🎯Today's Healthcare Pulse
Updated 5h agoWhat's happening: FDA puts Regeneron's anti‑activin A antibody garetosmab under priority review
The agency has granted priority review to Regeneron's garetosmab for the rare disease fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva, with a decision expected by August. Phase 3 OPTIMA data showed a 94% reduction in new heterotopic ossification lesions at the lower dose and a 90% reduction at the higher dose, alongside a >99% drop in lesion volume.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Hims & Hers acquires Eucalyptus in $1.15B deal
News•Feb 17, 2026
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 promise for hormone‑responsive cancers. The episode also covered recent FDA setbacks affecting Disc Medicine’s orphan therapy and Moderna’s vaccine, sparking debate over regulatory oversight. Washington editor Steve Usdin called on industry leaders to demand the dismissal of FDA CBER chief Vinay Prasad.
By BioCentury
News•Feb 17, 2026
‘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...
By Skilled Nursing News
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Skilled Nursing News
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Inside Health Policy
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By HFMA – Healthcare Financial Management Association
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Inside Health Policy
Social•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Robert Lufkin, MD
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Cardiovascular Business
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Nanotech Now
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Nanotech Now
News•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By BioCentury
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Insurance Thought Leadership (ITL)
Social•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By IEEE Spectrum Threads
News•Feb 17, 2026
HIMSS26: Former AMA President Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld Gives Keynote to Kick Off Physicians’ Forum
Dr. Jesse M. Ehrenfeld, former AMA president and global CMO of Aidoc, opened HIMSS26’s Physicians’ Forum with a keynote titled “From Hype to Healing: Real‑World AI Integration in Clinical Practice.” He warned that clinicians are overwhelmed and that AI must...
By Healthcare Finance News (HIMSS Media)
News•Feb 17, 2026
Medtronic Completes First Hugo Case in the US
Medtronic performed the first U.S. Hugo robotic surgery—a prostatectomy at the Cleveland Clinic—shortly after receiving FDA clearance. The system, already CE‑marked in Europe, is being installed at Duke University Hospital and Atrium Health, marking its initial U.S. footprint. CEO Geoff...
By MedTech Dive
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Brain Health Becomes Decade‑Long Priority Through Daily Habits
The next decade is the brain health decade, as I discussed with Bristol Myers Squibb (@bmsnews) CEO Chris Boerner at their Global Town Hall last week when @Thrive Global launched our brain health partnership to their 34,000 employees. BMS is...
By Arianna Huffington
Social•Feb 17, 2026
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
By Elon Musk
News•Feb 17, 2026
Telehealth for Primary Care Levels Off: Epic
Epic’s analysis of 411 million primary‑care visits shows telehealth usage has plateaued at roughly 6‑7 % of appointments since mid‑2023, following the pandemic‑driven surge. The share remains highest in metropolitan areas, with lower adoption in micropolitan, rural and small‑town settings. Adults aged...
By Becker’s Hospital Review
Social•Feb 17, 2026
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...
By Sally Church
News•Feb 17, 2026
Fitch Downgrades Missouri Hospital to ‘D’ Rating
Fitch downgraded John Fitzgibbon Memorial Hospital in Marshall, Missouri to a “D” rating from “C” and withdrew its issuer and bond ratings after the hospital defaulted on required debt payments. The default concerns principal and interest on 2010 bonds, and...
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 17, 2026
Marshfield Clinic to Open 13th Hospital March 1
Marshfield Clinic will open its 13th hospital on March 1 in Wisconsin Rapids, adding a full‑service acute‑care facility to the existing Marshfield Clinic Wisconsin Rapids Center. The new campus features inpatient beds, an emergency department, advanced imaging such as CT...
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 17, 2026
Cleveland Clinic 1st to Use New Robot for Prostate Surgery
Cleveland Clinic became the first U.S. health system to perform a robotic‑assisted prostatectomy using the newly FDA‑cleared Hugo RAS system. The robot, approved in December, features modular arms and an open‑console that surgeons control with foot pedals and hand inputs....
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 17, 2026
Fraud In The Care Economy Morphs From Solo Scams To Global Syndicates
The care economy’s expansion has attracted a sophisticated, global fraud network that stole nearly $4.9 billion from older Americans in 2024, a three‑fold rise over five years. Scammers now run multi‑stage attacks that blend tech‑support ruses, fake bank officials, and crypto...
By Forbes – Healthcare
News•Feb 17, 2026
Building on a Foundation of Culture and Trust: How Jefferson Health Reopened a Hospital Just 9 Days After a Fire
On Feb. 4, a fire engulfed the Orthopedic Institute building at Jefferson Health’s Lehigh Valley Hospital‑Dickson City, prompting the evacuation of more than 70 patients. Thanks to extensive disaster training and coordinated effort among staff, first responders, and local partners, no...
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 17, 2026
Jefferson Posts $201M Operating Loss in H1
Thomas Jefferson University, owner of Jefferson Health, posted a $201 million operating loss for the first half of fiscal 2026, reflecting a -2.3% operating margin. The loss includes $64.7 million in restructuring expenses tied to a planned layoff of roughly 650 employees....
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 17, 2026
Cosmetic Manufacturers Pty Ltd. - 719225 - 02/06/2026
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued Warning Letter 320‑26‑43 to Cosmetic Manufacturers Pty Ltd., citing extensive Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) violations across laboratory testing, process control, equipment qualification, and written procedures. The agency placed the firm on Import...
By FDA – U.S. Food & Drug Administration (RSS Feeds)
News•Feb 17, 2026
Competitive Generic Therapy Approvals
The FDA’s Office of Generic Drugs has launched a public, bi‑weekly list of all approved abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) that carry a Competitive Generic Therapy (CGT) designation. The list details each product’s reference listed drug, NDA number, applicant, active...
By FDA – U.S. Food & Drug Administration (RSS Feeds)
News•Feb 17, 2026
Lung Cancer Rising Among Never-Smokers. Screening For This Group Lags.
Never‑smokers now account for 10‑20% of U.S. lung‑cancer cases, a share that is climbing despite overall declines. Current USPSTF guidelines limit low‑dose CT screening to heavy‑smoking adults, leaving most never‑smokers unscreened. Shira Boehler’s incidental finding on a whole‑body MRI prompted...
By Forbes – Healthcare
News•Feb 17, 2026
Autism In Women May Be As Common As In Men, Study Finds
A large Swedish cohort study of 2.7 million children tracked over 35 years shows that while boys are diagnosed more often in childhood, the male‑to‑female autism ratio narrows to about 1.2 by age 20 and may reach parity in adulthood. The...
By Forbes – Healthcare
Blog•Feb 17, 2026
The Honest Broker in Pediatrics: Building the Medical Home
Dr. Ronald L. Lindsay recounts how he built a fully operational pediatric medical home at a regional military hospital in just two and a half years, delivering 24/7 care to vulnerable children from worldwide military families. His interdisciplinary developmental‑behavioral clinic...
By KevinMD
News•Feb 17, 2026
How to Evaluate Prospective Diagnostic Laboratory Partners for Your Patient Support Program
The pharmaceutical industry now invests over $5 billion annually in patient support programs (PSPs), which boost adherence by roughly 30 % and lower overall healthcare costs. Diagnostic laboratory testing is a cornerstone of these programs, delivering timely data that guides dosing, monitors...
By BioPharma Dive
News•Feb 17, 2026
Selecting the Optimal Cell Therapy Manufacturing Platform
Developers of cell and gene therapies must choose between fully integrated turnkey platforms and modular, multi‑device systems. Integrated solutions deliver rapid time‑to‑value and simplified workflows, ideal for low‑volume autologous products, but they restrict reagent flexibility and scale. Modular platforms provide...
By BioPharma Dive
News•Feb 17, 2026
Sources: US Healthcare Manufacturer Danaher Is Nearing a Deal to Buy Medtech Company Masimo for ~$10B; Masimo Is in an...
Danaher, a US healthcare conglomerate, is close to finalizing a roughly $10 billion acquisition of Masimo, the maker of pulse‑oximetry and other medical monitoring devices. The deal, still subject to antitrust clearance, would add Masimo’s sensor technology to Danaher’s Life Sciences...
By Techmeme
News•Feb 17, 2026
Biopharma Must Cope With The Fetal Bovine Serum Squeeze
Biopharma faces a tightening fetal bovine serum (FBS) market as U.S. cattle inventories hit record lows and European disease outbreaks curb supply. Prices have surged more than 300% over five years and release timelines have lengthened from weeks to months...
By BioSpace
Social•Feb 17, 2026
Plasmid Injection Triggers Immune Attack on Cancer Survival Protein
What if a physician could inject you with a plasmid that would induce an immune response against a protein needed for cancer cell survival? This novel strategy is being tested and looks promising for refractory cancers. Talking Biotech 488 ...
By Kevin Folta
News•Feb 17, 2026
Montana Hospital Restores Phones as Cyber-Related Network Disruptions Persist
Livingston HealthCare in Montana announced that its phone system has been fully restored after a recent cybersecurity incident forced the hospital to shut down communications and other network services. The disruption, first reported on Feb. 13, stemmed from a potential...
By DataBreaches.net
News•Feb 16, 2026
FastFinance: Cost Implications of New HOPD Reporting Rules; Election Year Opportunity on Affordability
HFMA’s FastFinance podcast highlights new off‑campus HOPD reporting requirements that could impose significant cost burdens on health systems. The episode also cites a "Weird Number"—a 3‑5% annual net revenue loss attributed to inefficient electronic health records and billing platforms. Additionally,...
By HFMA – Healthcare Financial Management Association
News•Feb 16, 2026
How Smart Hospitals Push Forward From Pilot to Practice
Smart hospital rooms equipped with interactive displays, sensors, and AI are moving from pilot projects to core infrastructure in new builds and retrofits. The global market, valued at $67 billion in 2024, is expected to nearly triple by 2030 as health...
By HealthTech Magazine
News•Feb 16, 2026
Big Financial Impacts From Off-Campus HOPD Rule Change
Effective Jan. 1 2028, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026 requires hospitals to assign separate NPIs and submit two provider‑based attestations for each off‑campus hospital outpatient department (HOPD) or lose Medicare OPPS reimbursement. Compliance documentation can be extensive—up to 200 pages per...
By HFMA – Healthcare Financial Management Association
Blog•Feb 16, 2026
MRNA-Packed Nanoparticles Restore Fertility in Genetically Infertile Mice and Produce Live Offspring
Researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University engineered a lipid nanoparticle (LNP) formulation that delivers therapeutic mRNA directly to spermatocytes in mice. By injecting mRNA encoding the wild‑type Msh5 gene, they transiently restored meiosis in mice with a genetic block, achieving...
By Nanowerk
News•Feb 16, 2026
Leveraging AI to Predict Patient Deterioration
Dr. Michael Spaeder will present at HIMSS26 on using AI‑enabled analysis of continuous bedside cardiorespiratory monitoring to detect patient deterioration earlier than traditional electronic health record methods. He will contrast predictive insights from live physiologic data with retrospective EHR analytics,...
By Healthcare IT News (HIMSS Media)
News•Feb 16, 2026
FDA Approval of Sibeprenlimab Signals New Era in IgA Nephropathy: Jackson Peter Kim, MD
The FDA granted accelerated approval to sibeprenlimab‑szsi (Voyxact) for primary IgA nephropathy, marking the first APRIL‑inhibiting monoclonal antibody for this condition. Interim results from the phase 3 VISIONARY trial showed a 50 % reduction in proteinuria at nine months versus 2 % with...
By AJMC (The American Journal of Managed Care)
News•Feb 16, 2026
HIMSS26: AdventHealth CEO to Give Keynote Address at the Executive Summit
AdventHealth President and CEO David Banks will deliver the opening keynote at HIMSS26’s Executive Summit in Las Vegas, titled “Leading Through Healthcare’s Perfect Storm.” He will frame the current systemic headwinds as an opportunity to shift from episodic, diagnosis‑centric care to...
By Healthcare IT News (HIMSS Media)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Reclaiming Nursing Time for Patient Care Through Better Automation
Healthcare faces a looming shortage of over 63,000 full‑time registered nurses by 2030, intensifying pressure on existing staff. Manual tasks such as charting and medication administration divert nurses from bedside care, prompting a push for smarter automation. Omnicell’s new Titan...
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 16, 2026
Compassionate Leadership in Times of Disruption
Healthcare leaders traditionally separate emotion from decision‑making, but a recent hospital closure in New York demonstrates that compassionate leadership can coexist with operational rigor. The tertiary medical center reduced from 700 to 200 beds, faced financial loss, and ultimately closed...
By Becker’s Hospital Review
News•Feb 16, 2026
Vaccine Makers Curtail Research and Cut Jobs
Federal policies driven by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are creating a hostile environment for vaccine developers, prompting companies like Moderna to scale back late‑stage studies. A Texas startup canceled a new manufacturing plant, and a San Diego firm...
By New York Times – Health
News•Feb 16, 2026
HIMSSCast: 2026 Could Be the Most Challenging Year yet for Medicare Advantage Payers
Medicare Advantage insurers are confronting a perfect storm of rising medical costs and a flat payment increase of less than 1% announced by CMS for 2026. The new risk‑adjustment formula and stagnant reimbursement fall below the medical‑cost trend, compressing margins...
By Healthcare IT News (HIMSS Media)
News•Feb 16, 2026
Dr. Oz Endorses AI Avatars for Rural Mental Health Access
Dr. Mehmet Oz, CMS administrator, advocated AI avatars as the most effective solution to bridge mental‑health gaps in rural America. He highlighted the chronic shortage of clinicians and argued that agentic AI can conduct early intakes, detect subtle speech cues,...
By MobiHealthNews (HIMSS Media)