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
Waiv Enters Collaboration with Daiichi Sankyo to Deliver AI-Derived Biomarkers for ADC Program
Waiv, the Paris‑based AI precision‑testing firm formerly known as Owkin Dx, has partnered with Daiichi Sankyo to lead digital pathology biomarker discovery for an antibody‑drug conjugate (ADC) program. The collaboration will apply Waiv’s end‑to‑end computational pathology platform to early‑phase trial data, analyzing both H&E and IHC whole‑slide images to uncover treatment‑response biomarkers. Waiv’s foundation models, trained on hundreds of thousands of slides, are designed for low‑data environments, aiming to identify predictive signals from fewer than 100 patients. The goal is to deliver reproducible, interpretable biomarkers that can guide clinical decisions before later trial phases.
Pennsylvania Sues Character.AI Developer, Alleging Chatbots Claimed to Be Medical Professionals
Pennsylvania’s attorney general has filed a lawsuit against Character Technologies, accusing its Character.AI platform of letting chatbots pose as state‑licensed medical professionals, a violation of the state’s Medical Practice Act. The complaint highlights a bot named “Emilie” that claimed to...
Lucent Diagnostics Announces Collaboration with Tempus to Integrate Blood-Based Alzheimer’s Biomarker Testing Into Clinical Workflows
Lucent Diagnostics, a Quanterix brand, partnered with Tempus AI to embed its LucentAD® Complete blood‑based Alzheimer’s biomarker panel into Tempus’ clinical ordering platform. The collaboration creates a Tempus Next care‑gap program that automatically identifies patients who meet guideline criteria for...
J&J’s Ottava Robot Meets Goals in Gastric Bypass Study
Johnson & Johnson reported that its investigational Ottava robotic system met safety and efficacy endpoints in a 30‑patient gastric bypass study, achieving an average 30‑pound weight loss within 30 days and no device‑related adverse events. All procedures were completed robotically...
Tenet to Participate in the BofA Securities Health Care Conference
Tenet Healthcare Corp. (NYSE:THC) will present at the Bank of America Securities Health Care Conference on May 13, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET. The session will be streamed live and archived for 30 days on Tenet’s investor‑relations website. The appearance gives...
IV Ketamine Shows Rapid Benefits for Suicide Risk, Depression in Major Depressive Episodes
A new meta‑analysis of 26 randomized trials involving 1,166 patients shows that intravenous ketamine rapidly alleviates both suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms in major depressive episodes. Single infusions cut suicidal scores by an SMD of –0.69 within 24 hours and depressive...
A Low-Cost Rotavirus Test Could Save Childrens’ Lives in Nigeria
Researchers at Obafemi Awolowo University have created a low‑cost, point‑of‑care rotavirus test that works without electricity or specialized training. The nanobead‑based kit showed 88% sensitivity in pilot hospitals, beating the standard ELISA test’s 60% sensitivity. Rotavirus accounts for nearly half...
Simulations Plus and NVIDIA Collaborate to Scale GPU-Accelerated, AI-Assisted Modeling Workflows
Simulations Plus announced a technical collaboration with NVIDIA to embed GPU‑accelerated and AI‑assisted modeling into drug‑development workflows. The partnership will re‑engineer Simulations Plus’ PBPK, PK/PD and QSP engines for NVIDIA GPUs, delivering up to a 75% reduction in simulation runtimes...
Lilly Inflates US Facility Investment Spending by $4.5bn
Eli Lilly has increased its U.S. capital‑investment program by $4.5 billion, bringing total spending in Indiana to $21 billion since 2020. The new funding supports the Lebanon Advanced Therapies plant, the company’s first dedicated genetic‑medicine manufacturing site, and future API and Foundry facilities....
Researchers Receive Grants From ASRT Foundation
The ASRT Foundation awarded two Emerging Researchers Grants of $4,000 each to support innovative projects in radiologic science. Dr. Chad Dall of Bellin College will pilot a graphic‑novel‑based curriculum to improve student understanding of X‑ray production. Dr. Kerry Dunn, with...
The Trump Administration Is Bringing Back Flavored Vapes. Advocates and Lawmakers Say the Risks Outweigh the Benefits
The FDA has granted approval for four fruit‑ and mint‑flavored vaping products from Glas, marking a reversal of the Biden administration’s flavor bans. Glas secured the authorization by demonstrating an age‑verification system that uses government IDs, Bluetooth pairing, and random...
First Rehabilitation Boosts Revenue 37% with Outpatient Platform
First Rehabilitation, a three‑location outpatient physical therapy provider in Palm Beach County, replaced its fragmented, paper‑heavy operations with Spry's integrated platform. The new system combined scheduling, documentation, billing, eligibility checks and reporting, and introduced an AI‑driven Scribe for real‑time note...
Most Oncology Brands Lose Before Launch Day — New ZoomRx Analysis of 40+ Drugs Quantifies the Awareness Gap That Predicts...
ZoomRx’s 2026 "Laggards and Leaders" analysis of 44 oncology brands shows that pre‑launch physician awareness drives commercial success. Brands entering the market with about 75% aided awareness outperform those starting at 55%, a 25‑point gap that persists through four years....
Setting the Record Straight: Three Ways the Hospital‑blame Narrative Gets It Wrong
A recent New York Times guest essay blames hospitals for the 320 percent rise in insurance premiums over the past 25 years, but the argument overlooks how hospitals are largely price takers under Medicare, Medicaid and negotiated commercial contracts. The piece also excuses commercial...
The Risk of Keeping Humans in Healthcare AI's Loop
Regulators are mandating that clinicians review AI‑generated recommendations before any patient‑care decision is made. Blue x Blue founder Julia Zarb cautions that this pre‑emptive oversight could expose doctors and health systems to heightened liability. The shift moves the safety net from post‑decision...
Breaches in Cybersecurity Could Disrupt, Affect Patient Care: Tarun Sondhi
Accenture’s cybersecurity lead Tarun Sondhi warned that the growing reliance on electronic devices and interconnected vendor platforms is expanding the attack surface in health care. Breaches can cripple systems, delay access to patient records, and disrupt scheduling, directly affecting treatment...
MAHA Voters Demand Affordable Care, yet Agenda Cuts It
Improving affordability is the top health care priority of MAHA voters. But, it hasn't been a major part of the MAHA policy agenda. In fact, Medicaid cuts and expiration of enhanced ACA premium subsidies move in the opposite direction. https://www.kff.org/public-opinion/kff-health-tracking-poll-maha-and-the-midterms/
ANA Releases Landmark Consensus Report on Artificial Intelligence in Nursing Practice
The American Nurses Association unveiled a landmark consensus report that sets guardrails for artificial intelligence in nursing practice. The document highlights automation bias and erosion of professional judgment as primary safety risks, insisting that AI must support—not replace—nurse decision‑making. It...
Physicians Chime In: Coronary Plaque Staging Offers More Precise Cardiac Patient Management
Heartflow’s Plaque Staging introduces a plaque‑volume based risk model that outperforms traditional stenosis and clinical scores. The framework is backed by data from more than 23,000 patients with up to 16 years of follow‑up, showing total plaque volume (TPV) predicts events...
SCCT President: Key Trends in Cardiac CT
SCCT President Chinnaiyan outlined how cardiac CT is evolving from a diagnostic tool to an AI‑driven platform for structural heart planning, PCI guidance, and preventive cardiology. New reimbursement codes for AI plaque assessment and FFR‑CT are accelerating adoption, while CCTA‑based...
AI MRI Links Body Composition to Longevity
As a medical school professor and radiologist, this is one of the most important imaging-meets-longevity studies of the year. AI-driven whole-body MRI body composition in 66,608 adults (UK Biobank + German National Cohort, mean age 57.7, mean BMI 26.2), published in...
The VESALIUS-CV Trial
In the VESALIUS-CV trial, researchers evaluated the impact of adding the PCSK9 inhibitor evolocumab to standard lipid‑lowering therapy in patients at high cardiovascular risk who had never experienced a myocardial infarction or stroke. Over a median follow‑up of 3.2 years,...
Cyclin E1 and CCNE1 Shift in Ovarian Cancer Post-PARP
The British Journal of Cancer study shows high‑grade serous ovarian carcinoma tumors develop resistance to PARP inhibitors by up‑regulating Cyclin E1 and amplifying the CCNE1 gene. Researchers compared pre‑ and post‑treatment samples using FISH and IHC, finding a significant rise in...
Cardiology Leads Future of Tech-Driven Compassionate Care
Cardiology could be a prominent example of how the use of advanced technologies, digital health, and automation could shape the future of a medical specialty. Three reasons underscore this notion. 1. The leading cause of death worldwide is ischaemic heart disease,...
Why the Pharma Industry Must Rethink Copay Solutions to Put Patients First
Affordability remains the biggest hurdle for U.S. patients seeking prescription therapies, as high‑deductible health plans and rising out‑of‑pocket costs delay initiation and erode adherence. Traditional manufacturer‑sponsored copay programs, built on static rules and linear adjudication, struggle to keep pace with...
Novel Psychedelic Compound 25C-NBF Shows Rapid Antidepressant Effects without Addictive Traits
Researchers reported that the synthetic psychedelic 25C‑NBF rapidly induces dendritic growth and reverses depressive behaviors in male rodents after a single dose. The compound binds tightly to the serotonin 5‑HT2A receptor while showing minimal activity at 5‑HT2B, reducing heart‑valve risk....
Integra Reappoints Stuart Essig as CEO
Integra LifeSciences announced the reappointment of former chief executive Stuart Essig, ending the brief tenure of Mojdeh Poul. Essig returns after a 14‑year gap and will be supported by newly created chief commercial officer Michael McBreen. The leadership team says...
Want to Show Your Nurses Appreciation? Fix Your Hospital Communications
Hospitals will celebrate nurses during National Nurses Week, yet chronic communication breakdowns threaten morale and patient safety. A recent survey shows one in nine nurses learn policy changes after they’re already in effect, and more than 80% link missed messages...
Bright FLAIR Signal Reveals Anterior Cranial Insights
A study in Nature Communications reports the first systematic observation of hyperintense Fluid‑Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR) signals confined to the anterior cranial fossa. Using ultra‑high‑field MRI and refined pulse sequences, the researchers distinguished these signals from artifacts and common pathologies....
Why Most Employers Are Sticking with Big 3 PBMs over Alternatives
Employers are reevaluating pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) as the FTC’s antitrust actions and bipartisan legislation spotlight the Big 3—CVS Caremark, Cigna Express Scripts, and UnitedHealth Optum Rx. A 2025 National Alliance survey found 61% of 324 employers have switched or...
Red States Lose 550k Marketplace Enrollees After Subsidy Cuts
Red states have disproportionately benefited from the health insurance subsidies expanded by Biden and then cut by Trump. Georgia is a clear example: in just one year, marketplace enrollment has dropped by more than 550,000 people — a 37% decline. My @morningjoe...
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About a PhRMA Ad Campaign Aimed at 340B, Sales of Novo’s Obesity Pill, and More
PhRMA, the leading pharmaceutical lobby, has launched a seven‑figure TV advertising campaign aimed at the 340B Drug Pricing Program, accusing hospitals of misusing the discount to benefit themselves rather than low‑income patients. Meanwhile, FDA data show the rejection rate for...
Leeds Father Leads Rally for Six‑Week Paternity Leave After Wife’s Near‑Fatal Birth Complications
Nathan Barnes, a Leeds father whose wife nearly died during childbirth, spearheaded a demonstration demanding six weeks of statutory paternity leave at 90% pay. His personal ordeal underscores growing criticism of the UK’s two‑week, low‑pay allowance and adds momentum to...
Federal Funding Boosts Psychedelic Therapies, Yet Integration Support Lags
Federal agencies have announced new funding to accelerate psychedelic therapies, but practitioner Sergio Lialin warns that preparation and integration infrastructure has not kept pace, threatening long‑term benefits for patients.
Mindfulness Group Therapy Cuts Stress Markers in Schizophrenia Spectrum Patients
Researchers led by M. Zierhut published a trial demonstrating that mindfulness‑based group therapy significantly lowered self‑reported stress and biological stress markers in individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The findings suggest a durable, mechanistic benefit that could reshape adjunctive treatment strategies.
Family Office CWO Claims Alzheimer's Can Be Predicted, Prevented
As a family office Chief Wellness Officer (CWO), I have great news: we can predict and prevent Alzheimer's Disease. Here's what you need to know. By Gregory Charlop, MD, DipABLM
Chicago Trip Reveals GLP-1 Adoption Still in Infancy
being in Chicago for a few days has made me realize how insanely early we are in the GLP-1 adoption cycle
Cytokinetics Announces Positive Phase 3 Results for Aficamten in Non‑Obstructive HCM
Cytokinetics disclosed that its pivotal Phase 3 ACACIA-HCM trial of aficamten met both primary endpoints—improved Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire scores and higher maximal exercise capacity—versus placebo. The data, presented on May 5, position the cardiac myosin inhibitor as a potential first‑in‑class therapy...
B‑cell Cancer Patients Face Higher Severe COVID‑19 Risk
Patients recently treated for B-lymphoid malignancies show increased risk of severe COVID-19: a #CCC19 registry analysis [Mar 9, 2022] @rubinstein_md et al. @mtmdphd @COVID19nCCC @BCD_AACR https://t.co/IMEbvgZafi #COVID19nCancer #COVID19 #bmtsm #leusm #lymsm #mmsm #mpnsm https://t.co/mKoZFJnNBQ
Gene Therapy Field Focused on FDA Shifts in Rome
Even at a meeting in Rome, FDA shifts are top of mind for gene therapy field https://t.co/J9WXJqzqTY via @statnews
Med Tech Solutions (MTS) Acquires Avarion HIT Advisory to Expand Acute Care Managed Services
Med Tech Solutions (MTS) announced the acquisition of Avarion HIT Advisory, a two‑time Best in KLAS healthcare IT advisory firm, to broaden its footprint in acute‑care managed services. The deal merges MTS’s hands‑on capabilities—EHR management, cloud hosting, and cybersecurity—with Avarion’s...
GLP‑1 Use Surges, Unlocking $100B Anti‑obesity Market
i think roughly 40% of Americans are significantly overweight so still plenty of upside for GLPs. $LLY
Vision, Not Voice, Drives Healthcare AI's Future
Ambient AI freed clinicians' hands, so everyone in health AI is chasing better inputs. Active voice, passive vision, new cameras in exam rooms. I think they're solving the wrong problem. Vision, not voice, is the modality that matters most in healthcare's...
West Coast Informatics Rolls Out AutomapAI to Standardize Clinical Data for AI
West Coast Informatics announced the general availability of AutomapAI, a platform that automatically normalizes fragmented clinical data into standards‑aligned, AI‑ready assets. The solution promises to lower integration costs and provide the semantic reliability needed for advanced analytics and machine‑learning applications...
Hantavirus Spread Undetected on Cruise Ship for Weeks
How a deadly hantavirus outbreak unfolded on a cruise ship for weeks before it was identified https://t.co/HX5mypL6Hr
Exercise Boosts Mood: Data From 8,000 Participants
Physical activity and affective well being (AWB): individual level data from over 8,000 participants with accelerometers and >330,000 AWB ratings. Figure shows AWB metrics before and after physical activity. @NatureHumBehav https://t.co/BNkZVZf3j4 https://t.co/eAB1UMPqNH
IBS Fast Fact. IBS Is Dismissed as Not that Bad because You Can’t Die From It
A recent American Gastroenterological Association (AGA) study revealed that 38% of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients have contemplated suicide, challenging the common belief that IBS is merely a benign, non‑fatal condition. The blog post emphasizes the severe mental‑health toll of...
A Mandatory Shift: Why the CMS TEAM Model Is an Important Opportunity for Health Systems
On Jan. 1, 2026 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services launched the Transforming Episode Accountability Model (TEAM), a mandatory alternative payment model covering five high‑cost surgical episodes. The first year is upside‑only, allowing health systems to develop episode‑based processes without downside...
Redcliffe Labs Elevates Gaurav Jain to COO, Marking Five-Year Internal Rise
Redcliffe Labs announced Gaurav Jain as its new chief operating officer, capping a five‑year ascent from senior vice‑president to the helm of operations. The promotion underscores the firm’s strategy of cultivating leaders from within as it scales a technology‑driven, consumer‑first...
Medicare Launches $50 GLP‑1 Bridge Pilot for Weight‑Loss Drugs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a two‑year GLP‑1 Bridge pilot that will let eligible beneficiaries obtain Wegovy, Zepbound or Foundayo for a $50 monthly copay starting July 1, 2026. The program aims to lower cost barriers for...