Quebec May Not Standardize on Epic Province-Wide
Quebec’s health ministry has halted plans to adopt Epic Systems for a province‑wide electronic health record, citing soaring costs and privacy worries. The two pilot projects slated for May 9 now cost roughly $298 million USD, up from an initial $196 million estimate, and could climb beyond $444 million. Premier Christine Fréchette gave the green light for the pilots but stopped short of endorsing a full rollout, while former cyber minister Gilles Bélanger warned that U.S. CLOUD Act provisions could expose patient data. Analysts estimate a full‑scale Epic deployment would exceed $2.2 billion USD, far beyond Quebec’s current IT capacity.
GenAI Already a Major Component of Care Delivery
A CSA Group report authored by Will Falk argues that Canada must accelerate supervised adoption of generative AI in healthcare. The paper cites current clinician use for documentation and patient‑facing tools for explanation and navigation. It warns that delaying implementation...
Winner Announced for Cancer Screening Challenge
MaRS Discovery District and the Canadian Cancer Society announced Gateway Centre of Excellence in Rural Health as the grand‑prize winner of the Rural and Remote Community Cancer Screening Challenge. The Ontario‑based nonprofit received a $100,000 prize (≈US$73,000) to expand its...
EyePoint Inc (EYPT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
EyePoint Pharmaceuticals reported a dramatic revenue drop to $600,000 for the quarter, reflecting the reversal of deferred YUTIQ license revenue, while operating expenses surged to $71 million as Phase 3 trials for its DuraVu platform intensified. The company posted a net loss...
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc (VNDA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Vanda Pharmaceuticals reported Q1 2026 net product sales of $51.7 million, a modest 3% year‑over‑year increase driven primarily by a 26% surge in Fanapt revenue and a 32% rise in prescriptions. Hetlioz sales continued to decline, falling 24% YoY amid generic...
Taysha Gene Therapies Inc (TSHA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Taysha Gene Therapies announced that its Rett syndrome gene therapy TSHA-102 has moved into pivotal development, securing FDA Breakthrough Therapy designation and written alignment on both the REVEAL pivotal and ASPIRE trial designs. Early Phase 1/2 data showed a 100%...
Urogen Pharma Ltd (URGN) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
UroGen Pharma reported a $15.8 million 2025 revenue for its newly launched Zasturi, with the permanent J code effective Jan. 1 2026 spurring a sharp uptick in prescriber and site adoption. The company now has 838 activated sites, over 95% payer access, and...
Sarepta Therapeutics Inc (SRPT) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Sarepta Therapeutics reported $1.86 billion net product revenue for 2025, a 16% increase, and ended the year with $954 million in cash and investments. Management guided 2026 net product revenue to $1.2‑$1.4 billion, emphasizing a low‑end outlook while targeting operating profit and positive...
Establishment Labs Holdings Inc (ESTA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Establishment Labs Holdings posted $53.8 million revenue in Q1 2026, a 33.7% year‑over‑year increase, and achieved a 70.1% gross profit margin, surpassing the 70% threshold for the first time. Adjusted EBITDA turned positive at $1.2 million, marking the company’s inaugural profitable quarter after...
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals Inc (MDGL) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Madrigal Pharmaceuticals reported its Q1 2026 earnings, highlighting that Rezdiffra generated $958 million in net sales for its first full year, nearly $1 billion in total revenue. Patient enrollment rose to 36,250, reflecting strong sequential growth in the expanding MASH market. The...
Biote Corp (BTMD) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Biote Corp reported Q1 2026 revenue of $46.4 million, down 6.9% year‑over‑year, with procedure revenue falling 13% while dietary supplement sales jumped 16% driven by e‑commerce. Gross profit margin slipped to 68% after a $1.3 million inventory charge linked to...
Novavax Inc (NVAX) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Novavax reported a Q1 2019 net loss of $43.2 million, improving from the prior year, while revenue fell 59% to $4 million as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation grant wound down. The company highlighted clinical milestones for its RSV vaccine ResVax,...
Bioventus Inc (BVS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Bioventus Inc. reported Q1 2026 revenue of $158 million, a 3% year‑over‑year increase and 10% organic growth, driven primarily by volume gains in its Pain Treatments and Restorative Therapies segments. Adjusted EBITDA rose 30% to $37 million, expanding the margin to 23%...
Sera Prognostics Inc (SERA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Sera Prognostics reported Q1 2026 revenue of $14 k, down from $38 k, while operating expenses rose slightly to $9.4 M, resulting in an $8.4 M net loss. Management highlighted a strategic shift from R&D to commercialization, launching a third partnership program that reaches...
Agilon Health Inc (AGL) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Agilon Health reported Q1 2026 revenue of $1.42 billion, down from a year earlier, as Medicare Advantage and ACO REACH memberships slipped to 426,000 and 110,000 respectively. Despite the headcount decline, medical margin rose to $149 million and adjusted EBITDA more than doubled...
Zevra Therapeutics Inc (ZVRA) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Zevra Therapeutics reported Q1 2026 net revenue of $36.2 million, a 78% year‑over‑year increase, driven primarily by MyPlifer sales of $24.6 million and a $10.2 million expanded‑access program. The company completed the $50 million divestiture of its SDX portfolio, recorded a $43.3 million one‑time gain...
Mineralys Therapeutics Inc (MLYS) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
Mineralys Therapeutics reported Q1 2026 results highlighting FDA acceptance of lorundrostat’s NDA with a PDUFA target of Dec 22, 2026. The company completed five trials showing durable blood‑pressure reductions, though the EXPLORER‑OSA study missed its primary AHI endpoint, it still demonstrated a...
Cytokinetics Scores Late-Stage Win in Non-Obstructive HCM as BMS Plans Camzyos Restart
Cytokinetics announced that its experimental drug Myqorzo (aficamten) achieved both primary endpoints in the Phase III ACACIA‑HCM trial, marking the first late‑stage success for a therapy targeting non‑obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The result propelled the company’s stock up 17%, pushing its...
Re: The UK Covid-19 Inquiry Lays Bare the Cost of Delayed Action for NHS Staff
The UK Covid‑19 Inquiry highlighted stark disparities in pandemic outcomes for NHS and social‑care staff. By April 2020, two‑thirds of the 106 healthcare workers who died were from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) backgrounds, even though they represent only 20.7%...
Pursuing Tech-Enabled Preventive Healthcare for Lower-Income Families
National University Hospital’s HEADS‑UPP programme in Singapore is using tele‑dentistry to deliver preventive dental care to low‑income preschoolers. Nurses capture intra‑oral images at preschools, which paediatric dentists review remotely to produce personalized risk reports. Early data show follow‑up specialist care...
Both Very Low and Very High Heart Rates May Be Linked to Higher Stroke Risk, Study Says
A UK Biobank analysis of nearly 460,000 adults presented at the European Stroke Organisation Conference found a U‑shaped relationship between resting heart rate and stroke risk. The lowest risk occurred at 60‑69 beats per minute, while rates below 50 bpm...
NHI May Sell More Nursing Home Assets, Open to Offers Above Operating Partner’s $560M Pending Deal
National Health Investors (NHI) is accelerating its exit from skilled nursing facilities, highlighted by a pending $560 million sale of 32 nursing homes and three independent‑living sites to operator National HealthCare Corp. The REIT is also open to higher written offers...
VA Still on Pace with EHR Deployment After Rollouts Earlier This Year, Officials Say
The Department of Veterans Affairs has resumed its rollout of the new Oracle Health electronic health record system, completing the first independent deployments at four Michigan facilities after a year‑long pause. Officials say the Michigan launches went smoothly, prompting an...
PACS, Cantex, Venza Care Execs on ‘Highly Engineered’ Tech Deployment in Nursing Homes, Driving M&A, Compliance and Metrics
Nursing‑home operators are scaling technology investments to boost visibility, compliance and M&A efficiency. PACS Group, which runs 325 facilities and 32,208 beds across 18 states, uses a proprietary tech platform and an AI committee to evaluate acquisitions and enforce repeatable...
MRI Reveals Link Between Hidden Muscle Fat and Undiagnosed Cardiometabolic Risk
Researchers used a deep‑learning segmentation algorithm on whole‑body MRIs of more than 11,000 ostensibly healthy adults and found that intramuscular fat is strongly associated with hypertension, atherogenic dyslipidemia and dysglycemia. The AI model dramatically reduced the time needed to quantify...
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NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE: Public Participation Process in ‘Frightfully Expensive’ NHI Scheme Under Scrutiny in ConCourt
The Board of Healthcare Funders (BHF), representing 65 medical‑aid schemes and 4.5 million beneficiaries, has filed a constitutional challenge alleging that Parliament failed to conduct a meaningful public‑participation process for the National Health Insurance (NHI) Bill. The case is being heard...
Advances in Genetic Medicine Took Center Stage at INSAR
At INSAR in Prague, researchers highlighted a surge of genetic‑medicine breakthroughs aimed at autism, focusing on rare variants such as SCN2A, SHANK3 and UBE3A. Techniques ranging from CRISPR gene editing to antisense oligonucleotides and epigenome editing demonstrated tangible symptom improvements,...
Hiding in Plain Sight: Methamphetamine-Related MIs Not Uncommon
A California retrospective study of 1,309 adults under 65 found that 14.8% of acute myocardial infarctions (MIs) were associated with methamphetamine use. Meth‑related MIs occurred in younger men, featured more nonobstructive coronary disease, and led to lower rates of revascularization....
OTC Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments (OMUFA): Understanding FY 2026 User Fees and Registration - 05/05/2026
The FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research hosted a May 5, 2026 webinar to explain the Over‑the‑Counter Monograph Drug User Fee Amendments (OMUFA) for fiscal year 2026. The session covered fee structures, registration requirements for OTC monograph facilities, payment timelines, and penalties...
Provider-Payer Tensions Brew in Courtrooms: 3 Recent Lawsuits
Provider‑payer friction is spilling into the courts as health systems sue insurers over alleged underpayment. The California Hospital Association filed a suit against Anthem, claiming a 10% payment reduction for hospitals when out‑of‑network physicians treat patients. Broward Health is suing...
Impella 5.5 Shows Promise in Certain Non-Shock, High-Risk Cardiac Surgery Patients
The IMPACT trial presented at the 106th AATS meeting evaluated prophylactic Impella 5.5 support before weaning 100 non‑shock cardiac‑surgery patients (LVEF ≤35%) off cardiopulmonary bypass. Researchers found the strategy safe, feasible, and associated with favorable postoperative outcomes, hinting at a new...
The BioPharm Brief: Breakthrough Biologics and Long-Term Wins in IBD and Beyond
Viridian Therapeutics reported positive Phase III REVEAL‑2 data for veligrotug (VRDN‑001) in chronic thyroid eye disease, showing statistically significant reductions in proptosis and higher overall response rates. Eli Lilly presented four‑year long‑term results for mirikizumab (Omvoh) in ulcerative colitis, with a substantial...
AHA Comments on Proposed Changes to Medicare Advantage, Part D Data Reporting Requirements
The American Hospital Association (AHA) submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on proposed revisions to Medicare Advantage (MA) and Part D data reporting for contract year 2027. The changes clarify contract definitions, require reporting for...
HHS Announces Action Plan on Psychiatric ‘Overprescribing’
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services unveiled an action plan aimed at curbing the overprescribing of psychiatric medications, with a particular focus on children. The strategy calls for systematic evaluation of prescription trends, promotion of non‑drug therapies, and...
AHA Tactical Brief Available on Integrated Behavioral Health
The American Hospital Association released a tactical brief outlining how integrating behavioral and physical health care can treat patients more holistically. It highlights core components such as co‑location, team‑based care, patient‑centered approaches, and robust care management. The brief features insights...
RFK Jr. Plans to Curb Antidepressants, Which He Falsely Compares to Heroin
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. used a Make America Healthy Again Institute event to unveil a federal push to curb antidepressant prescribing, especially SSRIs. The initiative includes clinician training, a Dear Colleague Letter promoting non‑pharmacologic treatments, and new CMS guidance with a billing...
6 Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Starting a Mental-Health Drug
Starting a mental‑health medication can feel hopeful yet intimidating, so clinicians advise patients to ask six critical questions before beginning treatment. The questions cover the drug’s mechanism, expected onset, treatment length, side‑effect profile, potential interactions, and what to do if...
AI Innovation Series 2026 — Suzanne Paysinger, Executive Director, Hospice of Limestone County
In a MatrixCare‑sponsored interview, Suzanne Paysinger, executive director of Hospice of Limestone County, outlines practical AI use cases for hospice teams. She highlights AI‑driven equipment troubleshooting, predictive analytics for symptom and family‑support needs, and real‑time communication flags across interdisciplinary teams....
Questions and Answers on Current Good Manufacturing Practice Regulations | Production and Process Controls
The FDA released a detailed Q&A clarifying current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) expectations for pharmaceutical manufacturers. It addresses equipment labeling, warehouse sampling of containers, media‑fill contamination sources, and the number of validation batches required for new products. The guidance also...
Medicaid Work Requirements: Who Actually Benefits?
Nebraska’s early rollout of Medicaid work requirements has stripped roughly 10% of eligible adults of coverage, exposing them to a coverage gap. The state’s administrative outlays have ballooned to about $150 million, far above the budgeted amount, while private contractors that...
Midwives Saved His Mom's Life -- and Inspired Him to Pursue the Profession
Ethiopian assistant professor Dawit Tamru credits midwives with saving his mother’s life, a moment that set him on a career path. He now leads the School of Midwifery at Haramaya University, where Ethiopia has grown its midwife workforce from roughly...
Parsley Health Wins Greater Insurance Coverage for Its Functional Medicine
Parsley Health announced it is now in‑network with major insurers nationwide, joining Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, BlueCross BlueShield, Humana and Centene. The rollout expands coverage to roughly 150 million Americans, a tenfold increase from its earlier state‑by‑state pilots. The functional‑medicine platform reports that...
First Patient Enrolled in Massive Heart Failure Trial
CVRx has begun enrolling patients in BENEFIT‑HF, a pivotal trial of its Barostim implant for heart failure. The study plans to enroll roughly 2,500 NYHA Class II‑III patients across the United States and Germany and will run through 2032. Participants must...
Frictionless Data Flow Streamlines Medicaid Enrollment
Contexture announced a new platform that streams clinical data directly to state Medicaid agencies. The real‑time exchange removes the need for caseworkers to conduct multiple manual record searches. By automating eligibility verification, the system speeds up enrollment and cuts administrative...
How the Next CDC Director Could Reshape America’s $5.3 Trillion Health Care Industry
Former Deputy Surgeon General Erica Schwartz was nominated on April 16 to lead the CDC, a role that can steer the $5.3 trillion U.S. health‑care sector. The director’s levers—clinical guidance, real‑time disease surveillance, and public trust—directly affect vaccine schedules, insurer reimbursements, and industry...
F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration blocked publication of several agency‑conducted studies that found Covid‑19 and shingles vaccines to be safe. The withdrawn research, funded with public dollars, had been slated for peer‑review journals and a drug‑safety conference. FDA officials...
Medicaid Eligibility Decisions Made Faster with Smoother Data Exchange
Contexture, a health information exchange, is now sharing clinical data directly with Arizona and Colorado Medicaid agencies to determine whether work‑requirement rules apply to beneficiaries. The real‑time exchange streamlines eligibility verification, cutting the time needed for manual record checks. By...
How AmSurg Went From Bankruptcy to a $3.9B Ascension Deal
AmSurg, once the nation’s largest ambulatory surgery center (ASC) operator, survived a cascade of ownership changes, a leveraged‑buyout by KKR and Envision’s 2023 Chapter 11 filing. After splitting from Envision and rebuilding its platform under new creditor Pacific Investment Management, the...
St. Luke’s University Health Turns to Auxira for Cardiology Support
St. Luke’s University Health Network has partnered with Auxira Health to embed virtual clinical support pods within its cardiology practice. The pods, staffed by advanced practice providers, medical assistants and nurses, handle routine telehealth visits and inbox management, freeing cardiologists for...
Pfizer's Albert Bourla Says He Has No Mega-Merger Plans
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told analysts on the company’s earnings call that a transformative merger or acquisition is not on the agenda. He emphasized that the firm will pursue growth through its existing vaccine, oncology and specialty drug pipelines. The...