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
NB Releases New Digital Health Strategy
New Brunswick’s government unveiled a comprehensive digital health strategy aimed at creating a modern, connected, and patient‑centred system. The plan expands the “digital front door,” modernizes electronic health records, and introduces AI‑driven tools to streamline provider workflows. It allocates a $1.75 million boost to the physician EMR funding program and commits resources for training, privacy safeguards, and interoperable data sharing. Premier Susan Holt emphasized that the initiative will free clinicians from paperwork and give patients seamless access to their health information.
INOVAIT Announces Innovation Award Winners
INOVAIT announced the 2025/26 award winners at its Ottawa meeting, honoring Altis Labs with the Maple Leaf Award for AI imaging collaborations, Nova Scotia Health with the Aurora Borealis Award for industry‑academic synergy, and Profound Medical with the Mount Logan...
NWT Looks at Acquiring MRI Scanner
The Northwest Territories is conducting a feasibility study to install an MRI scanner at Yellowknife’s Stanton Territorial Hospital, aiming to end the practice of sending patients to Alberta for scans. Health Minister Lesa Semmler highlighted that the study will assess...
Infoway Pulls the Plug on PrescribeIT
Canada Health Infoway announced that its e‑prescribing platform PrescribeIT will be discontinued on May 29, ending a program that has cost more than $250 million since its 2017 launch. The service never achieved scale, with fewer than 5 percent of prescriptions routed through...
Bausch + Lomb Corp (BLCO) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Glaukos Corp reported record fourth‑quarter 2025 sales of $143.1 million, a 36% year‑over‑year increase, and annual net sales of $507.4 million, up 32%. The company reaffirmed its 2026 revenue outlook of $600‑$620 million, indicating more than 20% growth. Growth was powered by the...
Sex Differences in Placebo and Antidepressant Response to Intranasal Esketamine for Treatment-Resistant Depression
A pooled analysis of five double‑blind, placebo‑controlled intranasal esketamine trials (n≈1,016) confirms that esketamine significantly reduces Montgomery‑Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores versus placebo. Female participants showed larger total MADRS improvements at later visits (days 22 and 28) and greater reductions in...
Community Health Systems Inc (CYH) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Community Health Systems reported a 2.1% year‑over‑year increase in same‑store net revenue for Q4 2025, driven by rate growth and higher acuity, while adjusted EBITDA reached $395 million with a 12.7% margin. The company continued its aggressive deleveraging, cutting net leverage...
Insulet Corp (PODD) Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
Inspire Medical Systems reported a strong fourth‑quarter, with revenue rising 12% to $269 million and full‑year sales up 14% to $912 million, driven by existing and new center growth. The company set 2026 revenue guidance between $950 million and $1 billion, reflecting a 4%‑10%...
Ocular and Upstream Drop on Less-than-Wow Data; Compass Rallies on Second Phase III Win for Psilocybin
Ocular Therapeutix reported that its VEGF1/2/3 inhibitor Axpaxli outperformed aflibercept in the Phase III SOL‑1 trial, with 74.1% of patients maintaining visual acuity at 36 weeks versus 55.8% for the comparator. The study also met a 52‑week durability endpoint, showing 65.9%...
STAT+: At Drugmakers’ Forum, Oz Gets a Friendly Embrace, While Makary Faces Tough Questions
At a PhRMA‑hosted forum, CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz engaged warmly with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, championing vaccines and proposing closed‑door policy talks and even suggesting industry executives consider government jobs. In contrast, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary was sharply questioned by...
Induction Cooktops Safe for Pacemakers with Proper Awareness
Are induction cooktops dangerous for people with pacemakers? In rare cases, magnets can interfere with heart devices, but typically only when held extremely close. That doesn’t mean the technology is dangerous. It means awareness matters. Modern shielding + thoughtful device placement significantly reduce...
Oral SERD Spotlight. Plus: Setbacks at FDA— a BioCentury Podcast
The BioCentury This Week podcast highlighted the rapid expansion of oral selective estrogen receptor degraders (SERDs) as a leading application of targeted protein degradation, noting several candidates advancing toward late‑stage trials. Host Lauren Martz examined the competitive landscape and the therapeutic...
State Bills Target Nursing Home Transparency, Staffing and CNA Funding
Virginia lawmakers are debating a suite of bills aimed at improving nursing home oversight, staffing, and transparency. One proposal sets minimum nursing care hours at 3.08 per resident per day through 2027, rising to 3.25 by 2031 for facilities in...
‘We’re Not Through’: More Hybrid QM Data Collection Likely Ahead for Nursing Homes
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is expanding its hybrid quality‑measure (QM) methodology, merging Minimum Data Set (MDS) information with Medicare claims to improve accuracy. Recent OIG reports on antipsychotic medication use and falls with major injury prompted...
Judge’s Ruling Expected On Whether To Block ACIP Meeting
A federal judge is set to rule this week on a lawsuit seeking to prevent the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) from convening. The plaintiffs argue the committee, whose members were appointed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy...
Rhododendron-Derived Drugs Now Made by Bacteria
Kobe University bioengineers have re‑programmed the gut bacterium Escherichia coli to synthesize orsellinic acid, the core of Rhododendron‑derived meroterpenoids, at 202 mg per liter—a 40‑fold increase over prior microbial attempts. This marks the first time the complex eukaryotic pathway has been...
Hospitals Mount Response as Site-Neutral Payment Policy Progresses
Hospital groups warn that expanding site‑neutral Medicare payment could slash revenues by $182 billion over the next decade, with rural facilities facing a $26.3 billion hit. The FTI Consulting report, commissioned by the Coalition to Strengthen America’s Healthcare, projects an 8% cut...
Doctors Tell Senators CMS Red Tape Is Driving Workforce Exodus, Threatening Access
Physicians, medical educators and health system leaders testified before the Senate Special Committee on Aging that escalating CMS regulations—particularly prior authorizations and Medicare quality reporting—are intensifying burnout and prompting many to leave clinical practice. The testimony highlighted that these administrative...
FDA to End GRAS Loophole, Track Thousands of Additives
This is a big deal. Since 1958, the FDA has allowed food companies to self-certify ingredients as "Generally Recognized As Safe" (GRAS). In comparison Europe only allows ~400 such additives to their foods. In the US there are 4,000–10,000 ingredients that are added...
AI-Powered MRI Evaluations Predict STEMI Outcomes Better than Existing Risk Scores
A machine‑learning model that combines cardiac MRI data with clinical variables predicts long‑term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in STEMI patients more accurately than the GRACE and TIMI scores. The study analyzed 1,066 patients, training on 682 cases and testing...
From Sensors to Smart Systems: The Rise of AI-Driven Photonic Noses
The 2025 review in *Microsystems & Nanoengineering* details how photonic noses combine optical sensing with AI to create highly selective, drift‑free chemical detectors. By leveraging colorimetric, refractive‑index, absorption and spectroscopy techniques, these devices generate rich spectral fingerprints that machine‑learning models...
Projecting Light to Dispense Liquids: A New Route to Ultra-Precise Microdroplets
Researchers at Southern University of Science and Technology have unveiled an optoelectrowetting platform that uses programmable light patterns to dispense nanoliter droplets with unprecedented precision. By projecting dynamic illumination onto a microfluidic chip, the system creates virtual electrodes that guide...
Gilead-Genhouse Tie-Up Among Several Spanning Pacific: Deals Report
Gilead Sciences has agreed to pay $80 million upfront to Suzhou Genhouse Bio for worldwide rights to GH31, a clinic‑ready oncology molecule. GH31 employs synthetic lethality to inhibit the MAT2A enzyme, a target implicated in several cancers. The deal follows regulatory...
Hidden Insurance Costs in Healthcare
The article highlights hidden insurance risk from undertrained nursing assistants and home caregivers, linking credential gaps to higher workers' compensation, liability, and long‑term care costs. It argues insurers should treat frontline training as loss‑mitigation, incentivizing certifications and first‑aid programs. By...
Kolchinsky: Policy Constraints Holding Back Biomedical Innovation
In a BioCentury interview, RA Capital Managing Partner Peter Kolchinsky warned that staffing cuts and a growing conservative stance at the FDA are adding at least a three‑month delay to even the most promising drug programs. He says sponsors are now...
Pancreatic Cancer Cells Sense ECM to Switch Between Growth and Autophagy
Researchers at NYU Langone Health discovered that pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells sense extracellular matrix (ECM) components via the surface protein integrin α3, which determines whether they adopt a proliferative or autophagic state. Cells anchored to laminin‑rich ECM keep autophagy low and...
Resources for Biomarker Requestors
The FDA’s Biomarker Qualification Program (BQP) offers a three‑stage pathway—Letter of Intent, Qualification Plan, and Full Qualification Package—to secure regulatory endorsement of biomarkers as drug development tools. Under the 21st Century Cures Act, the process has been modernized, allowing qualified...
Deprescribing in Health Care: Why Less Medication Can Be More
The American Medical Association is urging clinicians to adopt deprescribing—systematically reviewing and stopping medications that no longer benefit patients. Nearly 70% of adults aged 40‑79 fill a prescription each month, and over 20% take five or more drugs, driving falls,...
Autonomous Wheelchair Maps Home, Yet Cost Hurdles Remain
What if your wheelchair could map your house and drive you to specific spots on command? Strutt's EV1 does exactly that. It learns your space, lets you save waypoints, and navigates at 3 mph while avoiding obstacles. Manual override is...
Enlil Launches Milestone View for Its Medtech Product Lifecycle Traceability Software
Enlil unveiled Milestone View, the industry’s first evidence‑based milestone interface for medical device product development. The new capability embeds directly within Enlil’s unified traceability platform, linking each milestone to underlying requirements, design outputs, risk controls, change histories and regulatory evidence....
Timing Is Critical when Using Ultrasound for Pediatric UTI Cases
New research from the Advocate Aurora Research Institute suggests that the timing of renal and bladder ultrasounds in hospitalized infants and young children with febrile urinary tract infections (UTIs) significantly affects diagnostic accuracy. Ultrasounds performed within 24 hours of the last...
PCCI CEO Steve Miff on the 4 Pillars of a Trustworthy AI Framework
Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation (PCCI) unveiled a four‑pillar framework—prediction transparency, performance transparency, security transparency, and compliance—to ensure trustworthy AI throughout model lifecycles. The framework underpins 14 production models and several in testing, supported by tools like the Islet visualizer...
99% Accuracy, 75% Less Manual Work: Inside One Hospice’s HOPE Secret Weapon
Anchor Health, a California hospice provider, adopted Vitalis’s Ray tool to meet the Medicare‑mandated HOPE compliance requirements. Ray pulls real‑time data from the HOPE dashboard, delivering roughly 99% accuracy while cutting manual tracking effort by about 75%. In a pilot,...
Court Rules Medicare Compliance No Defense Against OSHA Workplace Violence Citations
A Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals decision rejected Cedar Springs Hospital's claim that Medicare compliance shields it from OSHA workplace‑violence citations. The Colorado psychiatric facility was cited for seven safety deficiencies and fined $13,494. The court clarified that CMS regulations...
What the Folinic Acid Retraction Means for Autism Treatment
The European Journal of Pediatrics retracted the 2024 randomized trial that claimed folinic acid reduced autism symptoms, citing data that did not support its conclusions. The study had been the largest of its kind, influencing clinical recommendations and regulatory guidance....
Pinterest and Maven Team up to Provide Menopause Support to Employees
Pinterest has partnered with Maven Clinic to launch a unified menopause, fertility and parenting support platform for its workforce. The initiative aims to curb the $1.8 billion productivity loss attributed to menopause‑related disruptions in 2023. By consolidating care into a single...
Transforming Patient Care: The Role of AI and Data Literacy in a New Era
FINN Partners released an eBook titled “Human‑First Health Information,” arguing that healthcare is moving beyond static electronic health records to AI‑driven, adaptive tools. The authors claim AI can cut clinician workload, personalize treatment, and turn massive data streams into actionable...
Key Obstacle to Integrated Bioelectronic Implants Removed with Use of Solid-State Hydrogel
Swedish researchers have created a photo‑patternable solid‑state hydrogel electrolyte using i‑carrageenan and PEGDA, achieving ionic conductivity above 10 mS cm⁻¹ and feature sizes down to 15 µm. The material replaces liquid electrolytes in organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs), enabling fast, dense, and flexible circuits...
The Aging of Retinal Vasculature Reflects the Aging of the Brain
Researchers used UK Biobank data to map vascular phenotypes across the retina, carotid artery, aorta, and brain, revealing consistent cross‑organ correlations. Retinal vascular density showed modest but significant negative links with white‑matter hyperintensities, carotid intima‑media thickness, and aortic lumen size,...
Choice Health at Home Acquires Alliant Home Health, Palliative Care, Hospice
Choice Health at Home announced the acquisition of Alliant Home Health, Alliant Palliative Care, and Alliant Hospice, extending its service portfolio in Colorado. The deal, closed on November 12, 2025, adds occupational and physical therapy, skilled nursing, and hospice services...
How Magnetic Interactions Between Neighboring Nanoparticles Influence MRI Contrast
Researchers at the Institute of Nanoscience and Materials (INL) demonstrated that precisely controlling the distance between iron‑oxide nanoparticles using silica shells dramatically alters their magnetic dipolar interactions, boosting T2 MRI contrast. The study shows a rapid increase in contrast as...
GLP‑1 Therapies Improve Metabolism Beyond Weight Loss
Incretin (GLP-1) based therapies have dramatic effects on many aspects of metabolic disease. Can this occur independent of the effect on obesity? https://www.nature.com/articles/s44324-024-00030-5
EHR Export Docs Reviewed: Gaps, Wins, and Fixes
I analyzed the mandatory "EHI Export" documentation for essentially every certified EHR on the market. Read on for the full picture; examples of the good, the bad, and the ugly; and recommendations for ONC, vendors, and patients to improve access...
The Payload Paradox: Why the Obsession with Potency May Be Holding the ADC Field Back
A European biotech is challenging the ADC status quo by prioritising novel targets and payloads over sheer potency. In an interview, the company’s CSO argues that the industry’s obsession with ultra‑potent cytotoxins like MMAE and DM1 is stalling progress, creating...
AI Powers Scalable, Health‑literate Content Revisions
Healthcare organizations already have content. The challenge is reviewing and improving it at scale. Fred Camacho, PhD (HealthcareGPS) explains how AI enables human-in-the-loop health-literate revisions.👇 https://t.co/0iieGLgaNc @HealthcareGPSai #IHA #HealthLiteracy #HITSM https://t.co/c0GsWP93Uj
Get AI Medical Second Opinions by Photo or Upload
You can just take a picture of your medical data or upload the file to get a second opinion from Grok
Turning Microalgae-Derived Extracellular Vesicles Into a Next-Generation Drug Delivery Platform
Paris‑based AGS Therapeutics signed a strategic agreement with INITS SMO, a GMP‑qualified shared manufacturing organization, to transition its microalgae‑derived extracellular vesicle (MEV) platform to full GMP compliance. The partnership allows AGS to run its proprietary MEV manufacturing, loading, and analytics...
Blood Test Maps Organ Age for Early Intervention
.@Vero_Bioscience is working to end age related chronic disease. With a simple blood test, Vero uses proteomics and machine learning to measure the biological age of each organ, revealing where the body is aging fastest so people can intervene early...
European ADC Agents with Novel Targets Gain Momentum
With all the attention on China for TOPO-I ADCs of late, how about the potential for European agents, especially ones involving novel targets? Our latest expert interview drops with some hard hitting and candid opinions from a battle hardened...
Value-Based Care Data Gap: Why Metrics Fail to Reach the Bedside
Value‑based care aims to align reimbursement with patient outcomes, but the data that drives these models rarely reaches clinicians at the point of care. Performance metrics are collected in dashboards and quarterly reports, creating a disconnect between institutional goals and...