Know What's Happening in Healthcare
Know What's Happening in Healthcare
FDA approves KRESLADI, first CIRM‑backed gene‑editing therapy
The FDA cleared KRESLADI, a gene‑editing treatment from Rocket Pharmaceuticals for severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency‑I in children, eliminating the need for a bone‑marrow donor. It is the first product directly funded by California’s Institute for Regenerative Medicine to receive approval.
Also developing:
By the numbers: Syneron Bio raises $150M Series B
Statista projects that the U.S. pharmaceutical market will be led by ten blockbuster drugs in 2026, with Merck’s Keytruda topping the list at $12.7 billion in sales. Four oncology therapies—Keytruda, Opdivo, Imbruvica and Ibrance—are among the top ten, underscoring cancer’s continued revenue dominance. The remaining slots are filled by treatments for HIV, blood clotting, chronic inflammatory diseases, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and multiple sclerosis. The forecast, shared with Becker’s Hospital Review, highlights the shift toward high‑priced specialty biologics across multiple therapeutic areas.
At HIMSS26, CEO Hal Wolf will host a panel examining AI tools' "attitude." Leaders will discuss why understanding both the data provenance and the designer's identity, values, and goals is critical. The session aims to guide healthcare organizations in evaluating...
Community‑driven programs such as Go for Bold demonstrate measurable weight loss and BMI improvements, but their impact stalls without supportive food‑system policies. Research on national sodium‑reduction laws shows dramatic drops in fractures, heart attacks, strokes and health‑care costs when intake...
The 1199SEIU Healthcare Workers East union is rallying for the Home Care Savings and Reinvestment Act, which would strip private insurers from New York's Medicaid home‑care payment system and replace them with a state‑run fee‑for‑service model. Proponents claim the change...
A new Annenberg Public Policy Center survey reveals a growing trust gap in U.S. health information. About 73% of Americans say they trust physicians and the American Medical Association, while confidence in federal health agencies has slipped. However, career scientists...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning‑letter close‑out to APS BioGroup, Inc. on April 5, 2018, confirming that the company’s corrective actions addressing the July 2017 warning letter were satisfactory. The agency stressed that this closure does not relieve APS BioGroup...
The FDA issued a Warning Letter to Dr. James Findling after a 2019 inspection revealed serious protocol violations in a clinical trial of an investigational drug. The investigator randomized two subjects who had exceeded permitted dose levels and failed to...
The FDA issued Warning Letter #588155 to Health Pharma USA LLC after a May‑June 2019 inspection uncovered multiple CGMP violations at its Rahway, New Jersey facility. Major deficiencies included a dysfunctional quality‑control unit that released products before review, incomplete batch...
U.S. health‑care spending nears $5 trillion, while hospital markets become increasingly consolidated under a few large systems. Telehealth, despite high eligibility, is billed for only about 3.8% of services, indicating a behavioral adoption gap. Fee‑for‑service still dominates, covering roughly 40% of...
A recent Hunterbrook Media investigation uncovered a hidden layer of pharmacy benefit manager (PBM)‑affiliated group purchasing organizations (GPOs) that channel billions of dollars while maintaining minimal staff and opaque operations. The report shows the three largest PBMs, which already control...
The American Hospital Association’s latest podcast explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping staffing in health care. Experts discuss AI‑driven workforce analytics, predictive scheduling, and talent acquisition tools that promise to reduce turnover and improve patient outcomes. The conversation also highlights...
The Circle of Life Hospice House, a privately‑owned adult family home in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, will open in spring 2026 with four patient beds. Founder Sara Rogers, a former hospice care coordinator with 25 years of social‑work experience, created the...
The American Hospital Association marked Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8‑14) by highlighting initiatives from leading health systems. Executives from CommonSpirit Health, Hartford HealthCare, and Henry Ford Health detailed programs, technology, and virtual nursing models aimed at reducing errors and improving outcomes....
The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) has forged a partnership with the NHLBI‑backed Cardiothoracic Surgical Trials Network (CTSN) to accelerate practice‑changing clinical trials. CTSN’s existing infrastructure, which has already enrolled about 20,000 patients, will be leveraged to support new,...
Why hasn't life expectancy been increasing in the United States? It's complicated. "The fact that the United States is far from a leader in longevity and that it continues to fall further behind nearly all other high-income countries indicates that there are...
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) announced on March 6 that it will award $69.1 million in grants for mental‑health and suicide‑prevention programs. The funding is split among three initiatives: $43 million for the Children’s Mental Health Initiative targeting youth...
The International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE) World Congress in New Orleans (Oct 17‑20, 2026) will feature a panel on global healthcare security design led by IAHSS president Anthony Pope and foundation head Bill Navejar. The presenters will showcase practices from the...
A Florida district court concluded that Leapfrog Group employed deceptive practices in its hospital safety rating system, finding the organization misrepresented how scores were calculated. The ruling highlighted that several hospitals received inflated safety grades based on opaque criteria. Leapfrog...
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released guidance on March 6 directing states to transition to six‑month Medicaid redeterminations beginning in 2027, as mandated by last year’s budget reconciliation bill. States have two implementation pathways: one that allows them to...
Kaiser Permanente Southern California evaluated a home blood pressure telemonitoring (HBPT) program over 12 months in 3,067 patients. The intervention lowered systolic blood pressure by 1.42 mm Hg and diastolic by 1.58 mm Hg, while shifting care from in‑person visits to virtual encounters. Enrollment...
A new study of 11 drug‑resistant epilepsy patients found that nights after a seizure are about 24 minutes longer overall, with rapid‑eye‑movement (REM) sleep reduced by roughly 12 minutes and deep slow‑wave sleep intensified. Researchers propose that the brain may...
Conversational AI tools such as ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare are reshaping how patients and clinicians obtain medical information. OpenAI reports that over 5% of global ChatGPT interactions—about 40 million daily users—are health‑related, while 40% of U.S. healthcare workers use...
Qiagen Inc. presented at the Leerink Global Healthcare Conference 2026, answering questions from analyst Puneet Souda. CFO Roland Sackers confirmed the company remains open to strategic options, including potential M&A, while emphasizing its strong market position and pipeline. He highlighted...
My midwives never washed the white coating off my babies after birth. They told me to leave it on as long as I could. With all three kids, I delayed the first bath for about a week. That coating is called...
Researchers analyzed seven viral outbreaks, including COVID‑19, Ebola and the 2009 H1N1 flu, and found that most pathogens jumped from animal reservoirs to humans without needing extraordinary genetic changes, with the 1977 influenza strain as the sole outlier. By reconstructing...
A recent study of over 1,800 TAVR patients (2020‑2025) found that moderate valve oversizing of 10 %‑20 % independently reduced all‑cause mortality, while minimal (<10 %) and severe (≥20 %) oversizing showed no survival benefit. Procedural outcomes, including stroke and vascular complications, were similar...
Researchers found that cancer patients and caregivers view the term “time toxicity” as overly negative, preferring neutral language such as “time commitment” or “time trade‑off.” Interviews with 45 stakeholders—including 20 gastrointestinal cancer patients, 10 caregivers, and 15 oncologists—revealed that most...
Patient Safety Awareness Week (March 8‑14) highlights the critical role of teamwork in protecting patients from preventable harm. The American Hospital Association’s Patient Safety Initiative, backed by Vizient data, supplies hospitals with benchmarking tools and peer‑learning resources. Highlighted programs—UConn Health’s CHAMP...
At HIMSS 2026, Intermountain Health’s chief strategy officer Dan Liljenquist warned that today’s health‑system model cannot survive mounting workforce shortages and rising demand. He urged leaders to treat interoperability and artificial intelligence as strategic engines, not mere technical check‑boxes. Intermountain...
Vinay Prasad has left the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) for the second time in under a year, signaling a notable leadership turnover at a key regulatory hub for biologics, vaccines and gene therapies. In parallel, GlaxoSmithKline...
Walmart teamed with Cleveland Clinic to launch a Cardiac Center of Excellence serving over a million employees and families. The collaboration introduced bundled pricing, travel‑enabled specialty care, and protocols that reduced unnecessary surgeries while improving outcomes. By standardizing care pathways,...
Stance Healthcare has launched the Rochester Lounge Collection, a modular seating line designed for hospitals and care facilities. The series includes single, two‑seat and three‑seat lounges plus a Rochester Sleep Sofa, each featuring integrated clean‑out spaces, nylon glides, and optional...
More information about the futility of estradiol levels for managing MHT from @professorsusandavis Professor Davis is a true expert here. I’ve linked to this article in my stories.
The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) cancelled its first public meeting since the board’s January overhaul by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who installed 21 new members, several of whom are vaccine skeptics. The cancellation was announced on March 7, the same day...
Clinical psychologists at Northwestern University partnered with corrections officials, public‑health scholars, judges and victim advocates to create ACTV‑3, a value‑based intervention for intimate‑partner violence offenders. Over two years the multidisciplinary team co‑designed the manual, adapted language for community‑corrections settings, and...
Hip fractures affect roughly 300,000 Americans annually, with half classified as femoral neck injuries, and incidence is projected to rise as the population ages. Traditional internal fixation carries a roughly 30% re‑operation rate in older patients, prompting a shift toward...
We’ve spent decades treating lithium as a heavy duty psychiatric tool. New evidence suggests it’s actually a foundational brain nutrient and that Alzheimer’s may essentially be a localized lithium deficiency. By using the Orotate salt, we can bypass plaque-induced transport...
In a rapid‑response letter to the BMJ, specialist doctor Laura Jarvis thanks Barbara Holtzman for her piece on chronic pain and highlights the Institute of Psychosexual Medicine’s mind‑body approach. The letter describes how psychotherapy‑based training helps patients link emotional trauma to physical...
The American Diabetes Association announced the 2026 National Scientific and Health Care Achievement Award winners at its upcoming Scientific Sessions. Honorees include Takashi Kadowaki (Banting Medal), Timo Müller (Outstanding Scientific Achievement), Gerald Shulman (Albert Renold Award), and several others recognized...
Medicines plus healthy habits create outcomes that neither could achieve alone. A new @StanfordMed study published in JAMA shows digital lifestyle nudges may catalyze a critical first step toward behavior change for patients on GLP-1 medications. “Achieving your best health involves a...
The link between exposure to DEHP and its metabolite MEHP, found in plastics, and risk of breast cancer in a 20-year prospective study https://t.co/wKEVlMxWHT https://t.co/j5NL5QfTBu
CipherX, a biotech start‑up specializing in microneedle platforms, partnered with Connect 2 Cleanrooms to install a 12 m² soft‑wall cleanroom for pilot production. The modular unit, validated to ISO 14644 class 7, was delivered and fully operational within 48 hours. Its PVC curtains, steel framing and...
Chronic inflammation generally poses a higher risk of cancer, so why does psoriasis-like disease have a lower risk of skin cancer. Why? Sustained immune cell activation https://t.co/kcxUHC8Ahk https://t.co/igqNDv5mdj
Exciting & important new study from my lab. Have you ever wondered how strong that alleged connection is between psychedelic use and #Schizophrenia? This project aims to point the telescope there & give it a focused look. Please share widely. @AlexaM_Molinaro...
Ozempic (semaglutide) is FDA‑approved for type‑2 diabetes but has become a popular off‑label weight‑loss drug, prompting shortages and easy online access for paying patients. Experts stress it should be reserved for individuals with diabetes or obesity who have failed diet...
Obesity and overweight are risk factors for several types of cancer. Why? A @JAMA_current review https://t.co/fn5tfxNnsM https://t.co/caCsAt2vuB
New FDA draft guidance outlines important streamlining of path to getting low-cost biosimilars to the market - could reduce cost of pharmacokinetic studies and allow ex-U.S. comparitor products to be used for proving biosimilarity to U.S.-licensed drugs https://t.co/ErjNOga0qo
Operation Vital Signs, a national cyber‑security stress test, will be co‑hosted by the Health Sector Coordinating Council’s Cybersecurity Working Group and Health‑ISAC on July 21‑22. The virtual two‑day exercise simulates a cyber incident that threatens critical functions and patient safety across...
UniQure leads genetic medicine biotech rally after news of Prasad’s exit https://t.co/zu1CtJfj29 by @realJacobBell $QURE $RGNX $ATRA $LXEO #GeneTherapy
Hospitals are turning to retrofits rather than new construction to meet tighter sustainability rules, budget constraints, and patient demand, according to a Schneider Electric and JLL white paper. The study examined nine energy‑and‑carbon conservation measures (ECCMs) across seven facilities in...
