Humana Approaches $1B Acquisition of Florida Primary Care Company: Bloomberg
Humana is negotiating a roughly $1 billion purchase of Florida‑based MaxHealth, a primary‑care network focused on adults and seniors. MaxHealth is owned by Arsenal Capital Partners’ Best Value Healthcare, and the deal would deepen Humana’s primary‑care footprint after recent growth in its Medicare Advantage business. The insurer recently added 1 million Medicare Advantage members and acquired The Villages Health, expanding its senior‑care portfolio. The transaction arrives amid bipartisan legislative efforts to curb insurer‑provider vertical integration.
10 Systems Seeking Supply Chain Leaders
Hospitals are redefining supply chain leadership to encompass enterprise strategy, digital transformation, and resilience. This shift is prompting health systems nationwide to recruit senior supply chain executives with broader, analytics‑driven responsibilities. In the past week, ten systems—including Baptist Memorial, Boston...
Vertex, CRISPR Set Lofty Goal for Casgevy Gene Therapy as Patient Starts Ramp
Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics forecast combined Casgevy gene‑therapy and Journavx pain‑drug sales of $500 million in 2026, a 185 % jump from 2025. The therapy generated $115.8 million in 2025, with Q4 revenue of $54.8 million, and treated 111 patients that year, up...
Epigenetic Editing Startup Moonwalk Shifts Focus to siRNA for Obesity
Moonwalk Biosciences, founded by CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang and former Illumina CTO Alex Aravanis, announced a strategic pivot from epigenetic editing to siRNA‑based obesity therapies. The company secured a $120 million Series A round to fund the new platform, which targets liver‑expressed...
Siemens Healthineers, Mayo Clinic Partner on Neurodegenerative Disease, Cancer
Siemens Healthineers and Mayo Clinic have expanded their strategic partnership to accelerate AI‑driven imaging and interventional technologies for neurodegenerative disease, prostate cancer, and metastatic liver tumors. The agreement emphasizes AI‑enabled ultra‑high‑field MRI protocols for Alzheimer’s detection, AI tools to reduce...
AI Forecasting Model Targets Healthcare Resource Efficiency
University of Hertfordshire researchers, in partnership with regional NHS bodies, have built an AI forecasting model that uses five years of historical data to predict healthcare demand. The system integrates admissions, bed capacity, workforce availability, and demographic factors to generate...
Diabetes Is Linked to Higher Risk of Pancreatic Cystic Neoplasms
A Korean nationwide cohort of 3.86 million adults found that diabetes raises the risk of pancreatic cystic neoplasms (PCNs), with longer disease duration conferring greater risk. Incidence rose from 0.72 per 1,000 person‑years in normoglycemic individuals to 1.82 in those with...
CCTA Becoming an Essential Tool for Interventional Cardiologists
Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is becoming a core tool for interventional cardiologists, enabling comprehensive pre‑procedure planning and reducing reliance on costly intravascular imaging. The addition of fractional flow reserve derived from CT (FFR‑CT) merges anatomical and physiological assessment, streamlining...
Moderna's Flu Shot Dilemma Muddies 2028 Break-Even Guidance
Moderna’s chief financial officer indicated that the company cannot yet confirm whether its 2028 cash‑flow break‑even goal will hold, as the outlook for its seasonal flu vaccine remains uncertain. The flu shot, once expected to be a steady revenue stream,...
Novel Drug Approvals for 2026
The FDA’s 2026 novel drug approvals catalogue highlights all new molecular entities receiving first‑time U.S. marketing authorization. A novel drug is defined as a product never previously approved or sold in the United States, and each entry links to the...
AAPS National Biotechnology Conference
The AAPS National Biotechnology Conference will take place May 11‑14, 2026 in San Diego, gathering leading pharmaceutical scientists to discuss the latest advances in biologics, biotechnology products, and advanced therapies. The four‑day event offers sessions on new modalities, technologies, and novel strategies...
Closing the CKD Care Gap with Value-Based Care Models
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) impacts more than one in seven U.S. adults and kills more people annually than breast or prostate cancer, yet it remains under‑diagnosed, especially among women and minority groups. Value‑based care (VBC) models shift focus to early...
Oregon Considers Bill to Stop Hospice Scammers From Entering State
Oregon lawmakers are reviewing Senate Bill 1575, which would bar hospices with fraud histories or substandard care in other states from obtaining licenses in Oregon. The bill mandates the Oregon Health Authority to review applicants' Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers...
Lilly Stockpiles $1.5B Worth of Weight Loss Pill Ahead of US Approval
Eli Lilly has amassed roughly $1.5 billion worth of its experimental obesity drug orforglipron. The company began stockpiling the product months before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is expected to grant approval later this year. Orforglipron, a GLP‑1 receptor agonist, joins...
STAT+: Pediatricians Confront HHS in Vaccine Showdown
The FDA unexpectedly refused to review Moderna’s mRNA‑based flu vaccine, sparking alarm across biotech firms. Pediatricians are confronting the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), demanding transparent guidance on pediatric flu immunization. The decision highlights perceived regulatory volatility under...
Generic Drug Facilities, Sites and Organization Lists
The FDA has published a series of downloadable spreadsheets detailing self‑identified generic drug facilities, sites and organizations for fiscal years 2014 through 2026. Each annual file lists manufacturers, contract manufacturers, and other entities that the agency has flagged as part...
SMART Toolkit Helps Map Healthcare Cyber Risk
Intermountain Health’s chief information security officer Erik Decker unveiled the SMART toolkit, a framework that maps an organization’s critical clinical and administrative functions to assess cyber‑risk exposure. The tool helps leaders identify which services must remain operational during a breach...
The Medical Device Industry: The Real Effects of Tariffs
The medical device sector is grappling with a wave of new and proposed tariffs that have lifted costs for metals, electronics, and finished components throughout global supply chains. Manufacturers must decide whether to absorb these higher expenses, pass them to...
Aveanna CEO: Hospice Multiples Still Too High
Aveanna Healthcare Holdings CEO Jeff Shaner warned that hospice acquisition multiples remain excessively high, often exceeding 10x and sometimes reaching 15x‑17x. The company, which is evaluating growth options, says it will not pursue hospice deals unless valuations fall into the...
Immunic's Private Placement; Vertex's Cystic Fibrosis Data in Young Kids
Immunic announced an oversubscribed private placement raising up to $400 million to fund its shift toward a commercial‑stage biotech. The capital injection will support late‑stage development programs and accelerate the search for a new chief executive officer. Meanwhile, Vertex Pharmaceuticals disclosed...
Drugs
The FDA’s consumer‑updates page aggregates more than 60 articles that explain how the agency regulates prescription and over‑the‑counter drugs and communicates risks and benefits to the public. Topics range from hormone‑replacement therapy and antibiotic stewardship to product recalls, safe disposal,...
Simplified Psoriasis Severity Measure Shows Strong Correlation With PASI
A new psoriasis severity tool, G2‑PASE, combines Physician Global Assessment and body surface area with a nonlinear weighting to approximate the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index. In a Canadian registry of 1,803 patients, it demonstrated a Pearson correlation of 0.83...
Extensively Drug-Resistant Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Moringa Powder Capsules
The CDC announced a multistate outbreak of extensively drug‑resistant Salmonella linked to Rosabella brand moringa powder capsules, with seven confirmed illnesses across seven states and three hospitalizations. The strain’s resistance means standard antibiotics may be ineffective, requiring alternative treatments. Listeners...
The One Thing Physicians Can Do to Reduce Disparities in Virtual Care
Virtual care has shifted from a convenience to a core delivery model, prompting physicians to rethink how they build trust through a screen. Small adjustments in communication style, workflow, and technology can deepen patient connections and mitigate the risk of...
AI Can’t Improve Healthcare if Clinicians and Staff Aren’t Trained to Use, Orchestrate It
Healthcare systems are rapidly deploying AI for diagnosis, documentation, scheduling and patient communication, but many clinicians and support staff lack the training to use these tools effectively. The article argues that one‑time, checkbox‑style training creates risks such as automation bias...
Ovid Takes Another Big Swing in Neuroscience Under a New CEO
Ovid Therapeutics, under new CEO Meg Alexander, is re‑orienting its neuroscience pipeline toward first‑in‑class KCC2 modulators while advancing a drug‑resistant epilepsy candidate toward Phase 2. The company’s earlier flagship, soticlestat, failed in Phase 3, eliminating $600 million in potential milestones, prompting a strategic...
All Eyes on Vertex’s Kidney Franchise, as Painkiller Journavx Tops Half a Million Scripts
Vertex Pharmaceuticals reported that its late‑stage RAINIER trial of povetacicept in IgA nephropathy is proceeding without safety concerns, with primary data expected in the first half of 2026. The company is leveraging a priority‑review voucher for the upcoming FDA filing...
Startup Organotics Fast Tracks Personalized Brain Drug Trials
Organotics, a new biotech startup, is leveraging patient‑derived brain organoids to accelerate early‑stage testing of neuropsychiatric drugs. By reprogramming a patient’s blood or skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells, the company creates vascularized, multi‑region mini‑brains that reflect individual genetics....
India’s Computer Vision Health Startup Krigat Wins Supernova AI MEA in Cairo
India‑based health‑AI startup Krigat captured the Supernova AI MEA Champion title in Cairo, outpacing 74 finalists from over 30 countries. The win includes a $10,000 equity‑free cash prize and heightened visibility at the AI Everything MEA summit. Krigat’s platform leverages...
Paul Hudson Couldn’t Quite Get Sanofi over the Hump; PROTAC Developer Arvinas Appoints CEO
Paul Hudson has struggled to revitalize Sanofi’s R&D engine despite a series of high‑profile acquisitions since becoming CEO in 2019. The French group’s pipeline has underperformed, and recent buyouts have failed to deliver the expected boost in innovative drug candidates....
PTC Pulls File for Duchenne Therapy on FDA Feedback
PTC Therapeutics has withdrawn its FDA filing for Translarna (ataluren) as a treatment for nonsense‑mutation Duchenne muscular dystrophy after the agency indicated the data would not meet the threshold for substantial evidence of effectiveness. The decision ends a decade‑long effort...
Medicare Part B Lab Spending Hits $8.4 Billion as Genetic Testing Captures 43% of Dollars
Medicare Part B lab spending reached $8.4 billion in 2024, up 5 % year‑over‑year. Genetic tests, though only 5 % of test volume, accounted for 43 % of the dollar value, driving a $3.6 billion surge. Utilization of molecular diagnostics jumped 160 % since 2018, while routine...
Novo Nordisk Sues Hims & Hers; TrumpRx Is Here; Physicians Are Not ‘Providers,’ Says ACP – Morning Medical Update Weekly...
Novo Nordisk has filed a patent lawsuit against telehealth firm Hims & Hers, alleging illegal compounding of semaglutide after the FDA declared the drug no longer in shortage. The case targets the surge in compounded Wegovy and Ozempic that emerged...
Health Care Heartaches: Your Winning Health Policy Valentines
KFF Health News published a Valentine‑themed roundup of reader‑submitted poems and cartoons that lampoon current health‑policy woes. Submissions spotlight upcoding scandals, soaring insurance premiums, the rise of AI‑driven telehealth, and gaps in menopause expertise. The piece blends humor with genuine...
Clinics Sour on CMS After Agency Scraps 10-Year Primary Care Program Only Months In
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services abruptly terminated the Making Care Primary initiative, a ten‑year federal program designed to bolster primary care in rural areas, after just one year of operation. The model had enrolled roughly 700 practices across...
Philips Unveils New InkSpace Snuggle Coil for Paediatric Imaging
Philips has launched the InkSpace Imaging Snuggle, a flexible paediatric body array coil for its 3.0 T MRI platforms. The blanket‑like, lightweight design wraps around children, aiming to reduce anxiety and improve comfort. Its high‑density array delivers sharp, high‑resolution images, cutting...
Lyell Doses First Patient in Phase III Trial for LBCL
Lyell Immunopharma has administered the first dose of its investigational CAR‑T therapy, ronde‑cel (LYL314), in the Phase III PiNACLE‑H2H trial for relapsed or refractory large B‑cell lymphoma. The head‑to‑head study randomizes roughly 400 patients to receive either ronde‑cel at 100 × 10⁶ cells...
Nurses in England and Wales to Get 3.3% Pay Rise
The UK government announced a 3.3% pay rise for roughly 1.5 million NHS nurses, midwives and allied health staff in England and Wales, effective 2026‑27. The increase outpaces the Office for Budget Responsibility's 2.2% inflation forecast but falls short of the...
Using AI to Crack Undruggable Drug Targets
ProPhet, an Israeli AI‑driven startup founded in late 2024, leverages a novel machine‑learning platform that projects proteins and small molecules into a common interaction space. This approach allows the company to screen billions of compounds against targets previously deemed undruggable,...
Novocure Wins FDA Approval to Treat Pancreatic Cancer with Electric Fields
Novocure received FDA clearance for its Optune Pax tumor‑treating‑field device in locally advanced pancreatic cancer, marking the company’s first indication beyond brain tumors. The pivotal trial of 571 patients showed a statistically significant two‑month overall‑survival gain (16.2 vs 14.2 months) when the device was...
Should Healthcare Organizations Transition to Biometric Security?
Biometric authentication is now mainstream in U.S. healthcare, with roughly 78% of organizations deploying fingerprint or facial‑recognition systems. The technology promises stronger identity assurance, faster workflow access, and reduced patient misidentification, directly addressing HIPAA compliance and safety concerns. However, high...
How Data Integrity Enhances Healthcare Payer Efficiency and Member Trust
Healthcare payers are increasingly judged on billing accuracy and financial predictability, making data integrity a strategic priority. Clean, verified data enables faster eligibility checks, claim approvals, and reduces manual interventions, directly improving operational efficiency. By minimizing billing errors, payers lower...
Medicomp Launches AI Validation Tools to Stop Clinical Hallucinations
Medicomp Systems unveiled a Model Context Protocol (MCP) that links generative AI models to its 45‑year clinical knowledge graph, filtering hallucinations before data enters electronic health records. The suite enables safe AI APIs for diagnostic prompting, chart summarization, quality‑measure evaluation,...
Achieving Independence: Navigating the Landscape of Advanced Mobility and Recovery Support
Specialized mobility restoration providers are increasingly judged on multidisciplinary expertise, advanced prosthetic technology, and measurable outcomes. The article outlines key components such as individualized assessments, integrated rehab services, and continuous patient education that signal high‑quality care. It also highlights the...
The Million-Dollar Cool-Down: Why 'Thermal Drift' Is the Silent Killer of Hospital Revenue
Insights from Mark Molinaro, founder and CEO of SkySpigot
USF and Tampa General Expand Partnership with GE HealthCare to Advance Surgical Training
The University of South Florida installs Allia Moveo image-guided therapy system
Philips Adds Flexible Pediatric MR Coil to 3T Portfolio
Snuggle body array coil from InkSpace Imaging was recently FDA cleared
British Airways Cabin Crew Rushed To Hospital After Consuming Cannabis-Laced Gummies From Passenger
British Airways cabin crew members were hospitalized after unknowingly consuming cannabis‑infused gummies presented by a passenger following a London‑Los Angeles flight. The edibles contained a high 300 mg dose of THC, causing panic, disorientation and intense anxiety before the crew recovered...
Enhabit, Encompass Health Collect $43.1M From VitalCaring Case
Encompass Health and its spin‑off Enhabit have secured a $43.1 million award in attorneys’ fees and mitigation damages from VitalCaring. A Delaware federal judge ordered that 43% of VitalCaring’s future profits and any exit proceeds be placed in trust and split...
Antigen Orientation Boosts HPV Cancer SNA Vaccine, Slows Tumors in Models
Northwestern researchers engineered a spherical nucleic acid (SNA) vaccine in which the HPV16 E7 peptide is displayed at the nanoparticle surface via its N‑terminus. This N‑terminal orientation (N‑HSNA) generated up to eight‑fold higher interferon‑γ secretion and 2.5‑fold greater cytotoxicity than...