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
Telestroke Services Market Projected to Reach $7.2 Billion by 2033 as Stroke Rates Rise and Rural Access Gaps Widen
Stroke incidence in the United States is climbing, with an 8% rise overall and a 15% surge among adults under 65, while neurologist wait times exceed three months. These trends create urgent demand for telestroke platforms that connect remote specialists to emergency departments in minutes. The global telestroke services market is projected to grow from $3.1 billion in 2025 to $7.2 billion by 2033, a CAGR of 11.1%. AI, 5G, and cloud‑based solutions are accelerating adoption, especially in rural hospitals lacking on‑site neurologists.
Advanced HF in Finland: Costs, Survival Diverge for Elective vs Urgent LVAD
A Finnish observational study of 78 advanced heart‑failure patients found that 24‑month survival and costs are comparable for elective left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation and heart transplantation. In contrast, urgent LVAD placement after ECMO support resulted in markedly lower...
Oracle Health Embedding AI to Improve Care and Increase Efficiency
Oracle Health will showcase a suite of AI‑driven solutions at HIMSS26, including its Clinical AI Agent that has been adopted by more than 300 organizations and has saved doctors over 200,000 hours of documentation time. The company is also unveiling...
Q&A: Sanford Health Bets on AI, Virtual Care to Expand Rural Healthcare Access
Sanford Health, the nation’s largest rural provider serving over two million patients across seven states, leveraged a $350 million donation to accelerate its virtual‑care program. The organization opened a Sioux Falls virtual‑care center that educates clinicians on digital bedside manner and hosts an...
Poll: Career Scientists, Outside Experts Trusted More Than HHS Leaders
A recent Annenberg Public Policy Center poll reveals that career scientists and independent experts enjoy higher public trust than leaders of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Trust in federal public‑health agencies has declined steadily since the...
Protected: From the NHS to Denmark: Landing Your Digital Health Story
DigitalHealth.London’s latest guide walks innovators through translating a UK NHS digital health case study into a compelling story for the Danish market. It outlines key regulatory, data‑privacy, and reimbursement differences between the two systems, while highlighting partnership models that can...
As Peptides Go Mainstream, USP and Matter More Than Ever
Peptide therapies have moved from niche compounding to mainstream outpatient care, driven by telehealth platforms and rapid market growth. This expansion has attracted regulatory attention, with state boards and courts increasingly referencing USP and as compliance benchmarks. Non‑sterile peptide...
The Future of U.S. Medicine: 10 Health Care Trends in 2026
The Doctors Company’s 2026 outlook identifies ten health‑care trends reshaping U.S. medicine, from AI‑driven clinical workflows to a $1 trillion digital‑first migration. It flags mounting malpractice costs, hospital closures and widening access gaps that could push the uninsured rate above 11 percent....
5 FDA Developments From February: Kinase Inhibitors, GLP-1s, and a New Approval Pathway
In February 2026 the FDA approved a suite of targeted therapies, including the HER2‑mutant NSCLC kinase inhibitor zognertinib and the first all‑oral acalabrutinib‑venetoclax combo for CLL/SLL, as well as a BRAF‑targeted encorafenib regimen for metastatic colorectal cancer. A portable tumor‑treating‑fields...
Early Encouraging UC Davis Trial Data on Cell Therapy for Spina Bifida
A first‑in‑human phase 1 trial at UC Davis evaluated placental mesenchymal stem cells delivered intra‑uterinely to fetuses with myelomeningocele. Six pregnancies treated between June 2021 and December 2022 resulted in intact repair sites, no cerebrospinal fluid leaks, infections, or tumor formation, and MRI scans...
2026 Future Leaders Awards: Early Bird Deadline Approaching
The 2026 Future Leaders Awards are opening their early‑bird entry window, offering a $100 discount for nominations submitted by March 13, 2026. The program highlights high‑performing employees under 40 who are reshaping home health and related care sectors. Winners receive dual press...
Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month: The Current and Future Landscape
March marks Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, spotlighting a disease that affects over 85,000 new patients and 330,000 existing cases across eight major markets in 2026. GlobalData projects MM drug sales to rise from $25.5 bn in 2026 to $29.9 bn by 2032,...
Rapid-Repeat Pregnancy and HIV Vulnerability: Elona Toska, MSc, DPhil
Elona Toska presented a life‑course analysis of HIV risk among adolescent mothers, highlighting heightened biological susceptibility during pregnancy and breastfeeding and the structural drivers of rapid‑repeat pregnancies. While prevention of mother‑to‑child transmission programs have increased ART initiation, adherence drops postpartum,...
Mumps Infections Reveal that Vaccine-Preventable Illnesses Are Resurging in the U.S.
Mumps cases have resurfaced in the United States, with at least 34 infections confirmed across 11 states and Maryland alone reporting 26 cases. The outbreak follows a decline in childhood MMR vaccination rates that accelerated after the COVID‑19 pandemic. While...
Arbital Health Sees Rapid Adoption of Actuarial AI
Arbital Health announced rapid market adoption of its Merlin AI actuarial assistant, launched in October 2025. Leading payers and providers such as Arkos Health and CommuniCare have integrated the platform to monitor value‑based care contracts, forecast financial impact, and identify...
Senior FDA Official’s Attack Sparks Debate Over Leadership
Gee, who could this "senior FDA official" be? It's a head scratcher. But he might tell Vinay Prasad that thinly veiled attacks against, oh, UniQure, and going off on advisory councils is a great way of keeping the political pot...
Artificial Intelligence in Clinical Care: Shaping the HHS Policy Landscape
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has opened a public comment period on how regulation, reimbursement, and research policies can speed AI adoption in clinical care. Dr. Ido Zamberg argues that AI’s greatest value lies in improving...
Assessing Evidence for MTM Quality Measure Development: A Scoping Review
A scoping review examined literature linking Medicare Part D medication therapy management (MTM) services to health outcomes to inform a potential new quality measure. From 424 screened articles, only 27 met inclusion criteria, and GRADE assessment found high risk of bias,...
Canada and CSL Seqirus – a Global Leader in Influenza Vaccines, Agree on New Pandemic Preparedness Contract
Canada’s Public Health Agency has signed a new agreement with CSL Seqirus to provide millions of doses of adjuvanted cell‑based influenza vaccine in the event of a WHO‑declared pandemic. The contract replaces a previous egg‑based arrangement and builds on the...
Mitochondrial Oxidative Stress Drives Insulin Resistance
I taught medical students that insulin resistance is a mystery. It's not. A new study in Science Advances just identified the molecular trigger - mitochondrial oxidative stress. Here's what they found: > Lipid overload floods mitochondria with reactive oxygen species > This blocks GLUT4...
Cardiology Now Has More than 200 FDA-Cleared AI Algorithms
An updated FDA registry shows cardiology now hosts more than 200 cleared AI algorithms, including 140 directly listed under the specialty and an additional 63 imaging‑focused tools. The total number of FDA‑cleared clinical AI applications reached 1,451, with radiology still...
Fasting Insulin: The Overlooked Test Doctors Miss
The Hidden Blood Test Your Doctor Isn"t Ordering Why Fasting Insulin Matters More Than Glucose https://youtu.be/ylkO3ETjEIE
FDA Clears AI-Enabled Cardiac MR Planning Technology From Philips
Philips received FDA clearance for SmartHeart, an AI‑driven planning solution that automates cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) exam setup in under 30 seconds. The system configures 14 standard views, reduces patient breath‑holds by up to 75%, and embeds motion‑correction (Cardiac MoCo)...
QT Imaging Names Renowned Breast Cancer Researcher as Medical Advisor
QT Imaging announced that Dr. Mary W. Yamashita, a leading breast imaging specialist, will serve as its medical advisor. In this capacity she will shape clinical interpretation standards, structured reporting frameworks, training architecture, and reader‑study design. Yamashita brings decades of...
STAT+: The FDA, Urged to Avoid Controversy, Creates a New Headache with Attack Against UniQure
The FDA staged a media call where an anonymous senior official publicly criticized UniQure’s experimental Huntington’s disease gene therapy. The official, identified only as a practicing hematology‑oncology professor, framed his comments as serving the public interest while hinting at personal...
New York State Does the Work on Behavioral Health Interoperability
New York State’s Office of Mental Health launched a hybrid semantic‑interoperability framework that leverages HL7 FHIR, SNOMED CT, ICD‑10 and the Gravity Project to unify data across 22 critical‑time‑intervention (CTI) teams. The solution reconciled six to seven disparate EMR sources, converting...
Your Zip Code Rewrites Gut Microbiome, Raises Diabetes Risk
As a medical school professor, I tell my students: disease doesn't start in your organs. It starts in your environment. A new Nature study just proved it - your zip code literally rewires your gut microbiome. Researchers studied 1,390 people and found: >...
Women First: The Gulf’s New Healthcare Blueprint
Nabta Health, a Dubai‑based startup, is scaling a women‑first preventive‑care platform across the UAE and the wider Middle East‑Africa region. The hybrid model combines a licensed physical clinic, a virtual network of clinicians and AI‑driven risk assessment, and a B2B...
Zimmer Biomet Shares Smart Knee Data at AAOS
Zimmer Biomet presented claims‑based outcomes for its Persona IQ smart knee implant and MyMobility platform at the AAOS meeting. The analysis of 1,081 patients versus 4,324 controls showed a revision rate of 0.3% compared with 1% and a periprosthetic infection rate...
Predictive Staffing in Health Care: Solving the Nurse Burnout Crisis
Hospitals’ traditional staffing models are driving nurse burnout and higher patient mortality, with 8:1 ratios linked to a 31% rise in 30‑day deaths. A meta‑analysis of 85 studies shows burnout correlates with infections, falls, medication errors, and lower patient satisfaction....
Recapping AAAAI 2026: Updates on Remibrutinib and Innovative Treatments for Food Allergy, Atopic Disease, Asthma
At AAAAI 2026, Novartis presented data confirming remibrutinib’s rapid and sustained efficacy in chronic spontaneous urticaria, with a 25 mg BID dose delivering significant UAS7 reductions. Phase 2 trials also demonstrated the BTK inhibitor’s potential in peanut allergy, achieving 86.7% tolerance at...
AI-Enabled MRI Scanner Gives South Shore Health New Approach to Imaging
South Shore Health has installed an AI‑enabled MRI scanner that accelerates scan times and delivers higher‑resolution images for physicians. The system leverages machine‑learning reconstruction to cut patient throughput by up to 30 percent while enhancing diagnostic confidence. CIO Dr. Sam...
Buyers Judge Healthcare AI by Friction, Not Novelty
Most healthcare AI founders think they’re selling innovation. They’re not. They’re being screened for friction. Implementation drag. IT burden. Workflow disruption. Hidden costs. Governance risk. That’s how buyers actually evaluate healthcare AI. We’re building around that reality inside WomenInGenAI’s AI in Healthcare space. Reply “healthcare” and I’ll send the link.
PEP Slows Aging by Blocking Inflammation Pathway
PEP protects against age-related inflammation, puts the brake on the aging process in mice, high levels in humans correlate with low inflammation So what is PEP, you ask? phosphoenolpyruvate, from glucose metabolism, a, master regulator, blocks cGAS-STING https://t.co/glMvaHSjOq https://t.co/MSVMBJbHm4
Cognito Raises $105M to Bring Alzheimer’s Treatment Device to Market
Cognito Therapeutics secured $105 million in Series C financing to advance its Spectris device, a non‑invasive light and sound system targeting Alzheimer’s disease. Early trials showed modest cognitive benefits despite no amyloid reduction, prompting a larger pivotal study with about...
Partnering Beats In‑House Development for Medication Management
More EHR vendors are realizing: Medication management isn’t a side feature—it’s a specialty. Why partnering can unlock more innovation than building it all in-house: https://t.co/SfXzUvDcRb @DrFirst #medicationmanagement #HITSM
Roche, Zealand Stocks Tumble After Bland Obesity Drug Data
Roche, Zealand shares fall on ‘undifferentiated’ obesity drug results https://t.co/5pSR2vcHBD by @Lilah_Alvarado $RHHBY $ZEAL $LLY $NVO #obesity
Open Source in Healthcare Is An Opportunity | Out-Of-Pocket
The author argues that open‑source software, a proven engine of innovation, is finally ready to disrupt the heavily proprietary healthcare IT landscape. By exposing code, licenses and community governance, open source can break the pay‑wall model that dominates clinical workflows...
Servier Spends $2.5B to Expand Cancer Pipeline
Servier to build cancer drug pipeline with $2.5B purchase of Day One https://t.co/aH0z8jt9tr by @realJacobBell $DAWN #biotech
AWS Introduces AI‑Powered Amazon Connect Health for Admin Automation
AWS launches Amazon Connect Health: to automate administrative tasks like scheduling and documentation with AI... https://t.co/DDCqpspUyd
Optum Real, Microsoft Partner on AI for Claims and Reimbursement
Optum Real has teamed with Microsoft to accelerate claims and reimbursement using Azure, Dragon Copilot and Microsoft Foundry. The joint solution embeds AI‑driven coverage predictions, documentation assistance and prior‑authorization support into Optum Real’s real‑time platform. Pilot data show up to...
FDA's New Attack on UniQure Sparks Controversy
New from me on $QURE and FDA. Free, no paywall. The FDA, urged to avoid controversy, creates a new headache with attack against UniQure Anonymous diatribe from a senior official plunges agency back into headlines https://t.co/ceDE0TXjdI
Sleep Masterclass: Expert Tips From Topol and Ju
A Master Class on Sleep, with plenty of practical tips Eric Topol with Guest Professor Yo-El Ju https://t.co/sKY9e7Tinq https://t.co/Gofntnw02o
Drug Shortages | Additional News and Information
The FDA’s Drug Shortages portal aggregates letters, temporary import authorizations, and annual reports that detail current and historic medication scarcities. Recent communications include temporary import permits for Lederle Leucovorin, Tafenoquine, and Physostigmine to bridge supply gaps. The site also hosts...
Higher Dietary Fiber Linked to Stronger Bones
Association between dietary fiber intake and bone mineral density: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies https://t.co/Q3yGX1Xd8j
B7‑H3 ADC HS‑20093 Shows Early Lung Cancer Activity
HS-20093, a B7-H3-targeted antibody-drug conjugate in lung cancer: Results from the ARTEMIS-001 phase 1a/b trial https://t.co/Jr90iovVeo https://t.co/Nl2WkprjU3
Liberty Home Care & Hospice to Acquire ECU Health’s Home-Based Care Business
Liberty Home Care & Hospice announced it will acquire ECU Health’s home‑based care division, encompassing four home health offices, three hospice locations and a hospice house in eastern North Carolina. Financial terms remain undisclosed, and the transaction awaits approval from...
Brain Scans Reveal Two Distinct Physical Subtypes of ADHD
A study published in General Psychiatry used structural MRI and machine‑learning clustering to reveal two distinct neuroanatomical subtypes of ADHD in 135 children and adolescents. Subtype A is characterized by increased gray‑matter volume in frontal regions and the cerebellum and is...
Why Your Nonprofit Hospital System Is Spending Millions on Marketing
Jefferson Health reported a $201 million operating loss and cut roughly 650 jobs, then announced a multi‑million‑dollar naming‑rights deal with the Philadelphia Eagles. The move sparked outrage among clinicians who see the branding spend as contradictory to the nonprofit mission. The...
Weight-Loss Drugs Alone Will Not Solve UK’s Obesity Crisis, Says Chris Whitty
Chief medical adviser Prof Chris Whitty warned that GLP‑1 weight‑loss drugs, while effective, cannot alone resolve the UK’s escalating obesity crisis. He highlighted side‑effects such as gastrointestinal issues, rare pancreatitis, and the tendency for weight to rebound after treatment stops....