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
Testosterone Treatment Found to Improve Sexual and Physical Function for Men After Prostate Cancer Surgery
A randomized SPIRIT trial led by Shalender Bhasin showed that three months of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) markedly improved sexual activity, desire, physical function, and aerobic performance in men who had undergone radical prostatectomy. The study enrolled 136 men with low testosterone and undetectable PSA levels, assigning them to weekly testosterone injections or placebo for 12 weeks, with an additional 12‑week observation period. No participants experienced biochemical cancer recurrence, and quality‑of‑life scores rose across multiple domains, though erectile function remained unchanged. Results were published in JAMA Internal Medicine, suggesting TRT can be safe and beneficial for prostate‑cancer survivors with hypogonadism.
Hollowed Out
A hantavirus outbreak aboard the Dutch cruise ship MV Hondius, carrying the Andes strain, left three passengers dead and spread to multiple countries after being reported to the WHO on May 2. European authorities quickly organized evacuations and contact‑tracing, while the...
What to Know About the Cruise Ship Hantavirus Outbreak and the Americans Facing Quarantine
A hantavirus outbreak aboard a cruise ship docked in Spain’s Canary Islands has resulted in two confirmed cases—one American and one French national—and three deaths, including a Dutch couple and a German citizen. Sixteen American passengers have been moved to...
Forest Therapy: Why a Physician Wants More Doctors to Train in Nature-Based Medicine
Former hospital administrator Dr. Susan Abookire, now a certified forest‑therapy guide, organized a two‑hour forest‑bathing session for 11 Boston physicians at the Arnold Arboretum. Participants practiced mindful walking, sensory exercises, and tree‑contact techniques designed to lower stress and improve immune...
Ascension Texas Hospital Names Chief Clinical Officer
Ascension Texas has named Dr. Joshua Pozos as its new chief clinical officer, overseeing clinical strategy and medical operations across the Texas market. Dr. Pozos previously served as chief medical officer at Ascension Seton Hays in Austin and brings experience...
Building Winning Digital Health Strategies for Patient-Centered Care — Lessons From 3 Health Systems
Health systems are flooded with digital health pilots, but most fail to improve outcomes because technology often clashes with real‑world clinician workflows and patient behavior. At Becker’s 16th Annual Meeting, leaders from Loretto Hospital, InterSystems, Emory Healthcare and University of...
The BioPharm Brief: Precision Medicine Expansion Accelerates Autoimmune and Targeted Oncology Development
The FDA broadened Vyvgart’s label to cover all adult patients with generalized myasthenia gravis, removing the previous antibody‑status restriction. Zai Lab received fast‑track designation for its DLL3‑targeting antibody‑drug conjugate aimed at extrapulmonary neuroendocrine carcinomas, a disease with limited options. The...
Transforming Cancer Care: The Evolution of Remi, an AI-Powered Oncology Assistant
Reimagine Care, a Nashville‑based virtual oncology provider, unveiled an upgraded version of its AI‑powered assistant Remi. The new system leverages large language models and agentic AI to conduct more natural conversations, integrate NCCN‑based clinical pathways, and automatically triage 50% of...
State Reverses Managed Medicaid for Nursing Homes After $91M Cost Spike in First Year
Indiana Governor Mike Braun signed bill HEA 1277, ending the state’s PathWays managed‑care Medicaid program for nursing‑home residents and reverting them to a fee‑for‑service (FFS) model starting July 1, 2027. A recent analysis showed PathWays cost the state $91 million more per year than...
Positive ‘Spillover Effects’: Nursing Homes Should Hitch Themselves to ACOs as CMS Expands Program
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is rolling out the Long‑term Enhanced ACO Design (LEAD) program in January 2027, inviting nursing homes to join existing accountable care organizations (ACOs). More than half of Medicare fee‑for‑service beneficiaries are already...
Advocate Health Speeds up Prior Authorizations with AI: 5 Notes
Advocate Health has integrated an AI‑driven module into its Epic EHR to automate prior‑authorization workflows for specialty medications. The new system replaces traditional phone and fax processes with digital questionnaires and AI‑generated draft responses. Staff time per authorization fell from...
Research on Price Caps Fueling Their Spread
Hospital strategic adviser Jeff Goldsmith challenged a Health Affairs study that claimed Oregon's hospital price caps had negligible financial impact. He argues the research relied on Medicare cost reports that omit roughly 20% of true operating expenses, such as IT...
New AI Target Discovery Paper Sets Benchmark
New Paper Alert 🚨: A collaboration with the leading target ID experts in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. If you are looking to teach your AI target discovery - this is a good place to start. Thanks Peter Kirkpatrick for giving...
The Best CEOs Say These 3 Words: ‘I Don’t Know’
Healthcare CEOs are embracing humility, openly saying “I don’t know,” to navigate mounting financial, workforce and regulatory pressures. Corewell Health’s decision to partner with Quest Diagnostics in a 51%/49% lab joint venture exemplifies this shift from ownership to collaboration. Leaders...
Women CIOs Leading Major Health Systems
Women are increasingly steering IT strategy at the nation’s largest health systems, with a growing roster of female chief information officers. Notable leaders include Bobbie Byrne at Advocate Health, Paola Arbour at Tenet Healthcare, and Sarah Hatchett at Cleveland Clinic,...
FDA Seeks Input On Chronic Diseases To Prioritize For Drug Repurposing
The FDA announced a public‑comment period to identify chronic diseases that should be prioritized for drug‑repurposing. The agency seeks stakeholder input on which conditions lack commercial interest and which approved drugs could be redirected to new therapeutic uses. This effort...
How Ascension Taps Nurse Scientists for Patient Care Wins
Ascension, a St. Louis health system, has built a National Nurse Research Affinity Group and employs four practice‑based PhD‑trained nurse scientists to translate frontline ideas into measurable care improvements. In fiscal 2026 the program generated $1.02 million in grants, launched 109...
California’s Uninsured Population May Double by 2030: Report
A Legislative Analyst’s Office report warns that California’s uninsured population could double from roughly 2 million today to about 4 million by 2030. The surge is tied to new Medicaid work requirements and more frequent eligibility checks under HR 1, which may also...
GE HealthCare Recalls Certain CT Systems Due to 'Security Vulnerability'
The U.S. FDA has issued a Class 2 recall for GE HealthCare's Revolution series CT scanners after identifying a security vulnerability in the AW Server accessed through Edison Health Link. Approximately 200 systems worldwide are affected, prompting GE to issue Urgent...
How Beth Israel Lahey Health Cut Fax Failures From 34% to 4% — and Saved $4 Million
Beth Israel Lahey Health modernized its fax infrastructure by adopting Retarus’s cloud‑based platform during a 2023 Epic EHR consolidation. The new system cut fax failure rates from 34% to 4% and introduced AI‑driven document processing. Visibility into fax delivery eliminated...
Justice Alito Extends Administrative Stay of Mifepristone Order
Justice Samuel Alito extended the administrative stay on the Fifth Circuit's order halting telemedicine prescriptions of the abortion medication mifepristone, setting a new deadline for Thursday. The extension maintains the status quo while the Supreme Court considers whether to issue...
Prior Authorization: The Insurance Denial System Blocking Your Treatment #CareTalk
The CareTalk episode hosted by Health Care Voices spotlights the growing crisis of prior‑authorization denials, which block treatment for tens of millions of Americans each year. Author Miranda Yaver explains insurers’ “rationing by inconvenience” and outlines steps patients, advocates, and...
Trump Administration Launches Moms.Gov Platform for Expecting Mothers
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rolled out Moms.Gov, a dedicated online portal for new and expecting mothers, on Mother’s Day. The site aggregates federal resources, from pregnancy‑center listings to nutritional guidance, aiming to improve maternal and infant...
Eli Lilly’s Orforglipron Cuts Weight up to 13% and HbA1c 1.7% in Seniors, Study Shows
At the European Congress on Obesity, Eli Lilly presented a post‑hoc analysis of its oral GLP‑1 agonist orforglipron showing seniors lost up to 13% of body weight and cut HbA1c by 1.7% over 72 weeks. The findings, drawn from 616 participants...
Trump Cut CDC Cruise Inspection Unit, Risking Outbreaks
Remember when I warned about this last year? The Trump admin gutted the CDC unit that inspects cruise ships for outbreaks…the one that’s supposed to catch these things before they become international emergencies. The inspectors who got laid off? Their jobs were...
California's Job Growth Driven by Dubious Healthcare Fraud
Not only is all of California's job growth all healthcare, probably 50% of it is state funded fake "home health aide" makework fraud. https://t.co/uthV10Cbzd
Feds Propose Rule to Help Employers Expand Fertility Benefit Coverage
The Trump administration has issued a proposed rule that would let employers treat fertility benefits—such as IVF, medication and diagnostic services—as “limited excepted” benefits, similar to dental and vision coverage. The rule sets a $120,000 lifetime cap, indexed for inflation...
Yutrepia Delivers Dramatic Cough Relief and Titration Benefits
“… when we go back to them and they begin prescribing Yutrepia, they come back with their own anecdote around that they're seeing a night and day difference, particularly around the cough and the ability to titrate and drive outcomes.” -...
Feds Propose Rule to Help Employers Expand Fertility Benefit Coverage
The Trump administration has issued a proposed rule that would let employers offer fertility benefits, such as IVF, as “limited excepted benefits” with a $120,000 lifetime cap that will be indexed for inflation after 2028. By classifying these benefits as...
Supreme Court Allows Abortion Pill Access for Three Days
JUST IN: The Supreme Court grants a widely accessed abortion pill temporary availability for at least three days.
SCOTUS Allows Telehealth Abortion For Three More Days As It’s Pressed To Take Up Case In Current Term
The U.S. Supreme Court on May 11, 2026 extended its stay of a Fifth Circuit ruling, preserving the ability of clinicians to prescribe abortion medication via telehealth for an additional three days. The brief extension buys time as the Court...
UnitedHealth Ends Spread Pricing, Signals PBM Reform
Optum Rx/UnitedHealth says its ending "spread pricing" in its PBM, after years of criticism, @ShelbyJLiv reports for @endpts This is a big change in PBM policy, as PBMs face pressure to reform some of the practices they've faced scrutiny over: https://t.co/jq4FmvrO9C
FDA Clears High-Pressure Balloon Catheter for BAV Procedures
Corvention, an Arizona‑based medtech startup, received FDA clearance for its KardiaPSI high‑pressure balloon catheter used in balloon aortic valvuloplasty (BAV). The device is engineered to retain its diameter under extreme pressures, delivering precise focal force in heavily calcified aortic valves....
‘This Will Cost Lives’: Researchers Slam Trump Cuts to Addiction Programs and Staffing
A coalition of scientists released a report condemning the Trump administration’s cuts to addiction research, citing massive staff reductions at NIH’s NIAAA and NIDA and the termination of over $1.9 billion in SAMHSA grants. The report shows FY 2025 grant funding hit...
UNIST Unveils MXene Sensor with 3‑4× Sensitivity Boost for Swallowing Detection
Scientists at South Korea's UNIST announced a titanium carbonitride MXene sensor that delivers more than three‑fold temperature and four‑fold pressure sensitivity over prior MXene devices. The hyper‑sensory platform can distinguish swallowing, coughing and blinking, marking a major step for wearable...
Supreme Court Continues Access to Abortion Pill by Mail, for a Few Days
The U.S. Supreme Court, through Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., extended a temporary stay that keeps the abortion pill mifepristone available by mail nationwide until 5 p.m. on May 14. The pause follows an emergency petition by the drug’s manufacturers to block...
RFK Jr. Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., despite public silence, has tasked the FDA, CDC and private data contractors with a comprehensive study of whether vaccines contribute to chronic illnesses such as asthma, allergies and autoimmune disorders. The inquiry, led by biostatistician Martin Kulldorff, the...
Atsena Advances XLRS and LCA1 Gene Therapies to Pivotal Phase 3 Trials
Atsena announced that its XLRS (ATSN-201) and LCA1 (ATSN-101) gene‑therapy programs are entering pivotal Phase 3 studies. The move follows 12‑month foveal schisis closure in 7 of 9 treated eyes and a sustained 20‑decibel improvement in dark‑adapted vision across 15 LCA1...
STAT+: Colombia Wins a Key Court Ruling over a Compulsory License Issued for an HIV Medicine
Colombia’s health ministry secured a landmark ruling from the Court of Justice of the Andean Community, confirming that the government’s 2024 compulsory license for the HIV drug dolutegravir complied with regional regulations. The tribunal found the public‑interest justification and the...
AI Ethical Minefields in Clinical Decision-Making
Hospice providers are testing AI for documentation, operational efficiency and clinical decision support, aiming to offset rising demand and shrinking staff. Dr. Kimberly Curseen of AAHPM argues that smart AI can lift administrative burdens without eroding patient rapport, but regulatory...
First Real-Time Brain-Controlled Hearing Device
Columbia University researchers have built the first real‑time brain‑controlled hearing prototype that can isolate a single voice in a noisy setting. By decoding intracranial EEG signals, the system identifies which speaker a listener is attending to and automatically amplifies that...
CDC Issues Advisory on Hantavirus Cluster Linked to Cruise Ship
On May 8, the CDC released a Health Alert Network advisory warning clinicians about a recent hantavirus cluster linked to an Atlantic‑crossing cruise ship. The World Health Organization confirmed the outbreak involved the Andes strain, which can spread between people, and...
Five Programs Honored with 2026 AHA Dick Davidson NOVA Award
The American Hospital Association announced the five 2026 Dick Davidson NOVA Award winners for their innovative community‑health initiatives. Honorees include the Juvenile Justice Collaborative at Lurie Children’s Hospital, a pediatric telemental‑health program at Children’s of Alabama, Denver Health’s housing outreach,...
Musicians Send Thank-You to Caregivers During National Hospital Week
The American Hospital Association (AHA) has teamed up with Musicians On Call to deliver video thank‑you messages from singers and songwriters to hospital staff during National Hospital Week (May 10‑16). Actor‑musician Charles Esten released the first tribute, praising caregivers’ dedication, with additional...
AHA Podcast: Healing Trauma From Violence
The American Hospital Association released a podcast featuring Elinore Kaufman, MD, medical director of the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program, and Michele Volpe, COO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System. They discuss how hospital‑based violence intervention programs are extending...
DOJ, DEA Reschedule Medical Cannabis Products
The U.S. Justice Department and DEA have reclassified FDA‑approved and state‑licensed medical cannabis products from Schedule I to Schedule III under the Controlled Substances Act. The change follows a 2025 Trump executive order and a 2024 DEA proposal that attracted 43,000 public...
Decoding the Metabolic Roots of Bipolar Disorder
A new study in Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging shows that metabolic dysfunction—particularly insulin resistance and leptin dysregulation—is linked to reduced gray‑matter volume and cognitive deficits in bipolar disorder but not in major depressive disorder. Researchers evaluated 81 bipolar...
HHS Leader Undermines Science, Stifles Agency Function
At a time when there's so much criticism around leads of FDA, NIH, etc, need to be clear what the core issue is: head of HHS who is effectively inimical to science. It's a preposterous situation. While it holds, essentially...
Volatile Digital Health Marketplace Impacts Interoperability Adoption
Providers are slowing interoperability purchases as volatility grips the digital‑health market, according to Health Gorilla CEO Bob Watson. Startup vendors that promise seamless data exchange face funding gaps and uncertain exits, prompting hospitals to favor established platforms. The hesitation coincides...
Federal Pressure Aims to Accelerate Interoperability for Payers, Providers
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Department of Health‑related Interoperability Initiative (DOGE) are jointly urging payers and providers to accelerate clinical data exchange. In a HIMSS TV interview, Health Gorilla CEO Bob Watson highlighted the federal...