Today's Healthcare Pulse
Hormone therapy slashes low bone density risk by 69%
A retrospective analysis shows menopausal hormone therapy cuts the risk of low bone mineral density by 69% among women. The finding was reported by Medical Xpress and echoed in a Healio piece.
Pembrolizumab-Induced Adrenal Insufficiency: Recognizing and Managing a Diagnostic Challenge in Adjuvant NSCLC Therapy
Pembrolizumab used as adjuvant therapy for NSCLC can cause central adrenal insufficiency, presenting with nonspecific fatigue, nausea, and hyponatremia. In a 67‑year‑old patient, a markedly low morning cortisol and suppressed ACTH confirmed the diagnosis within ten weeks of treatment. Prompt IV glucocorticoids, fluid resuscitation, and transition to physiologic hydrocortisone averted adrenal crisis, while persistent ACTH suppression indicated permanent deficiency. The case led to permanent discontinuation of pembrolizumab, highlighting risk‑benefit decisions in the adjuvant setting.
Hospitals and Area Agencies on Aging Work Together to Advance Social Connection
One‑fifth of Americans aged 50+ live alone, raising isolation‑related health risks. Hospitals and Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) are increasingly partnering to screen for loneliness and deliver social‑connection programs, with 98% of AAAs and nearly 80% of hospitals now active...
Investors Unfazed by Uncertainties Around Tariffs in Med Tech
Investors remain steady in the med‑tech sector despite lingering tariff uncertainties, signaling confidence in long‑term growth. At the same time, research updates highlight the SCAN circuit as a core driver of Parkinson’s disease, TL1A overexpression in hidradenitis suppurativa, and an...
Cetirizine and Levocetirizine Withdrawal Pruritus: What Pharmacists Need to Know About the FDA’s New Safety Warning
The FDA will update labeling for cetirizine and levocetirizine to warn of a rare but serious withdrawal‑related pruritus that can emerge days after stopping long‑term use. More than 200 adverse‑event reports, primarily linked to cetirizine, describe severe itching requiring medical...
Health Systems Must Connect with Patients in More Meaningful Ways
Health systems are accelerating digital transformation post‑COVID, with HIMSS research showing that hospitals possessing advanced digital maturity are 3.25 times more likely to earn higher safety grades and experience lower infection and adverse event rates. The pandemic also shifted patients from...
2024-2025 COVID-19 Vaccines Provided Moderate Protection Against JN.1 Variants
A recent JAMA Network Open case‑control study of 8,493 hospitalized adults shows that 2024‑2025 COVID‑19 vaccines provided moderate protection against the JN.1 lineage, with overall effectiveness of 40% against hospitalization and up to 52% after 90‑179 days. Updated Moderna and...
Insulin Affordability: Policies and Pharmacist Roles in Diabetes Management
Insulin’s list price has surged more than 300% over the past two decades, driven by a rebate‑heavy gross‑to‑net bubble and limited biosimilar competition. Pharmacy‑benefit managers (PBMs) dominate 79% of the market, using high‑list‑price rebates to secure formulary placement, which inflates...
Imaging Data Liquidity: The Foundation of Multimodal Medical Intelligence
Healthcare’s imaging assets—radiology and digital pathology—are evolving from isolated diagnostic tools into a strategic, enterprise‑wide intelligence layer. Current PACS and VNA infrastructures were built for episodic access, limiting data recombination, longitudinal analysis, and outcome linkage. The article argues that achieving...
Navigating GLP-1 Costs With Eric Levin: Insurance, Cash Pay, and the Oral Wegovy Shift
Eric Levin, CEO of Scripta, explains that the newly launched oral Wegovy pill is typically cheaper on a cash‑pay basis—by a few hundred dollars per month—than injectable GLP‑1s, but insurance reimbursements are currently similar for both forms. Coverage depends heavily...
Why Alivia Care Is Getting Invested in ACO Models
Alivia Care is committing to high‑needs Accountable Care Organization models, finishing the 2026 ACO REACH program and planning to join the new Long‑term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) model starting in 2027. ACO REACH has generated more than $70 million in Medicare...
DHL Group Invests €2bn in Healthcare Logistics Push
DHL Group announced a €2 billion strategic investment to expand its Life Sciences & Healthcare air‑freight cold‑chain network. The rollout adds more than 30 GDP‑compliant aviation hubs and a dedicated Boeing 777F route between Brussels and Cincinnati, linking Europe’s life‑science cluster...
AI Scribes Should Aid Notes, Not Replace Trainee Assessments
Should residents and med students get access to AI scribes? Or does it risk critically de-skilling them? My 7 thoughts: 1/ Students are increasingly using scribes in all aspects of their life. I’m not in school anymore but I suspect many...
Former Psilocybin Trial Participant Shocked by New Findings
"I took part in a 2012 psilocybin trial. What I’m seeing now horrifies me" https://t.co/T1BLv6n59X via @statnews
Veradigm Cut 15% of Its Workforce in 2025
Veradigm announced a 15% workforce reduction in 2025, closed three offices and plans two more closures, and will discontinue six low‑revenue products as part of a broader turnaround. The health‑IT firm is also focused on updating its financial filings after...
Blood P‑tau217 Test Predicts Alzheimer’s Symptoms 20 Years Ahead
Predicting when symptoms of Alzheimer's disease will occur with elevated p-tau217 blood test and a person's age, even 20+ years in advance @NatureMedicine https://t.co/EYaGglBh1H
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About the FDA Pushing OTC Meds, Its New Trial Standards, and Much More
The FDA, under Commissioner Marty Makary, is pushing to expand over‑the‑counter (OTC) availability for safe prescription drugs such as nausea treatments and vaginal estrogen. Simultaneously, the agency proposes dropping the long‑standing requirement for two pivotal clinical trials, moving to a...
How Medplum Secured Their Healthcare Platform with Docker Hardened Images (DHI)
Medplum, an open‑source headless EHR serving over 20 million patients, migrated its production containers to Docker Hardened Images (DHI) with just 54 lines of code changes across five files. The switch replaced custom hardening scripts with Docker’s secure‑by‑default base images, eliminating...
Gossamer Lung Trial and ProMis Alzheimer Therapy Spotlight
This week's Biotech Scorecard newsletter: -- What to expect from $GOSS Gossamer Bio’s late-stage lung disease study -- A better, safer Alzheimer’s treatment? ProMis $PMN takes its shot https://t.co/YaA8kvUR4Z
Profusa Enables Real‑Time Tissue Biochemistry Monitoring
👍Profusa is my pick for 2026. Fascinating technology to measure real time tissue biochemistry. This is a fundamental shift from blood to tissue to shine a new light on cellular status and metabolism. https://t.co/gfduGvgJTX @ProfusaInc #medicine $PFSA #diabetes
4 Ways a Technology-Enabled Medical Center Can Improve Your Weight Loss Journey
Obesity affects over 42% of U.S. adults, prompting a surge in weight‑loss solutions. Technology‑enabled medical centers combine clinical expertise with digital tools to deliver data‑driven, personalized programs. By continuously monitoring biomarkers, body composition and activity, they adapt nutrition and exercise...
Treg Pioneer Bluestone Joins Vie Ventures as It Builds Autoimmune Portfolio
Vie Ventures has hired immunology veteran Jeff Bluestone to strengthen its autoimmune‑focused venture portfolio. Bluestone, founder of the Immune Tolerance Network and former CEO of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, previously co‑founded Sonoma Biotherapeutics and created Tzield teplizumab, the...
LPM-5140276 Shows Enhanced Antitumor Efficacy in Combination with RMC-4550
Researchers reported that the novel KRAS G12D inhibitor LPM-5140276 markedly improves antitumor activity when paired with the SHP2 inhibitor RMC-4550. The combination demonstrated synergistic tumor regression in preclinical models of pancreatic and colorectal cancers harboring KRAS G12D mutations. Data suggest enhanced pathway...
FNIH Biomarkers Consortium Study Shows “Clock Model” Blood Test Can Predict Onset of Alzheimer’s Symptoms Years in Advance
The FNIH Biomarkers Consortium unveiled a “clock model” that uses a single blood test to forecast Alzheimer’s disease symptom onset 3‑4 years before clinical presentation. The model aggregates plasma biomarkers into a temporal trajectory, and a new web‑based visualization tool...
SEQSTER Launches 1-Click Data Refinery™ to Power Scalable AI Across Clinical Trials
SEQSTER PDM, Inc. unveiled its 1-Click Data Refinery™ – an enterprise‑grade engine that converts raw, patient‑consented EHR data into clean, structured, AI‑ready records. The platform normalizes, deduplicates and harmonizes data across health systems, delivering longitudinal patient views suitable for rapid...
Blackbird-Backed Telehealth Startup Eucalyptus Sells for $1.6 Billion to US Listed Rival
Australian telehealth startup Eucalyptus is being acquired by NYSE‑listed Hims & Hers for $1.15 bn, valuing the company at A$1.6 bn. The deal includes an upfront $240 m payment and deferred cash or stock plus earn‑out provisions through 2029. Eucalyptus reports an ARR north...
ViiV Healthcare Reports P-III (LATITUDE) Trial of Cabenuva in Adherence-Challenged HIV Patients
ViiV Healthcare presented results from the Phase III LATITUDE trial evaluating Cabenuva, a long‑acting injectable of cabotegravir and rilpivirine, in 453 adults with adherence challenges. Among 306 virally suppressed participants, the quarterly injection reduced cumulative regimen failure to 22.8% versus...
Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Use Has Increased 2,000% Among Medicare Population
Radiopharmaceutical therapy (RPT) utilization among Medicare beneficiaries surged 2,000% between 2013 and 2023, climbing from 529 to 12,395 IV administrations. The study identified a 37% compound annual growth rate, with diagnostic and interventional radiology delivering 45.2% of services and nuclear...
High Risk Research: HHS Should Publicly Share More Information on How Risk Is Assessed and Mitigated
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) conducts risk assessments for gain‑of‑function research but does not consistently share those findings with the public. While the research has expanded understanding of pathogen transmission,...
Roland DGA Launches Elevate Denture Solution for Digital Workflows
Roland DGA has introduced the Elevate Denture Solution, a digital denture kit that bundles Ivoclar Ivotion discs, hyperDENT CAM strategies, adapters and PMMA tooling for use with DGSHAPE DWX‑53 series mills. Developed with Ivoclar and FOLLOW‑ME! Technology, the solution offers...
Private Health Insurance: Provider Participation and Payments for Selected Services Before and After the No Surprises Act
The Government Accountability Office examined how the No Surprises Act affected provider participation and payment levels for emergency medicine, radiology, anesthesiology and air‑ambulance services from 2019 through 2023. After the act’s protections took effect on January 1 2022, the share of in‑network...
INSM Projects 2026 Brinsupri Sales Minimum $1B
$INSM guides to 2026 Brinsupri sales of "at least $1B" in line with consensus. https://t.co/o7JhPKU3m1
Who’s the Agent? Building the Identity Layer Healthcare AI Actually Needs
The episode explains that traditional user‑centric identity systems are insufficient for autonomous AI agents in healthcare, which need a dedicated agentic identity layer to manage fine‑grained PHI access, audit trails, and delegation across humans and machines. It highlights the regulatory...
CMS Broadens Drug Price Negotiations to Part B Therapies
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a third round of drug price negotiations that for the first time includes Part B physician‑administered therapies. By extending the Inflation Reduction Act’s pricing provisions to infused medicines, the move pulls doctors into...
FDA Clearance Sets Stage for U.S. Commercialisation of Eyonis LCS
Median Technologies has named veteran imaging executive Oran Muduroglu as President of its U.S. subsidiary, Median eyonis Inc., to spearhead the commercial launch of eyonis LCS, an AI‑powered lung‑cancer‑screening SaMD that recently received FDA 510(k) clearance. The rollout will leverage a defined Medicare reimbursement...
Oral Nanozyme Treats Colitis-Linked Mental Disorders via Gut-Brain Axis
Researchers at Yangzhou and Nanjing Universities have created an oral polysaccharide‑engineered nanozyme—fucoidan‑cerium nanocomplexes (FucCeNCs)—to treat colitis‑associated anxiety and depression. The nanocomplex combines cerium’s superoxide dismutase‑like activity with fucoidan’s prebiotic properties, enabling simultaneous reactive oxygen/nitrogen species scavenging and gut microbiota modulation....
CRISPR Therapeutics Gains After Earnings as Pipeline Hope Grows
CRISPR Therapeutics shares rose over 12% after reporting Q4 2025 earnings that showed a larger‑than‑expected loss and minimal recognized revenue. The company’s flagship therapy CASGEVY generated $54 million in sales, but under its revenue‑sharing deal with Vertex only $0.86 million was recorded. CRISPR...
Take Two: EP398: Why Are Commercial Carrier Marketplaces Completely Boring? Maybe Because There Isn't a Marketplace, With Jacob Asher, MD
In this episode of the "No Market" series, host Stacey Richter talks with Dr. Jacob Asher, a former chief medical officer for major health plans, about why commercial carrier marketplaces—especially in California—are stagnant and lack true competition. They identify six...
STAT+: What to Expect From Gossamer Bio’s Late-Stage Lung Disease Study
Gossamer Bio is set to announce results from its Phase 3 trial in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) before the end of February. The readout follows a Phase 2 study that delivered modest, sub‑par efficacy, which the company attributes to an...
DHL Expands Airfreight Cold Chain Network
DHL Group is expanding its dedicated air‑freight cold‑chain network, adding more than 30 GDP‑compliant aviation hubs and a new Brussels‑Cincinnati corridor. The rollout is part of a €2 bn investment in DHL Health Logistics and includes a dedicated Boeing 777 freighter painted...
Partial Reprogramming of Neurons Encoding Memory Improves Cognitive Function in Aged Mice
Researchers applied cyclic OSK (Oct4‑Sox2‑Klf4) gene therapy to memory‑encoding neurons in aged mice, achieving partial cellular reprogramming without full pluripotency. The intervention reversed senescence‑related gene expression, restored youthful epigenetic patterns, and normalized synaptic plasticity in both hippocampal and prefrontal engrams....
Anthropic: It’s “Critical” To Bring Company Products to EHR
Anthropic is pushing its Claude AI model into electronic health record (EHR) systems, arguing that integration is essential for real‑time clinical value. The company highlighted a roster of 25 healthcare partners, including Abridge, Novo Nordisk, Genmab and Banner Health, to showcase both...
Pharma Pulse: FDA’s Moderna Reversal and Eli Lilly’s $100 Million IL-6 Bet
The FDA has reversed its earlier refusal-to-file and will review Moderna’s seasonal mRNA influenza vaccine, with a decision slated for August 5, 2026. Moderna now seeks full approval for adults aged 50‑64 and accelerated approval for those 65 and older. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly...
Scotland’s First Photon-Counting CT Scanner Set to Advance Multi-Organ Research and Enhance Patient Diagnosis & Care
The University of Edinburgh has installed Scotland’s first photon‑counting CT scanner, the Siemens Healthineers NAEOTOM Alpha, funded jointly with the British Heart Foundation. This technology captures each X‑ray photon, delivering ultra‑high‑resolution, spectral images that surpass conventional CT capabilities. It will...
Prevention Is Turning a Corner as Public Demand Surges – but NHS Digital Infrastructure Is Still Lagging Behind
Public demand for preventative health in the UK is surging, with NHS App registrations now at 33.6 million – roughly twice the nation’s Netflix subscriber base. A PA Consulting survey shows eight‑in‑ten NHS leaders believe digital tools can cut health inequalities,...
Antioxidant Nanoparticles May Protect Male Fertility During Chemotherapy
A preclinical study published in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine found that combining melatonin with zinc oxide nanoparticles mitigates cyclophosphamide‑induced reproductive toxicity in male rats. The antioxidant duo restored testosterone and luteinizing hormone levels, lowered oxidative stress markers, and preserved spermatogenic...
Nevada Debuts Public Option Amid Tumultuous Federal Changes to Health Care
Nevada launched its Battle Born public option health plans last fall, aiming to lower premiums and expand coverage. Early enrollment reached just over 10,000 members, far short of the 35,000 target set by state officials. The program must cut premiums...
MSD and Mayo Clinic Team up to Advance AI in Drug Development
Merck (MSD) and Mayo Clinic have launched a research partnership that blends Mayo's Platform architecture and multimodal clinical‑genomic data with MSD's virtual‑cell technologies. The collaboration gives MSD direct access to de‑identified imaging, lab, molecular and notes data to train and...
Alira Health Sued for Stock Manipulation and Fraud
Alira Health and its CEO Gabriele Brambilla face multiple lawsuits from startup founders alleging fraud, unjust enrichment, and violations of the Securities Exchange Act. The plaintiffs claim Alira used inflated stock to acquire companies, set unattainable performance targets, and then...
Opinion: My Biggest GLP-1 Ethical Problem: Patients Who Don’t Want to Stop
GLP‑1 agonists have moved from scarcity to abundance, reshaping weight‑management practice. In 2023, shortages forced clinicians to ration these drugs, often off‑label for obesity. Today, the surplus creates a new dilemma: patients seeking extreme, unsustainable weight loss and refusing to...
Verily Launches Self-Serve Access to Pre Platform with New Segmed and RefinedScience Datasets
Alphabet’s Verily has introduced a free, self‑serve Standard tier for its Pre precision‑health platform, allowing researchers to access the Exchange catalog and Workbench environment with just a Google account. The rollout adds three high‑impact datasets: a single‑cell AML cohort from...