Mississippi Hospital Could Close June 15
Greenwood's Leflore Hospital issued a WARN notice indicating a possible permanent shutdown on June 15 unless it can stabilize operations. The facility recently cut 86 jobs, about 17% of its staff, and eliminated several service lines while grappling with Medicaid overpayment recoupments totaling $7.5 million. A temporary court‑ordered pause on repayment gives the hospital time to explore a takeover by the University of Mississippi Medical Center, which signed a 180‑day letter of intent. The hospital is also weighing a Chapter 9 bankruptcy filing to keep services running during negotiations.
FDA Reminds More Than 2,200 Sponsors and Researchers to Disclose Trial Results
The FDA has sent reminders to more than 2,200 medical‑product companies and researchers, covering over 3,000 registered trials, to file required results on ClinicalTrials.gov. An internal analysis shows that 29.6% of studies likely subject to mandatory reporting still have no...
Will AI Finally Free Clinicians From the Keyboard?
Health‑system CIOs say AI will fundamentally reshape electronic health records by automating documentation and processing, allowing clinicians to work without keyboards or mouse clicks. Ambient AI, voice activation and smart‑room cameras are already being piloted, with Penn Medicine planning a...
Antiseptic-Tolerant Germs Spread Through the Air in Hospitals, Early Study Hints
A new study in Environmental Science & Technology found that chlorhexidine, a widely used hospital antiseptic, can persist on ICU surfaces for at least 24 hours, creating micro‑environments where bacteria develop tolerance. Researchers swabbed 219 samples in an Illinois ICU...
Quarterly Inactive Ingredient Database (IID) Change Log
The FDA’s Inactive Ingredient Database (IID) is updated each quarter, and the Change Log records all corrected, deleted, and Maximum Daily Exposure (MDE) replacement entries. The log spans 2020‑2026, with file sizes ranging from 21 KB to 357 KB, reflecting the volume...
The Risk Pharma Procurement Teams Are Not Pricing In
Geopolitical conflict in the Middle East has slashed Gulf air‑cargo capacity by up to 80% and forced ocean carriers to reroute vessels, stretching transit times for temperature‑sensitive medicines. Roughly 10‑20% of global pharmaceutical trade passes through the region, so delays...
Salk to Lead $41.3M ARPA-H Effort to Advance Sonogenetics Therapies
The Salk Institute secured a $41.3 million ARPA‑H award to advance sonogenetics, a technique that uses low‑intensity ultrasound to control engineered cellular proteins. Over the next five years, Salk’s Dr. Sreekanth Chalasani and a multi‑institutional team will develop ultrasound‑responsive proteins, wearable...
9 Healthcare Strikes in 2026
Healthcare unions have staged nine strikes across the United States in early 2026, affecting hospitals in California, Washington, Nevada, New York and beyond. The actions involved more than 30,000 workers, from nurses and technicians to pharmacy and lab staff, and...
Stryker to Acquire Amplitude Vascular Systems for Peripheral Vascular Portfolio
Stryker has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Amplitude Vascular Systems, bringing the latter’s intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technology into its peripheral vascular portfolio. Amplitude’s CO₂‑generated pressure‑wave balloon catheter targets heavily calcified arteries, promising faster, more efficient revascularization. The companies will...
WV Legal Case Upholds Vaccine Mandates Without Religious Exemption
An appeals court in West Virginia upheld the state’s policy allowing school districts to impose vaccine mandates without offering religious exemptions. The ruling comes amid recent changes to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) charter, which have intensified...
Women Less Likely Than Men to Adhere to Post-ACS Medications: TEXTMEDS
An analysis of the TEXTMEDS trial found that women 12 months after an acute coronary syndrome are less likely than men to meet LDL‑cholesterol and physical‑activity targets and to adhere to guideline‑directed medications. Only 46% of women reported taking ≥80%...
FDA Regulation and Quality Considerations for Cannabis and Cannabis-Derived Compounds
The FDA issued final guidance titled “Cannabis and Cannabis‑Derived Compounds: Quality Considerations for Clinical Research,” clarifying how sponsors can use both hemp and cannabis with THC levels above 0.3% in human drug trials. The guidance outlines source options—including the NIDA...
Fluoride in U.S. Drinking Water Does Not Reduce IQ, a New Study Finds
A new longitudinal analysis of more than 10,000 Wisconsin residents followed since 1957 finds no association between community water fluoridation at the U.S. guideline of 0.7 mg/L and lower adolescent IQ or later‑life cognitive performance. The study, published in the Proceedings...
Review and Approval
The FDA approves biosimilars through an abbreviated pathway that relies on demonstrating high similarity to an existing reference biologic, rather than repeating full safety and efficacy trials. Manufacturers must provide analytical, animal, and clinical data, and the agency can waive...
More Patients, Fewer Doctors: Demand Keeps Climbing as the Cardiologist Shortage Continues
The United States is confronting a widening cardiologist shortage as an aging population and rising risk factors such as hypertension and obesity drive demand. A Medicus report finds the average hiring cycle for a cardiologist now stretches to 248 days,...
Vivatides Therapeutics Raises $54M for RNA Expansion
Vivatides Therapeutics announced a $54 million Series A round, led by Qiming Venture Partners and backed by several other investors. The funding will accelerate its proprietary extrahepatic delivery platform, designed to transport RNA molecules such as siRNA and antisense oligonucleotides beyond the...
Astellas Pharma Inc. V. Ascent Pharms., Inc.
In a March 2026 bench trial, the Delaware District Court ruled that Ascent Pharmaceuticals' ANDA for mirabegron infringed all of Astellas Pharma's patents covering the extended‑release Myrbetriq formulation. The court dismissed Ascent's defenses on patent‑eligibility, anticipation, obviousness, and written description,...
Does Working Out Help Psoriasis or Make It Worse?
Dermatologists confirm that regular exercise is safe and beneficial for most people with psoriasis, as it lowers systemic inflammation and improves metabolic risk factors linked to disease severity. High‑intensity activity shows the strongest association with reduced psoriasis prevalence, while low‑impact...
Retail Pharmacies Fill Less than 2% of Mifepristone Orders
The FDA’s January 2023 removal of the in‑person dispensing rule let pharmacies, including mail‑order and retail outlets, fill mifepristone prescriptions. A USC study published in JAMA finds that only about 2,700 prescriptions are filled monthly, with mail‑order pharmacies handling more than...
Terminaly Ill MP Says Ban on Telehealth for Assisted Dying Must Change
Victorian MP Emma Vulin, diagnosed with motor neurone disease, has written to Attorney‑General Michelle Rowland urging a change to the federal Criminal Code that bans telehealth consultations for voluntary assisted dying (VAD). The current law criminalises doctors who use phone...
Minimally-Invasive Stenting Effectively Treats Painful Post-Thrombotic Syndrome
Washington University researchers led the NIH‑funded C‑TRACT trial, showing that minimally invasive venous stenting markedly improves outcomes for patients with post‑thrombotic syndrome. Among 225 participants with severe disease, stent plus standard therapy reduced the persistence of severe syndrome to 40%...
Endovascular Engineering Inks $80 Million Series C
Endovascular Engineering announced an oversubscribed $80 million Series C financing round co‑led by Gilde Healthcare and Norwest. Existing backers—including Sante Ventures, 415 Capital, S3 Ventures, Panakes Partners, and M&L Healthcare Investments—also participated, alongside two undisclosed strategic investors and a new global strategic...
Study Identifies Intersectional Biases Affecting Care for Sickle Cell Patients
Researchers at UChicago Medicine published a JAMA Network Open study showing patients with sickle cell disease receive more negative descriptors in clinician notes than Black patients or chronic‑pain patients. Using NLP on over 18,000 adult records and 40,000 notes, they...
Study Finds Higher Anxiety and Depression in Children with Brain Injuries
A new study in JAMA Network Open finds that school‑age children and adolescents who have suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) experience significantly higher rates of anxiety, depression, frequent headaches, and chronic pain compared with peers without TBI. The research,...
TANGENT Phase 3 Study Meets Primary and Secondary Endpoints, SynOx Reports
SynOx Therapeutics reported that its Phase 3 TANGENT study of emactuzumab met both primary and secondary endpoints in tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). The five‑dose, eight‑week regimen achieved statistically significant RECIST responses and tumor volume reductions at six months. Patients also...
F.D.A. Calls on Drug Developers to Publish Missing Data From Thousands of Trials
The FDA announced it has dispatched more than 2,200 letters to drug makers, device manufacturers and researchers, demanding the publication of clinical‑trial results that remain absent from ClinicalTrials.gov. An internal analysis shows roughly 30 % of studies under FDA review have...
Hospice Volunteerism Nears ‘Age of AI’
Hospices are turning to artificial intelligence to boost volunteer recruitment and retention. AI can match volunteers to patients, streamline workflows, and help meet the Medicare mandate that volunteers provide at least 5% of hospice patient‑care hours. Executives from Angel Hands,...
People with Chronic Pain Are Twice as Likely to Smoke Cigarettes
University of Kansas researchers analyzed National Health Interview Survey data from 2014‑2023, covering more than 195,600 U.S. adults, and found that people with chronic pain are roughly twice as likely to smoke cigarettes and use e‑cigarettes compared with those without...
Standard Naloxone Doses May Not Reverse Newer Synthetic Opioid Overdoses
A May 2026 study in *Anesthesiology* finds that standard naloxone doses often fail to fully reverse overdoses from potent synthetic opioids such as fentanyl and sufentanil. In a cohort of 30 participants, a single dose restored consciousness but left many with...
FDA Narrows in on Search for New Biologics and Vaccines Leader
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is close to naming a new director for its Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), ending the turbulent tenure of Vinay Prasad. Sources say the leading candidate is Dr. Susan K. Lee, a...
October - December 2022 | Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified by the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System...
The FDA’s Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) prompted a wave of labeling revisions between 2023 and 2025, adding new safety warnings to dozens of drugs. Notable changes include hypersensitivity alerts for cabotegravir injectables, fecal incontinence risks for several atypical antipsychotics,...
A Novel Approach To The Treatment Of Antibiotic Resistant Infections
Researchers have engineered microscopic, cell‑like particles that hunt drug‑resistant bacteria while sparing healthy microbes. The particles use protein‑based recognition to bind unique bacterial markers and deliver toxic proteins or bactericidal chemicals in a two‑step process. Laboratory tests showed a single...
NHS Improves Genetic Testing for Minority Ethnic Cancer Patients
The NHS has expanded its pre‑chemotherapy genetic screening to include a fifth DPYD gene variant that is more common among Black and minority‑ethnic patients. Previously, tests only covered four variants prevalent in white European populations, leaving many patients at risk...
No Sustained Benefit of High-Flow Nasal Oxygen After Cardiac Surgery: NOTACS
A multinational randomized trial (NOTACS) involving 1,280 high‑risk cardiac surgery patients found that prophylactic high‑flow nasal oxygen therapy (HFNOT) did not improve 90‑day patient‑centered outcomes compared with standard oxygen. Both groups recorded a median of zero days alive and at...
There’s a Link Between Heart Health and Hip Fracture
A new study published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas links cardiovascular risk to a markedly higher chance of hip and other major bone fractures in postmenopausal women. Using the American Heart Association's PREVENT score, researchers found women in...
Sibel Health Wins FDA Clearance for Maternal-Fetal Monitoring Platform
Sibel Health announced FDA 510(k) clearance for ANNE Maternal, a wireless wearable that continuously monitors a pregnant woman's vital signs, fetal heart rate, and uterine activity. The platform adds visual and audio alarms plus an automated Modified Early Obstetric Warning...
Person Functionally Cured of HIV After Bone Marrow Transplant From Sibling
A 63‑year‑old man achieved functional cure of HIV after receiving a bone‑marrow transplant from his brother, who carries two copies of the CCR5 Δ32 mutation that blocks the virus’s primary entry point. The donor cells fully engrafted in the recipient’s blood,...
Health Systems Should Prepare Now for Increasing Enforcement Around AI Use
Healthcare regulators are poised to intensify enforcement of AI applications across billing, coding, and clinical decision support, using existing fraud and abuse frameworks rather than a dedicated AI regulator. Jeff Wurzburg of Norton Rose Fulbright warns that boards will be...
Stryker Agrees to Buy Amplitude Vascular Systems for IVL Tech
Stryker announced a definitive agreement to acquire Amplitude Vascular Systems, a specialist in intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technology, for roughly $1.5 billion in cash. The deal broadens Stryker’s cardiovascular portfolio by adding a catheter platform designed for treating heavily calcified coronary lesions,...
CMS Looks to Bring Rx Prior Authorization Into Digital Age
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a push to digitize prescription‑drug prior authorization (PA) through electronic prior authorization (ePA) standards. The initiative mandates health plans and pharmacies to adopt interoperable, real‑time PA workflows by the end of...
Appointments and Advancements for April 13, 2026
On April 13, 2026 three biotech firms filed patents on novel drug candidates. Accure Therapeutics disclosed oligopeptide derivatives that inhibit matrix metalloproteinases MMP‑2 and MMP‑9, enzymes linked to cancer invasion and fibrosis. Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) introduced indazole‑based blockers of HCN1/2...
Next Step in Recycling More Healthcare Plastics: Better Labeling
The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council (HPRC) launched a 2026 project to create standardized labeling for flexible and rigid medical packaging. With less than 5% of healthcare plastics currently recycled in North America and Europe, the initiative seeks to improve material...
Switchback Medical Is Expanding Into Costa Rica
Switchback Medical, a Minnesota‑based CDMO, has signed a lease for an 18,000‑square‑foot facility in Costa Rica’s Coyol Free Trade Zone, featuring a 3,500‑square‑foot cleanroom. The site will begin development and product transfers immediately, with full manufacturing and ISO 13485 certification slated...
Healthcare Sector Is the Hiring Juggernaut in U.S.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that healthcare added 76,000 jobs in March 2026, making it the nation’s top hiring sector. Ambulatory health services accounted for 54,000 of those jobs, driven by a 35,000‑person rebound in physician offices after...
Unlocking Hospital Efficiency with AI-Enabled Solutions: It’s a Hot Button at the Upcoming IFHE World Congress Oct. 17-20
Hospitals generate massive clinical, operational and financial data, but siloed systems hinder efficiency. Schneider Electric, working with Microsoft, is testing AI to merge these datasets, uncover patterns and suggest operational improvements. At the IFHE World Congress in New Orleans (Oct 17‑20),...
Allogene’s First Cut of Data on ‘Off-the-Shelf’ CAR-T Shows Promise
Allogene Therapeutics reported that its off‑the‑shelf CAR‑T candidate cleared all detectable lymphoma cells in just over half of trial participants. The interim analysis stems from the pivotal ALLO‑501/ALLO‑501A study in relapsed or refractory B‑cell lymphoma. Researchers highlighted a complete molecular...
Stryker to Buy Amplitude Vascular Systems
Stryker announced an agreement to acquire Amplitude Vascular Systems, a Boston‑based developer of intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) technology. The Pulse IVL system, which uses carbon‑dioxide‑driven pressure waves to fracture calcified plaque, remains investigational but is expected to clear key markets, strengthening...
Md. County EMS Tensions Rise Amid Fears of Another System Takeover
Somerset County took over Princess Anne Volunteer Fire Company’s ambulance service after the volunteer unit cited rising costs, dwindling membership and low reimbursement rates. The takeover has highlighted a funding imbalance, with the northern squad receiving significantly more county dollars...
GSK Reports Strong Results for B7-H4 ADC in Gynecological Cancers
GSK’s investigational antibody‑drug conjugate mocertatug rezetecan (Mo‑Rez) demonstrated robust activity in its Phase 1 BEHOLD‑1 trial, achieving a 62% objective response rate in platinum‑resistant ovarian cancer and 67% in recurrent or advanced endometrial cancer. The drug targets the B7‑H4 immune checkpoint,...
FDA Shares Warning About Cath Lab Procedure Kits Due to Risk of Patient Injury
The FDA issued an early‑alert warning that Medline NAMIC angiographic control syringes, previously recalled in a Class I action, are present in AVID Medical’s cath‑lab convenience kits. Four serious patient injuries have been linked to a loose or fully disconnected syringe...