Healthcare News and Headlines
Healthcare News and Headlines
Healthcare Pulse
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
EMAIL DIGESTS
Daily
Every morning
Weekly
Tuesday recap
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) reports that the FDA has still not finalized the financial conflicts‑of‑interest (COI) guidance for its advisory committees, despite a law mandating it 13 years ago. The agency also fails to publicly disclose how it evaluates potential conflicts for panel members or guest speakers. GAO recommends the FDA set a clear deadline, publish the guidance, and disclose its decision‑making process in the interim. Implementing these steps would increase transparency around the FDA’s advisory panels.
The FDA has issued a renewed public warning that over‑the‑counter products bearing the names “Artri” or “Ortiga” may contain undeclared prescription drugs such as dexamethasone, diclofenac sodium, and methocarbamol. Since April 2022, more than 30 consumers have reported severe health effects,...
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(jpeg)/information-about-kreteks-and-clove-cigarettes-2825286-5c097c0dc9e77c00014bf2e1.png)
Clove cigarettes, known as kreteks, blend tobacco with ground clove buds and oil, delivering higher nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide than regular cigarettes. The eugenol in cloves numbs the throat, prompting deeper, longer inhalations and increasing exposure to carcinogens. The...
A Wisconsin man, Tim Friede, let venomous snakes bite him for two decades, building a unique repertoire of antitoxin antibodies. Researchers at biotech firm Centivax isolated two of these antibodies and combined them with the toxin‑blocking drug varespladib, creating a...
FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency will slash the amount of non‑safety data required to launch new drug trials in the United States. The streamlined approach aims to eliminate redundant paperwork, focusing only on safety‑related information. Makary framed the...
Healthcare providers are accelerating the shift toward a connected care continuum that spans hospitals, ambulatory clinics, post‑acute facilities and the home. Leaders at NewYork‑Presbyterian and PointClickCare stress that seamless, standardized data—delivered through integrated EHRs and modern APIs—must be actionable across...
Sub‑Q Bionics announced the close of a $1.5 million pre‑seed round to fund its next‑generation lymphedema medical devices. The financing includes capital from the Mayo Clinic, Yeda – the Weizmann Institute’s tech transfer arm – and several private investors, with the...
The podcast examines how STEMI pharmacotherapy has transformed over the past 46 years, moving from routine fibrinolysis to routine primary PCI with potent antiplatelet regimens. It highlights the recent approval of zalunfiban, a fast‑acting glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitor, for administration at first medical...
Pfizer and BioNTech announced the suspension of a FDA‑mandated post‑marketing study of their COVID‑19 vaccine due to insufficient participant enrollment. The trial, aimed at 25,500 adults aged 50‑64, was designed to assess safety, immune response, and efficacy against infection. Companies...
A 2025 Nature Medicine study showed that delivering a functional OTOF gene via an adeno‑associated virus dramatically improves hearing in patients with genetic deafness. Ten participants aged 1 to 24 across five Chinese hospitals experienced a reduction in hearing threshold...
Researchers in Brazil have created a graphene‑based scaffold that repaired nearly 90% of bone fractures in rats within a month, outperforming existing biomaterials. The scaffold combines graphene with chitosan‑xanthan polymers derived from waste black liquor, a pulp‑and‑paper by‑product. Acting as...
Eli Lilly is publicly opposing the White House’s effort to turn its voluntary “most‑favored‑nation” (MFN) drug‑pricing agreements into law. The company, along with more than a dozen peers, signed MFN deals in 2025 to align U.S. prices with those in other...
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued its first revision in nearly 25 years to the prevention and treatment guidelines for tularemia, a zoonotic disease also known as rabbit fever. The new recommendations reorganize guidance into distinct...
A new study published in Microbiology Spectrum examined the ocular surface microbiome and tear proteome of 25 contact‑lens wearers and 23 non‑wearers. The researchers found no significant differences in bacterial composition or tear protein expression between the two groups. While...
Rezolute announced that the FDA remains open to reviewing additional data from its Phase 3 trial of the rare‑disease hypoglycemia drug ersodetug, despite the study missing its primary efficacy endpoint. The agency’s willingness suggests the experimental therapy could still move toward...
After the Affordable Care Act subsidies expired, millions of Americans saw premiums surge, reviving concerns about the uninsured. Lawmakers are pushing single‑payer proposals such as Medicare for All, but a Pew 2025 survey shows only 35% of adults support a...
The Welsh Ambulance Service has imposed a hiring freeze on newly qualified paramedics, leaving around 70 graduates without NHS band‑5 positions. Despite receiving millions of pounds in bursary funding (≈$1.3 million USD), students are being advised to look for work in...
Researchers at Charité have created a hair‑based diagnostic that reads the activity of 17 clock‑related genes to pinpoint an individual’s chronotype. In a study of over 4,000 volunteers, the test showed that lifestyle factors—especially employment—shift internal clocks more than genetics...
March 2026’s most‑read TCTMD stories were dominated by ACC conference data and new dyslipidemia guidelines emphasizing earlier, intensive LDL lowering and routine CAC and Lp(a) screening. Large trials showed that Impella mechanical circulatory support did not improve outcomes in anterior...
Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine discovered that the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) acts as a molecular brake preventing axon regeneration after nerve injury. Genetic deletion or pharmacological inhibition of AHR in mouse models redirected neurons from a stress‑survival mode...
United for Medical Research’s 2026 report finds NIH’s $36.5 billion FY ’25 budget produced a 250 % return, generating roughly $94 billion in economic activity and supporting over 390,000 jobs. The analysis maps the ripple effect of research dollars through equipment manufacturers, service...
Novo Nordisk announced it will cut approximately 400 positions at its recently acquired Bloomington, Indiana manufacturing plant. The cuts follow FDA rejections of drug products from three contract companies that used the facility, citing manufacturing deficiencies. The issues stem from...
The FDA has revised the label for epcoritamab (Epkinly) to permit outpatient monitoring of the first full 48‑mg dose in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma (R/R DLBCL). The change follows interim EPCORE‑NHL‑6 data showing the dose can be safely administered...
Paralympian Amy Dixon has founded Vision Without Limits, a nonprofit that trains and employs eye‑care patient advocates. She created the Certified Ophthalmology Patient Advocate (COPA) program with Alchemy Vision, a six‑week online course that leads to certification and Medicare‑reimbursable services....
Researchers published a JAMA study analyzing 8,581 ambulatory clinicians across five academic health systems, including 1,809 AI‑scribe adopters. AI scribes reduced total EHR time by 13.4 minutes and documentation time by 16 minutes per eight‑hour shift, yielding a modest 0.49‑visit...
A viral TikTok trend is encouraging users to apply vaginal estrogen cream as a facial filler, citing its purported collagen‑boosting effects. Dermatology experts caution that the practice is off‑label, lacks robust clinical evidence, and may lead to systemic hormone absorption...
The article argues that emerging price‑transparency data can dramatically lower U.S. health‑care costs if stakeholders use it to choose high‑value providers. It highlights stark price gaps—an MRI ranging from $125 to $2,565 and joint‑replacement fees varying 2.5‑fold across insurers. The...
In late January and early February 2026, three federal initiatives – a Department of Labor proposed rule, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, and an FTC settlement with Express Scripts – introduced mandatory transparency reporting for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)....
Employers can now tap Hospital Price Transparency (HPT) and Transparency in Coverage (TiC) data to compare actual negotiated rates across carriers and facilities. A pilot by the Purchaser Business Group on Health (PBGH) and Milliman showed that Aetna’s rates for...
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries received U.S. FDA approval for its denosumab‑adet biosimilar, covering all approved indications of Amgen’s Prolia, including osteoporosis and bone loss in cancer patients. The company also secured simultaneous acceptance of regulatory filings with the FDA and the...
New real‑world evidence from the ECHO study confirms that esketamine nasal spray delivers rapid and durable symptom relief for adults with treatment‑resistant depression. In a European‑Israel cohort of 570 patients, average treatment lasted nine months, producing mean MADRS reductions of ‑10.3...
Amgen and China‑based Zai Lab have announced a Phase 1b clinical study that combines Amgen’s T‑cell engager Imdelltra with Zai Lab’s experimental antibody‑drug conjugate zocilurtatug pelitecan, targeting the DLL3 protein in aggressive neuroendocrine cancers. The trial will evaluate safety and early...
Ambience Healthcare has introduced Chart Chat for Nursing, an EHR‑integrated conversational AI that lets inpatient nurses retrieve patient information with plain‑language queries. The tool debuted in a pilot with Cleveland Clinic, the first health system to test the technology after a...
Research psychologist Galen Buckwalter, paralyzed since age 16, has six brain implants that translate his motor‑cortex activity into musical tones. The implants, each with 64 channels, provide 384 data streams that are decoded into pitch, allowing him to play a...
HNL Lab Medicine, part of Jefferson Health, digitized its anatomic pathology practice using six Leica GT450 scanners and Proscia’s Concentriq platform. The transition eliminated manual slide transport across a 14‑hospital network, enabling instant case sharing and remote work for pathologists....
Paragon Therapeutics is spinning out its Alzheimer’s-focused unit, Korsana Biosciences, via a reverse merger that will list the company on a U.S. exchange. The deal, championed by Paragon co‑founder Jonathan Violin, merges Korsana with a publicly traded shell, providing immediate...
eHealth partnered with Regal to launch Alice, an AI voice agent that handles Medicare Advantage, prescription drug and Medigap enrollment calls. The platform eliminated wait times, delivering zero‑second answer rates and a 27% higher purchase conversion than human screeners. After...
Boston Children’s Hospital faced a massive wiper cyberattack that crippled Stryker’s Vocera communication platform, prompting an immediate, coordinated response. Within 30 minutes the hospital isolated the vendor network and began dismantling the compromised system. By evening, Epic Secure Chat was...
A 20‑year‑old asthma medication, Xolair (omalizumab), is now accelerating food‑allergy research, especially for peanut sensitivities. Recent clinical trials combined the drug with oral immunotherapy, cutting severe reaction rates by roughly 70 percent. The FDA has recently cleared the first oral...
The FDA has issued a Class I recall for Johnson & Johnson MedTech’s Impella purge cassettes, affecting over 33,000 devices. Leaking cassettes can cause low purge pressure, biomaterial ingress, pump stoppage, and potentially patient death. Four serious injuries have been linked to the...
Johns Hopkins Medicine and the American Telemedicine Association have launched the LIFTT Initiative, a three‑year effort to push federal legislation that eases state licensure barriers for telehealth. The program seeks tailored federal pathways that complement, not replace, state oversight, aiming...
Danish biotech IO Biotech announced it will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after its lead cancer vaccine failed to demonstrate efficacy in a pivotal trial. The vaccine, designed to treat aggressive solid tumors, showed no statistically significant benefit, prompting the...
CareQuest Innovation Partners and federally designated QHIN Kno2 have announced a partnership to embed dental data into the nation’s health‑information‑exchange (HIE) infrastructure. The collaboration targets bidirectional data flow between dental and medical providers, aiming for a production go‑live within six...
A large Japanese cohort of 94,490 pregnant women found a stepwise association between antibiotic use and psychological distress in early‑to‑mid pregnancy. Women who took antibiotics both before conception and after pregnancy recognition faced a 50% higher odds of severe distress...
The FDA cleared Medtronic’s MiniMed 780G pump to operate with Abbott’s Instinct CGM sensor, expanding sensor options for automated insulin delivery. A real‑world study of 13,967 U.S. users showed time‑in‑range rose modestly from 75.1% with Guardian 4 to 77% with Instinct. Automated...
Elevance Health avoided immediate Medicare Advantage sanctions after CMS granted a deadline extension to May 30 to correct years of faulty risk‑adjustment data reporting. The regulator had warned that non‑compliance would trigger enrollment bans and communication suspensions for its MA...
Lambert‑Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS) is increasingly recognized as a prodromal marker for small‑cell lung cancer (SCLC), prompting clinicians to screen earlier. Recent advances in auto‑antibody assays and electrophysiological testing have sharpened diagnostic precision, allowing treatment to begin before overt tumor...
The Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development awarded a $235,000 grant to the McCandless‑Franklin Park Ambulance Authority. The funds will purchase six LUCAS mechanical chest‑compression devices and a LIFEPAK 35 heart monitor‑defibrillator, which costs about $65,000. Each ambulance will receive...
Cedric Truss, a Georgia State University student, joined HIMSS as a member and progressed to volunteer on multiple HIMSS committees and task forces. His hands‑on involvement gave him industry‑relevant skills, mentorship, and a robust professional network. Today, Truss actively encourages...
Medical conferences are saturated with static slide decks that struggle to convey complex mechanisms, leading to audience fatigue and low retention. 3D medical animations replace static visuals with dynamic, motion‑driven storytelling, allowing presenters to illustrate molecular interactions, device usage, and...
