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
Global Study Finds 1 in 10 Babies Regularly Fall Asleep with a Screen
A global systematic review commissioned by the 1001 Critical Days Foundation reveals that 10% of babies under two regularly fall asleep with a screen. The finding clashes with recent UK guidance that advises zero screen time for infants, highlighting a gap between policy and parental practice.
InsideTracker AI Study Shows Sustained Improvements in 43 Biomarkers Across 20,000 Users
InsideTracker’s AI‑driven health platform was linked to statistically significant, sustained improvements in 43 blood and fitness biomarkers among a real‑world cohort of 20,000 users over more than four years. The peer‑reviewed study validates the platform’s personalized recommendation engine and marks...
TAVR or SAVR? Cardiologists and Heart Surgeons Highlight the Care that Goes Into Each Decision
Three leading U.S. cardiovascular societies—SCAI, ACC and STS—issued a joint statement reaffirming that multidisciplinary heart teams guide every decision for patients with severe aortic stenosis. The statement responds to recent Wall Street Journal coverage highlighting complications after transcatheter aortic valve...
5th Circuit Reinstates In‑Person Mifepristone Rule, Prompting Supreme Court Stay
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reinstated an in‑person dispensing requirement for the abortion pill mifepristone, prompting Danco Laboratories to seek a stay from the Supreme Court, which granted a one‑week pause. The back‑and‑forth highlights how even long‑approved drugs...
FDA Approvals for Aging Therapies: Updated Insights
My 20min talk on FDA approvals of aging therapies & more coming soon from the Dec 2025 Longevity Summit at the Buck Institute is now on YouTube: https://t.co/L024jUz9iT It's an updated version of the one I gave at Vitalist Bay May'25. I'll be...
Study Finds Bariatric Surgery Less Costly than GLP-1 Drugs over Time
A real‑world analysis of more than 90,000 obese patients with type 2 diabetes shows bariatric surgery costs far less than GLP‑1 drugs over a two‑year horizon. After propensity‑score matching, sleeve gastrectomy averaged $41,400 versus $58,600 for GLP‑1 therapy—a $17,200 gap, while...
Danaher Secures Shareholder Approval for $180‑Per‑Share Masiro Acquisition
Danaher Corporation received shareholder approval to acquire Masimo Corp. at $180 cash per share, a deal that will integrate Masimo into Danaher’s Diagnostics segment. The vote, held virtually on May 1, clears a key hurdle for a transaction expected to close...
Medline Launches Mpower Digital Control Tower, Promising 50% Workflow Boost for Hospitals
Medline announced the launch of Mpower™, an AI‑driven digital control tower that gives health systems real‑time supply‑chain visibility. Early adopters report more than a 50% efficiency gain in order substitution workflows and a 1‑2% rise in unadjusted fill‑rates, positioning the...
Can the 988 Crisis Lifeline Keep Up With Demand Amid Ongoing Staffing Shortages?
The national 988 suicide‑prevention Lifeline has logged more than 18 million calls since its July 2022 launch, a volume that has nearly doubled and contributed to an 11 % decline in youth suicides. A new JAMA Network Open study of 159 crisis centers...
States Overhaul Certificate-of-Need Laws
States are overhauling certificate‑of‑need (CON) laws as federal pressure mounts to loosen or eliminate them. Tennessee led the wave by passing SB1369, which will repeal CON for acute‑care hospitals by 2030 and replace it with a licensure regime that mandates...
IVERMECTIN and MEBENDAZOLE Testimonial - 73 Year Old Massachusetts Man with 2 Liver Cancers and Liver Transplant Candidate Reports After...
A 73‑year‑old man from Massachusetts diagnosed with two liver cancers claims that a ten‑month regimen of ivermectin and mebendazole has caused his tumors to shrink, positioning him as a candidate for a liver transplant. The testimonial, posted on a health‑focused...
Court Upholds Denial of Medical Pot Reimbursement for Psych Injury
A Delaware Superior Court affirmed the Industrial Accident Board’s decision to deny a workers’ compensation claimant reimbursement for medical marijuana used to treat PTSD, anxiety, and depression after a 2004 robbery at a Family Dollar store. The claimant, who had been...
Viridian Data Lift Prospects for Thyroid Eye Disease Drug
Viridian Therapeutics announced that its subcutaneous drug elegrobart met primary endpoints in a Phase 3 trial for chronic thyroid eye disease, showing 50%‑54% response rates versus 15% for placebo. The once‑monthly regimen also improved double vision in 61% of patients, while...
FDA Commissioner Defends Agency's Drug Approval Decisions After Wave of Backlash
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary faced intense media and political backlash after the agency rejected Replimune’s melanoma drug candidate. In a CNBC interview, Makary emphasized that three independent FDA panels reached the same safety conclusion and rejected accusations of bias toward...
Ascidian Completes Adult Dose Escalation, Opens Pediatric Enrollment in STELLAR Gene Therapy Trial
Ascidian Therapeutics announced the completion of the adult dose‑escalation portion of its Phase 1/2 STELLAR trial for the RNA‑editing gene therapy ACDN-01 and opened enrollment to pediatric patients 12 years and older. The move adds a 10‑patient adult cohort and launches...
People with Cannabis Use Disorder Are More Likely to Be Depressed, Study Finds
A new meta‑analysis of 55 studies covering over 3.2 million participants finds a strong bidirectional link between cannabis use disorder (CUD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Current prevalence of MDD among community‑based CUD individuals is 22%, rising to 19% in psychiatric...
Letter Regarding “The Relationship Between Preventive Dental Care and Overall Medical Expenditures”
A new quasi‑experimental study by Taylor et al. examined whether preventive dental visits lower overall medical and pharmacy spending for Medicaid enrollees and found no statistically significant cost reduction. The analysis highlights that many prior studies linking preventive services to...
Bio Korea 2026 Kicks Off with Spotlight on Oligonucleotides
In early May 2026, several biotech firms announced pivotal milestones. Axsome Therapeutics received FDA clearance for Auvelity (AXS‑05) to treat agitation in Alzheimer’s disease, a condition affecting up to 75% of patients. Sonire Therapeutics began its U.S. Sunrise II trial of...
25 Years of Community-First Work Prepares BCBSNC Foundation for a Strained Health System: Colleen Briggs, MBA
The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation celebrated its 25th anniversary, highlighting a legacy of deep community partnerships built on a 90‑year Blue Cross presence. President Colleen Briggs said the foundation is expanding beyond traditional philanthropy by...
Pfizer Scrubs Trillium Pipeline, CD47 Concept Proves Bust
Sometimes in biotech you can get lucky and win even though you were dead wrong. $PFE just dumped the rest of the Trillium ( $TRIL) pipeline - it all came to naught. I made out nicely when PFE bought TRIL,...
How to Book and What Happens at a Childhood Vaccination Appointments
Parents in the UK can expect their GP surgery to reach out when a child is due for a routine vaccine, but they may also initiate booking themselves using the child’s Red Book schedule. Appointments are usually held at the...
Health Care Costs Is the Issue Voters Can’t Afford to Ignore
Pope Leo XIV, the first American pontiff, declared universal health coverage a moral imperative at a Vatican‑WHO conference. A KFF follow‑up survey of 800 ACA marketplace enrollees found 80% paying higher premiums, 51% saying costs rose dramatically, and 9% dropping...
DT Research DT514LA Offers Trusted Bedside Support
DT Research introduced the DT514LA, a 23.8‑inch all‑in‑one medical computer designed for bedside use. Powered by an Intel Core Ultra 5 processor and featuring a fanless, antimicrobial chassis, the device delivers desktop‑level performance in a compact, portable form factor. It supports...
Adapting Messiah for the Screen Is an Odd Midlife Crisis. For Jack Kevorkian It Made Sense
Ontario’s health regulators have recorded 428 possible criminal violations linked to assisted‑death cases, yet none were referred to police. Leaked internal documents reveal a consistent practice of handling alleged breaches internally rather than involving law‑enforcement. This pattern points to a...
Bionic Tech Must Prove Itself Beyond the Lab
IEEE Spectrum’s special report examines bionic assistive tech through the eyes of users, not just lab demos. It follows exoskeleton pioneer Robert Woo, who after 15 years of testing highlights real‑world glitches such as safety sensors stopping on a slight...
Analyses of Human Lungs Reveal Seven Subphenotypes of Pneumonia
Researchers at Boston University’s Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine have mapped seven distinct pneumonia subphenotypes by analyzing lung tissue from several hundred autopsies. Using 20 histopathological markers and machine‑learning clustering, each group showed unique patterns of cellular damage, microbial...
This Hand-Held Cancer Probe Feels What Surgeons May Miss and Changes How Tumors Are Found in Real Time
Researchers from Australian universities and a Polish institute have created a wireless, hand‑held probe that uses optical elastography to differentiate cancerous from healthy tissue during breast‑conserving surgery. The device, called stereoscopic optical palpation (SOP), measures tissue stiffness and displays a...
Second Life for Gene Therapy; Takeda Phase 2/3 Win; UK Cancer Biotech's $83M
A Cleveland‑based biotech announced a revamped gene‑therapy platform that could give a previously stalled program a second chance, while Takeda disclosed positive Phase 2/3 results for its oncology candidate. Across the Atlantic, a UK cancer‑focused biotech raised roughly $83 million to accelerate...
Sleep, Skin, Bodybuilding and Other Product Notifications
The FDA has identified a wave of sleep, skin and bodybuilding products that contain hidden, dangerous ingredients, classifying them as medication health fraud. These items are often sold as dietary supplements or all‑natural remedies both online and in brick‑and‑mortar stores,...
ADAPT OCULUS Trial Shows Promising Results in Treatment Efficacy for Ocular MG: Carolina Barnett-Tapia, MD, PhD
The ADAPT OCULUS Phase III trial evaluated efgartigimod alfa (VYVGART) in patients with ocular myasthenia gravis (oMG). In a double‑blind, placebo‑controlled arm, participants receiving the drug showed statistically significant reductions in ptosis and diplopia versus placebo. An open‑label extension confirmed continued...
RAPTURE Preworkout May Be Harmful Due to Hidden Ingredient
The FDA has issued a consumer alert warning against RAPTURE Preworkout, a dietary supplement sold online and possibly in stores. Laboratory testing found the product contains the stimulant 1,3‑dimethylamylamine (DMAA), which is not disclosed on the label. DMAA can raise...
HIMSSCast: Ambient AI Scribes Pose Important Regulatory and Legal Questions
Ambient AI scribes promise to slash clinicians' charting time, driving rapid adoption across hospitals. Yet they are far from plug‑and‑play, requiring careful integration, data governance, and workflow redesign. Legal experts warn that these tools raise HIPAA, privacy, and liability concerns...
Prolific Machines Sets Monoclonal Antibody (mAb) Manufacturing Record with Light-Controlled Platform
Prolific Machines, an SOSV portfolio company, announced a record 21 g/L monoclonal antibody titer in a 15‑day intensified fed‑batch CHO run using its light‑controlled optogenetic platform. The photomolecular system lets operators toggle gene expression in real time with light, offering reversible,...
Flagged Hospitals Say They Are Not Financially Endangered
Public Citizen’s March 31 report labeled 446 hospitals as at heightened risk of closure or service cuts due to projected Medicaid reductions under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). Several flagged facilities—including Northwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, Minden Medical...
AI Is Saving Pharma Billions in Manufacturing and Back-Office Work, Just Not in the Lab
Eli Lilly’s digital chief says AI is delivering cost savings across pharma, but not in drug discovery where expectations were highest. The company’s AI‑driven digital twin of tirzepatide manufacturing cut production time and lifted output, echoing similar back‑office efficiencies at...
Premier Inc. Appoints Dr. Emad Rizk as CEO and Chairman to Drive Healthcare Transformation
Premier Inc. has named Dr. Emad Rizk as its chief executive officer, president, and chairman of the board. Rizk arrives with more than three decades of experience, most recently steering Cotiviti through a multibillion‑dollar shift toward payment accuracy and value‑based...
New Brain Pathway Protects Women From Parkinson’s Progression
A newly identified brain pathway strengthens dopamine-producing neurons and slows Parkinson’s progression, but this protective effect was observed only in females, highlighting the importance of sex-specific approaches in future therapies. neuroscience
Tuesday May 5, 2026
Johnson & Johnson released first‑in‑human data for its OTTAVA robotic surgical system, showing safety and performance success in a 30‑patient gastric bypass cohort and filing a De Novo request with the FDA. The week also saw the US‑China tariff truce...
A Brain Mechanism May Help Slow Parkinson's Disease—But only in Females
Researchers identified a nicotine‑responsive receptor pathway that preserves dopamine‑producing neurons, potentially slowing Parkinson's disease progression, but the protective effect was observed only in female animal models. Using gene editing, they increased receptor availability without exposing the brain to nicotine. The...
FDA Flags eBay Listing over GLP-1 Claims in Rare Warning Letter
The FDA sent a rare warning letter to an eBay seller for making GLP‑1 and blood‑sugar support claims, marking only the fourth eBay‑related enforcement in recent years. Unlike typical cases, the agency did not purchase or test the product, relying...
The $200M‑$500M Leap Is Healthcare’s Toughest Scale
Scaling a healthcare unicorn looks a lot different from the inside. @_KateRyder and I go deep on why the $200M–$500M jump is the most challenging phase, the absolute absurdity of pitching postpartum care to rooms full of "trolls", and why...
Time‑Restricted Eating Counteracts Hypoxia‑Induced Glucose Dysregulation
Time-restricted eating improves intermittent hypoxia-induced dysglycemia "In IH, TRE mitigates adverse hypoxic effects on glucose homeostasis, via improvements in pancreatic insulin secretion. Some beneficial glycemic effects of TRE are accentuated in IH. TRE may represent a novel therapeutic strategy in OSA" https://t.co/SQgSGnX6Ay
HemoSonics’ Quantra Hemostasis System for Obstetric Procedures Wins Silver 2026 Edison Award
HemoSonics' Quantra® Hemostasis System for obstetric procedures earned the Silver Edison Award in the Women’s Health and Reproductive Innovations category for 2026. The device is the first FDA‑cleared viscoelastic testing platform specifically approved for obstetric bleeding, delivering whole‑blood coagulation results...
Viridian Data Boosts Thyroid Eye Disease Drug Prospects
Viridian data lift prospects for thyroid eye disease drug https://t.co/fjfkebQ99D by @Lilah_Alvarado $VRDN + 28% $AMGN
Practical Strategies to Empower Patient Behavior Change
Here's a book titled, Empowering Behavior Change in Patients: Practical Strategies for the Healthcare Professional with this offer. 📕 I hope you enjoy it. I am the co-editor and also the author of 3 chapters. #lifestylemedicine #health #healthcoach https://t.co/t5AOLdkVUX https://t.co/0deIQmTX17
Magnus Expands Access to 5-Day SAINT® Depression Therapy as Leading Health Systems Scale Nationwide Adoption
Magnus Medical announced that its FDA‑cleared SAINT® rapid‑remission depression therapy is expanding to 14 states, adding partners such as Cleveland Clinic, UPMC and HCA Healthcare. Payer reimbursement now covers more than 80 million lives, including Medicare fee‑for‑service and several commercial plans....
Biotech Poised to Create Universal Anti‑venom Breakthrough
Day 1 @SynBioBeta first panel on building a universal anti-venom "We haven't innovated in 125yrs, since injecting horses with venom worked okay" We're now on the cusp of a universal anti-venom thanks to modern biotech https://t.co/wNbPwXjHPi
Orexin Therapies Unlock New Horizons Beyond Narcolepsy
Orexin drugs for narcolepsy and more. Listen to Richard Pops @popsalks discuss the emerging opportunity, and his 35-year-career, on The Long Run. Sponsored by @AlphaSenseInc & Dash Bio. https://t.co/Qr6oJ8AwzB
Group Visits Elevate Lifestyle Medicine Outcomes
In 2016, I gave a workshop on the power of group lifestyle medicine interventions with Drs. Wayne Dysinger, Beth Morris Motley + Deepa Sannidhi. Then, we published in the American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine: The Art and Science of Group...
Single 25 Mg Psilocybin Dose Triggers Month-Long Brain Changes
A single 25 mg dose of psilocybin leads to brain structural changes that were seen at 1 month. From a cross-over study of 28 healthy volunteers, no prior psychedelic, who also were also assessed after 1 mg. Behavioral results in...