year and 59% in Q4, driven by scale and a growing pharmacy channel that...
Zevra Therapeutics Inc (ZVRA) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Zevra Therapeutics reported Q3 2025 net revenue of $26.1 million, driven primarily by $22.4 million from its FDA‑approved NPC therapy MyPlayFa. The company narrowed its net loss to $0.5 million, a dramatic improvement from a $33.2 million loss a year earlier, while cash and...
Editas Medicine Inc (EDIT) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Editas Medicine reported Q2 2024 progress on its gene‑edited cell therapy reni‑cel, presenting interim data from the RUBY sickle‑cell and EdiTHAL beta‑thalassemia trials. All 18 RUBY patients were free of vaso‑occlusive events, with hemoglobin levels above 14 g/dL and fetal hemoglobin exceeding...
AND Logic Nanoparticle for Precision Immunotherapy of Metastatic Cancers
Researchers have engineered a dual‑stimuli‑responsive nanoparticle that activates the STING pathway only when both acidic pH and hypoxic NQO1 activity are present, creating an AND‑logic release of the agonist MSA‑2. In preclinical models of lung carcinoma, triple‑negative breast cancer and...
ARS Pharmaceuticals Inc (SPRY) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
ARS Pharmaceuticals reported a pivotal quarter, with U.S. Neffy net product revenue soaring to $31.3 million—a 2.5‑fold quarter‑over‑quarter increase that beat consensus. New prescriber market share reached 10.3% and provider adoption rose 85% since August, while the Get Neffy On...
Seattle Book Launch Tackles Racial Trauma and Healing Costs
Are you looking to be part of a meaningful conversation, Seattle? On April 1, I’ll be at Elliott Bay Book Company for the launch of my book, The Cost of Healing in Silence. We’ll be in conversation about racial trauma, culturally...
Hong Kong: AI-Enhanced Ultrasound for Faster, Safer Diagnostics
University of Hong Kong researchers unveiled SonoMeta, an AI‑powered ultrasound system that uses engineered metamaterials to steer sound waves around rib bones. The meta‑lens design improves imaging depth, allowing clear visualization of cardiac valves up to 10 cm behind the ribcage...
news.com.au Ignites National Menopause Debate with ‘Fire Up’ Campaign
Australian news site news.com.au has launched the four‑week “Fire Up” campaign to spark a national conversation on menopause, partnering with Priceline Pharmacy. The initiative, informed by a survey of over 2,000 Australians, highlights that 37% of respondents know little about...
Recreational Drugs Can More than Double Risk of Stroke, Study Suggests
A large meta‑analysis of 32 studies involving over 100 million people found that recreational drug use significantly raises stroke risk. Amphetamine users face a 122 % higher risk, cocaine users 96 % higher, and cannabis users 37 % higher compared with non‑users. The risk...
ChatGPT Provided Wrong Advice In Over 50% Medical Emergencies Tested
A peer‑reviewed study from Icahn School of Medicine evaluated ChatGPT Health across 60 clinical scenarios and 960 interactions. The model delivered correct advice for just 35.2% of non‑urgent cases and 48.4% of true emergencies, often down‑triaging serious conditions like asthma...
U.S. Healthcare Wastes $450 Billion Annually
Reminder that it’s costing us about $450 BILLION more every year to have this shitty healthcare system https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32061298/
Nurses Beyond Borders: The Philippine Dilemma – Wanted Worldwide, Needed at Home
The article highlights the ongoing exodus of Filipino nurses, driven by low domestic pay, heavy workloads, and better overseas opportunities. While the Philippines supplies 300‑350 k nurses abroad and earns a record $38 billion in remittances, the home health system faces severe...
Why Many Americans Are Discovering a Healthier Life in Italy
Americans are increasingly relocating to Italy, drawn first by the low‑cost, universal health system that eliminates the fear of massive medical bills. Once settled, many discover a healthier lifestyle driven by the Mediterranean diet, walkable neighborhoods, and a slower daily...
Winter Wonder: Sweden’s Helicopter Emergency Medical Services
Sweden’s archipelagos and severe winter weather make helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS) exceptionally challenging, requiring pilots to navigate low clouds, ice, and sudden wind shifts. Avincis Sweden operates 13 H145 helicopters from ten bases, handling 124 missions over a three‑day...
Why Hospitals Shouldn’t Own Physician Practices: 6 Key Reasons
Hospital systems have accelerated acquisitions of physician practices, claiming cost savings and better coordination, yet evidence shows the opposite. Ownership reclassifies office visits as hospital outpatient services, adding facility fees that raise patient costs without improving outcomes. It also erodes...
Denial of Brain: How Therapy Can Struggle With Neuroscience
The article argues that many therapists either dismiss neuroscience or weaponize it, creating a "brain denial" that hampers effective treatment. Recent advances in neuromodulation—such as TMS, tDCS, and focused ultrasound—demonstrate that directly altering brain networks can produce rapid, measurable improvements...
What Happened to Boris Johnson's '40 New NHS Hospitals'?
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised 40 new NHS hospitals by 2030, a flagship pledge of the 2019 Conservative manifesto. The ambition stalled as the COVID‑19 pandemic, successive ministerial reshuffles, and fiscal pressures halted the construction pipeline, leaving none of...
The First Payer Jumped
Clover Health announced it is the first payer to go live on a CMS‑aligned health information exchange network, marking a tangible step toward nationwide interoperability. The rollout enables Medicare Advantage members to retrieve claims and clinical data through FHIR‑based APIs,...
Scientific Considerations in Demonstrating Biosimilarity to a Reference Product
The FDA has issued a final guidance titled “Scientific Considerations in Demonstrating Biosimilarity to a Reference Product.” The document outlines the agency’s scientific framework for establishing biosimilarity of therapeutic proteins submitted via the abbreviated licensure pathway. It details expectations for...
Making a 'Digital Twin' Of Yourself Could Revolutionize Future Surgeries, Making Medical Procedures Much More Personal
Dr. John Pandolfino at Northwestern Medicine has created a digital twin of the esophagus to guide myotomy surgery for achalasia patients. The virtual model reproduces pressure and motion, runs millions of simulations, and recommends the optimal surgical cut. A 400‑patient...
Eating Ultra-Processed Foods Is Not Linked to Faster Mental Decline, Study Finds
A ten‑year longitudinal study of 1,371 Dutch adults found that consuming ultra‑processed foods, which made up about 20% of daily diet weight, did not accelerate cognitive decline. Researchers used the NOVA classification to quantify processing levels and applied multiple cognitive...
NSW Health Continues to Use Machine Known to Produce Inaccurate Results to Test Child Blood Lead Levels
New South Wales Health continues to use the LeadCare II point‑of‑care device to screen children’s blood lead levels in Broken Hill despite known accuracy issues and a 2020 TGA removal from the national register. The machine can produce errors of +/- 6 µg/dL,...
Virtual-First Care Shouldn’t Spark an “A-Ha” Moment Anymore
Michael Dalton argues that virtual‑first care has moved beyond a novelty, yet many health‑system leaders still react with surprise when they see fully integrated models. He highlights that true virtual‑first requires deep EHR integration, clinical governance, and seamless handoffs, not...
The Pipes Are Finally Moving: Why Clinical Event Streaming Is the Infrastructure Bet Nobody Took Seriously Enough
The healthcare data landscape is finally moving from three‑decades of batch ETL to event‑driven pipelines powered by Kafka, Flink and modern cloud services. Legacy systems were built around billing cycles, leaving clinicians without real‑time data for urgent decisions. Recent API...
Ivermectin & Fenbendazole - Bridging the Gap - Repurposed Drugs in Naturopathic Oncology
Amanda King ND’s recent post highlights the growing interest in repurposing ivermectin and fenbendazole as adjuncts in naturopathic oncology. She outlines pre‑clinical evidence suggesting anti‑cancer properties for both agents and discusses how they fit into an integrative treatment protocol. The...
Childhood Obesity at a Record High as MAHA Presses for Changes to Kids' Diets
New CDC data shows over one‑in‑five U.S. children were obese between 2021‑2023, a record high and a sharp rise from 5.2% in the 1970s. The surge coincided with pandemic‑related school meal disruptions and cuts to nutrition programs, prompting the Make...
Weekly Reads: Support Brain Tumor Work, Prasad Is Out (Again), Genetic Conditions, Texas AG, Immunotherapy Paper, SCBEM
The newsletter urges donations to support a lab studying lethal childhood glioma, noting NIH grant success rates of only 4‑5%. It reports FDA biologics chief Vinay Prasad’s second departure, a rare leadership turnover that could affect approval stability. Additional highlights...
The Aging of America Could Make HCA Healthcare a Long-Term Winner
HCA Healthcare posted a strong Q4 2025 earnings beat, with EPS rising 29% to $8.01 and adjusted EBITDA up 11% YoY, despite revenue missing estimates by $158 million. The company logged its 19th straight quarter of volume growth and reported roughly 47 million...
Zero Calcium Score Redefines Heart Disease Risk
The Power of Zero - Why CAC Scoring Changes Everything for Heart Disease Risk https://youtu.be/XVNLubDAE-M https://www.innerscopic.com/
Magnesium Balances Vitamin D: Boosts Deficiency, Lowers Excess
As a medical school professor, I've watched patients take vitamin D for years with zero improvement in their blood levels. Now a Vanderbilt clinical trial explains why: they're missing magnesium. Key findings: > Magnesium RAISED vitamin D in people who were deficient > But...
![Unregulated Botanical Products Pose Hidden Risks in Convenience Stores [PODCAST]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://kevinmd.com/wp-content/uploads/Design-4-scaled.jpg)
Unregulated Botanical Products Pose Hidden Risks in Convenience Stores [PODCAST]
Convenience stores, gas stations and vape shops are flooding the market with unregulated botanical supplements such as kratom, 7‑OH, kava, gummies, shots and powders. Physicians report patients using these products for energy, focus or pain relief, often trusting store clerks...
Vinay Prasad Mocked for Hosting Controversial HHS/FDA Call
Too funny. @emilyakopp (below) outs Vinay Prasad as the host of Thursday’s HHS/FDA media call to discuss $QURE.
COVID Infection Can Cause Lasting Immune Damage, Masks Essential
A single Covid infection can permanently destroy your immune system, (yes even if you’re fully vaxxed). That’s why it’s so crucial to actually prevent infection by wearing a respirator mask and ventilating the air
High-Throughput Hidden Antibiotic Resistance Detection Unveiled
A study by Ma and Kim in Nature Communications unveils the dilution‑and‑delay (DnD) susceptibility assay, a high‑resolution, high‑throughput method that combines antibiotic dilution gradients with timed incubation delays. Leveraging microfluidic chips and real‑time imaging, the assay can screen thousands of...
Understanding CGM Accuracy and Usage – Join Our Webinar
Learn what CGM sensors measure, how accurate they are and get clear guidance on how to use them. Register to the webinar: https://t.co/ZfMJ6h3ak0 https://t.co/0YCTKzK85x
Key Modifiable Dementia Risks Identified in Norway Seniors
Potentially modifiable risk factors for dementia in Norway (HUNT4 70+): a retrospective cohort study https://t.co/8DUSdzlf4e
Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Fetal Heart Rate Monitoring
The article argues that traditional electronic fetal monitoring (EFM) relies on outdated pattern‑recognition, contributing to high C‑section rates without reducing cerebral palsy. It highlights that 35 % of cerebral palsy cases are genetic, underscoring the limits of current monitoring. Advances in...
Health IT Licensing Must Shift From Seats to Token Usage
Direct implications for Health IT licensing -- as HTI-5 proposes AI/RPA as a first-class means of "access"/"use" of health information.
Stronger Grip Cuts Senior Mortality by 12%
As a medical school professor, I tell my students: muscle isn't vanity. It's a longevity organ. A new JAMA Network Open study of 5,000+ women ages 63-99 just proved it: > Every 7kg increase in grip strength = 12% lower mortality > Faster...
Tetris and PTSD Symptoms: A Medical Perspective on Benefits, Limits, and Escalation
A Bayesian adaptive trial with 99 trauma‑exposed healthcare workers showed that a brief, guided Tetris‑based imagery‑competing task significantly reduced intrusive memories at four weeks and maintained benefits over follow‑up. The authors stress that the intervention targets a specific PTSD symptom...
AI Bots Deliver CFO Insights, Save Hours for Doctors
Dr. Selene Castrejon runs a medical practice. She doesn’t have time for AI experiments that don’t work. Every hour matters. Inside the AI Business Lab® Mastermind, she built trained AI bots that now provide CFO-level insights and marketing strategy—saving hundreds of...
Consumer Biotech Set to Outgrow Disease‑Focused Pharma
GLP-1s already have market cap close to 1/3 of the top 10 biopharma companies combined. Consumer health biotech products will dwarf disease-focused biotech products.
The Hidden Dangers of AI Voice Assistants in Elder Care
AI voice assistants are increasingly used to combat senior loneliness, but they can create an illusion of care that misleads older adults into believing they are interacting with a compassionate human. The article highlights research linking isolation to mortality comparable...
Creatine Boosts Body, Brain, Strength, Sleep in Menopause
Impact of creatine supplementation on menopausal women’s body composition, cognition, estrogen, strength, and sleep https://t.co/8ZqpAr94uG
Thoughtful Dialogue on Healthcare AI with DM Gorenstein
I've known @dmgorenstein for 2 decades and have always found him to be extraordinarily thoughtful – not afraid to ask tough questions and to grapple with nuance and, yes, tradeoffs. It was great to chat with him on his @tradeoffspod...
Patent Battles and GLP‑1 Turf Wars Prompt FDA Crackdown
Patent Fights, GLP-1 Turf Wars, and the FDA Tightens the Screws | Ep. 952 https://t.co/v0fulR3NfB https://t.co/9gGdkAVvlv
Agentic AI Slashes Denials 60% in One Month
A revenue-cycle nurse cut denials by 60% in 1 month using agentic AI. See how in the new article from Anshar AI 👉 https://t.co/mKAaugRe28 Meet them at #HIMSS26 or book a private workflow session. #AnsharAI #HITSM