Surgeries Are Moving to ASCs. Distalmotion Wants Its Robot to Drive the Shift.
Distalmotion, a Swiss medtech spinoff, is targeting the rapid migration of low‑risk surgeries to ambulatory surgery centers (ASCs) with its Dexter robotic system. The robot, cleared by the FDA for inguinal hernia, gallbladder removal and hysterectomy, offers a compact 125‑sq‑ft footprint, wheeled mobility and single‑use instruments that address space and sterilization constraints. After raising $150 million in a Series G round—part of $400 million total funding—the company logged over 3,000 procedures and a record first quarter, with early adopters like Cypress Surgery Center preferring Dexter to the larger, costlier da Vinci platform. This push aligns with industry‑wide growth in outpatient surgery and intensifying competition from refurbished da Vinci systems.
Virtual Nursing Staff May Help Save Cardiology Departments From Burnout
Cardiology departments are facing rising physician burnout as administrative duties eclipse patient care, prompting health systems to seek innovative staffing models. MedStar Health and Abundant Venture Partners launched Auxira Health, a startup that supplies remote clinical pods of advanced practice...
Advancing Healthcare Innovation with the Mayo Clinic–ASU Health Care Accelerator and Industry
The Mayo Clinic and Arizona State University have launched the Mayo Clinic–ASU Health Care Accelerator, a program that moves early‑stage healthcare technologies toward clinical adoption. Intel’s General Manager Alex Flores discussed the accelerator on HIMSSCast, highlighting how sustained industry engagement,...
When ADCs Meet Targeted Protein Degraders: The Emerging Field of Degrader-Antibody Conjugates
The biotech sector is exploring degrader‑antibody conjugates (DACs), a hybrid that merges antibody‑drug conjugate targeting with catalytic protein‑degradation payloads. C4 Therapeutics has expanded its partnership with Roche to co‑develop two undisclosed oncology DAC programs, while Orum Therapeutics secured $100 million to...
GSK’s Shingrix Strategy Shift Drives Sales Beat Even as Vaccines Slow
GSK’s shingles vaccine Shingrix posted a 20% sales jump to $1.4 billion in Q1 2025, beating analysts’ $1.15 billion forecast. The boost came largely from a 51% year‑on‑year surge in Europe and a 12% rise in the United States after the company...
Trump’s Medicaid Fraud Crackdown May Sound Sensible, but It Could Harm Americans Who Require Long-Term Care
CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz announced a nationwide push for states to revalidate Medicaid providers deemed high‑risk, targeting home‑and‑community‑based services. The directive follows Trump‑era enforcement actions that have already threatened to withhold funds from states such as Minnesota, New York, California and...
AstraZeneca Makes Surprise U-Turn with £300m Pharma Investment in UK
AstraZeneca announced a surprise £300 million (≈$381 million) investment in the UK, unfreezing a £200 million (≈$254 million) Cambridge expansion and allocating £100 million (≈$127 million) to a new "lab of the future" in Macclesfield. The move follows a pause last year after the company expressed...
Psychedelics Go Mainstream: Medicine, Mania Or Both?
Psychedelics are re‑emerging as a potential breakthrough in behavioral health, spurred by loosening regulations and a Trump‑issued executive order that accelerated research. Early clinical data suggest benefits for depression, PTSD and other conditions, prompting biotech stocks to rally after FDA...
Many Peers Sought to Amend This Badly Drafted Bill
The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, the longest Private Members’ Bill ever introduced in the House of Lords, ran out of time after a rare two‑day second reading. Critics, including the Constitution Committee, flagged serious drafting flaws, and...
Center for Connected Medicine at UPMC Finds EHR Integration Gap Is Defining Hurdle for Precision Medicine Scale
The Center for Connected Medicine at UPMC, together with KLAS Research and the Institute for Precision Medicine, found that 75 % of U.S. health systems now have formal precision‑medicine programs, up from 31 % in 2020, and that deep EHR integration of...
Amgen, AZ Will Pilot FDA's Real-Time Clinical Trial Plan
The FDA unveiled a plan to receive clinical‑trial data in real time, aiming to accelerate drug development. AstraZeneca and Amgen have agreed to pilot the model with two studies that will stream endpoints and safety signals to regulators as they...
Saudia Cargo Announces Critical Medicine Logistics Initiative
Saudia Cargo has launched a joint initiative with the Saudi Food and Drug Authority to reinforce pharmaceutical and medical supply chains across the Kingdom. The program offers upgraded handling facilities and shipping cost reductions of up to 50%, aiming to...
Robotics
Ekso Bionics' Ekso GT™ exoskeleton became the first FDA‑cleared wearable robot for stroke rehabilitation in May 2016. The device enables individuals with lower‑limb paralysis to stand and walk during therapy sessions. It also secured clearance for certain spinal‑cord‑injury patients, marking a...
Revolution’s on a Pancreatic Cancer Winning Streak. What Comes Next for the Biotech?
Revolution Medicines announced that its oral RAS(ON) inhibitor daraxonrasib nearly doubled overall survival in previously treated metastatic pancreatic cancer, while its second candidate zoldonrasib showed tumor shrinkage in over half of KRAS‑driven lung cancer patients. The breakthrough data sent the...
The 20 Enterprise AI Drug Discovery & Life Sciences CEOs You Need to Know in 2026
The AI Insider has compiled a roster of the 20 most influential CEOs steering enterprise AI drug discovery and life‑sciences firms in 2026. The list showcases companies that are compressing decade‑long development cycles into months through generative protein design, AI‑optimized...
Drug Trials Snapshot: DAXXIFY
Revance Therapeutics’ DAXXIFY, a daxibotulinumtoxin A formulation, received FDA approval on September 7 2022 for temporary reduction of moderate to severe glabellar lines. Approval was based on two randomized, double‑blind, placebo‑controlled trials (GL‑1 and GL‑2) that enrolled 609 adults across the United States...
HUTCHMED Reports NMPA’s NDA Acceptance Under Priority Review for Sovleplenib to Treat wAIHA
HUTCHMED’s oral JAK2 inhibitor sovleplenib has received NDA acceptance and priority review from China’s National Medical Products Administration for warm‑antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia (wAIHA). The submission is backed by Phase II/III data showing a 43.8% overall response rate versus 0%...
Drug Trials Snapshots: VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK, VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK
Phathom Pharmaceuticals’ VOQUEZNA TRIPLE PAK (vonoprazan, amoxicillin, clarithromycin) and VOQUEZNA DUAL PAK (vonoprazan, amoxicillin) received FDA approval for adult Helicobacter pylori infection based on a 992‑patient trial across six countries. In the modified intent‑to‑treat population, the triple regimen eradicated the...
GSK CEO Says Team Reorg Could Be in the Cards Pending Upcoming Phase 3 Readouts
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is banking on a slate of late‑stage Phase 3 trials slated for 2024, spanning oncology drugs and next‑generation vaccines. CEO Luke Miels warned on the first‑quarter earnings call that a series of missed readouts could trigger a reshuffle of...
Federal Employees Health Benefits Program: Additional Actions Needed to Address Significant Risks in Verifying Provider Eligibility
The Government Accountability Office found that OPM’s control activities allow ineligible providers to submit claims to the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program. GAO identified roughly 400 claims from deceased providers and more than 2,000 claims from providers excluded from...
Drug Trials Snapshot: OPDUALAG
OPDUALAG, a fixed‑dose combo of nivolumab and relatlimab, received FDA approval in March 2022 for adults and adolescents with unresectable or metastatic melanoma. The pivotal trial enrolled 714 patients and showed a median progression‑free survival of 10.1 months versus 4.6...
Drug Trials Snapshots: VONJO
VONJO (pacritinib) received FDA accelerated approval on Feb. 28, 2022 for adult myelofibrosis patients with platelet counts ≤50,000/µL. The decision rests on a single trial that enrolled 63 low‑platelet patients, of whom 31 received VONJO and 32 received best available therapy. In...
Drug Trials Snapshot: PYRUKYND
AGIOS Pharmaceuticals’ mitapivat, marketed as PYRUKYND, received FDA approval in February 2022 for treating hemolytic anemia caused by pyruvate kinase deficiency. In pivotal trials, 40% of non‑transfused adults achieved a ≥1.5 g/dL hemoglobin increase versus none on placebo, while 33% of...
Drug Trials Snapshots: ENJAYMO
ENJAYMO (sutimlimab‑jome) received FDA approval in February 2022 as the first therapy to reduce red‑blood‑cell transfusions in adults with cold agglutinin disease (CAD). Approval was based on a single open‑label, single‑arm trial (CARDINAL) that enrolled 24 patients across eight countries. After...
Drug Trials Snapshots: VABYSMO
VABYSMO (faricimab‑svoa), approved in January 2022, was evaluated in four pivotal trials involving 2,591 patients with neovascular age‑related macular degeneration (nAMD) and diabetic macular edema (DME). The drug was administered monthly for four doses before transitioning to a personalized schedule based...
An Uncomfortable Truth: Healthcare Is Both a Protector of Health and a Contributor to One of Its Greatest Threats
Healthcare contributes roughly 5% of global greenhouse‑gas emissions, placing the sector among the world’s top five emitters. Up to 70% of that footprint originates from the supply chain—pharmaceuticals, devices, and single‑use items—while hospitals themselves account for about 30% of emissions...
Drug Trials Snapshot: CIBINQO
Pfizer's oral JAK inhibitor CIBINQO (abrocitinib) received FDA approval in January 2022 for adults with refractory moderate‑to‑severe atopic dermatitis. The approval rests on three phase‑3 trials involving 1,615 patients across 18 countries, which demonstrated robust skin‑clearance outcomes at week 12, especially with...
Piramal Pharma Eyes Strong Earnings Growth over Next 2–3 Years
Piramal Pharma aims for early‑to‑mid‑teens revenue growth over the next two to three years, driven by rising demand for complex drugs such as antibody‑drug conjugates (ADCs). The Indian CDMO relies on contract manufacturing for 55% of its revenue, which fell...
Envisioning More Inclusive Gender-Affirming Care Amid Widespread Attacks
The Trump administration’s anti‑trans agenda has prompted FDA warnings to binder manufacturers, threatened Medicaid and Medicare funding, and forced hospitals to halt gender‑affirming programs for minors. These actions coincide with a 72% surge in youth suicide rates in states that...
Drug Trials Snapshot: IMAAVY
IMAAVY (nipocalimab‑aahu) received FDA approval on April 29, 2025 for generalized myasthenia gravis in patients 12 years and older with AChR or MuSK antibodies. In a pivotal 24‑week Phase III trial of 196 adults, the drug achieved a statistically significant 1.5‑point improvement...
MPM Has Collected Three China Drugs for Its ‘Best of Both Worlds’ Strategy
MPM BioImpact, a biotech investment firm, has finalized the acquisition of three China‑origin drug candidates as part of its "best of both worlds" strategy. The deals were brokered through its portfolio company K2 Therapeutics, which now controls three distinct programs...
Scientists Invented a Chewing Gum That Might Help Fight Cancer Some Day
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have engineered an antimicrobial chewing gum from lablab bean protein FRIL that dramatically reduces oral cancer‑associated microbes. Ex vivo tests showed a 93 percent drop in HPV levels and near‑zero counts of Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium...
Call to Assess, Prescribe and Promote Physical Activity in Clinical Practice: Building on the ACTIVATE Consensus
The British Journal of Sports Medicine published an editorial describing the ACTIVATE consensus, a set of evidence‑based recommendations created by 27 experts from 13 countries to embed physical‑activity assessment, prescription and promotion into routine care for patients with non‑communicable diseases....
ACTIVATE: Physical Activity Assessment, Prescription and Promotion in Clinical Practice by Healthcare Professionals - a Consensus Study Initiated by the...
The International Federation of Sports Physical Therapy launched the ACTIVATE consensus to standardize how clinicians assess, prescribe, and promote physical activity for patients with non‑communicable diseases. A panel of 27 experts from 13 countries, including three patient representatives, used surveys,...
Were One for All: The 6th World Congress of Sport Physiotherapy
The 6th World Congress of Sport Physiotherapy (WCSPT) returns to Bern, Switzerland on 4‑5 December 2026 at the new Bernexpo centre. Organized by the Swiss Sports Physiotherapy Association and IFSPT, the event will feature 42 speakers from 21 nations and a two‑day...
The Strategic Investments Expanding CDMO Capabilities for HPAPIs and ADCs
Contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) are accelerating investments to meet soaring demand for highly potent active pharmaceutical ingredients (HPAPIs) and antibody‑drug conjugates (ADCs). The focus is on backward integration, high‑containment infrastructure, and advanced processing such as chromatography and lyophilisation...
New Children’s Minnesota COO Lays Out Priority List
John Harding, EdD, began his tenure as executive vice president and chief operating officer of Children’s Minnesota on April 27. Harding arrives from Riley Children’s Health after serving as COO at several pediatric systems, including Children’s Hospital of The King’s...
Should Canada Extend MAID to People with Mental Illness?
Canada’s Bill C-7, passed in 2021, eliminated the natural‑death prerequisite for medical assistance in dying (MAID) but barred individuals whose sole condition is a mental illness. The exclusion was slated to expire after two years, yet Parliament postponed it first...
International News in Brief: IVF Pregnancy Achieved with “Fully Autonomous” System, Prince Edward Island AVT Pilot, Amazon Weight Management Programme
A health‑tech startup, BAIBYS, announced a first‑trimester pregnancy achieved with its fully autonomous AI‑driven system that selects and isolates sperm cells for IVF, cutting procedure time dramatically. In Canada, Prince Edward Island joins a national AI‑scribe pilot that promises clinicians...
A Quarter of Healthcare Organizations Report Medical Device Cyber-Attacks
RunSafe Security’s 2026 Medical Device Cybersecurity Index found that 24% of healthcare organizations experienced cyber‑attacks on medical devices in the past year. In 80% of those incidents, the impact on patients was moderate or significant, ranging from delayed imaging to...
We Detected Aids Through a Federal Early Warning System. Trump Has Decimated It | Robert B Shpiner
The Biden administration has terminated members of the National Science Board, undermining the independence of the National Science Foundation’s $9 bn research portfolio. Simultaneously, the CDC has halted 38 of its 82 surveillance databases—most of them vaccine‑related—and the Advisory Committee on...
The Exeter Pays £71m as Health Claims Surge
The Exeter paid out roughly $90 million in claims for 2025, with health insurance accounting for about $66 million of that total. Over 16,500 new health‑related claims were recorded, driven mainly by musculoskeletal, connective‑tissue and cancer conditions. Income‑protection payouts rose 12% to...
Arcera and Fosun Sign MoU for Neuroscience Innovation
Arcera Life Sciences and Fosun Pharma have signed a memorandum of understanding to create a long‑term strategic partnership focused on licensing, technology sharing, and neuroscience innovation. The deal taps Fosun’s research and manufacturing capabilities and Arcera’s access to international markets,...
Contextual Determinants of the Implementation of a Mental Health Diversion Policy in California
In 2018 California enacted Assembly Bill 1810, establishing a pre‑trial diversion pathway for defendants with mental health disorders. Implementation is delegated to counties, which have discretion over infrastructure, oversight, and procedural details. A RAND‑sponsored qualitative study interviewed 29 partners across...
RFK Jr. Talked About 'Reparenting' Kids on Wellness Farms. We Visit One that Inspired Him
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting a national network of “wellness farms” that would “reparent” children, especially Black youth, by modeling Italy’s San Patrignano community. He cited the Italian abstinence‑based program as a template during his 2024 presidential campaign and reiterated...
How AI Could Help Combat Antibiotic Resistance
Antibiotic resistance now kills over a million people annually and could claim 40 million lives by 2050. Traditional culture‑based diagnostics take days, forcing physicians to guess treatments and driving misuse of antibiotics. AI‑powered diagnostics are achieving more than 99% accuracy and...
Pediatric Dental Surgeries in Children with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Paid by Means of Medicaid
The study examined Medicaid claims from 2016‑2020 across 40 states, covering 601,286 outpatient dental surgeries for children ages 1‑18 with intellectual disabilities and related conditions (IDRC) and autism. Regression‑adjusted analysis showed that children with IDRC were 14 percentage points less...
Health Care Access and Quality for New York Veterans Provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Community Care
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is proposing to broaden eligibility for its Community Care program, allowing more New York veterans to receive VA‑funded treatment from private providers when VA facilities fall short on access or quality. Currently, only 47%...
Health Care Access and Quality for New York Veterans Provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Community Care
RAND released Volume II of its study on health‑care access and quality for New York veterans under the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Community Care program. The supplement details the research methods, data sources, and analytic techniques used to evaluate...
Health Care Access and Quality for New York Veterans
Around 315,000 New York veterans are enrolled in VA health benefits, but geographic access is limited—only 47% live within a 30‑minute drive of a VA facility and 54% are beyond that range for mental‑health services. The VA Community Care Network (CCN)...