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Health

169 stories on the Health beat — every filing on this desk, newest first.

02HEALTH

Mark Cuban aims to repurpose Cost Plus Drugs plant for rare disease treatments

Mark Cuban and Cost Plus Drugs chief executive officer Alex Oshmyansky say the company plans to use its manufacturing facility to produce custom-made medicines for rare diseases. STAT reports that this strategic shift would move the…

OCTOBER 21, 20261 MIN
09HEALTH

German biotech gains rare prime-time slot at European cancer conference

A German biotechnology company secured a prime-time presentation slot at a major European oncology conference to share early data from a small clinical study. The company presented findings from a Phase 1 trial involving just 16 patients…

OCTOBER 21, 20261 MIN
11HEALTH

NIH Replication Plans Cut to $174 Million After Council Concerns

National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director Jay Bhattacharya's plans to expand replication in biomedical research have been reduced to $174 million, following a report from the NIH's Council of Councils. The scaled-down funding targets…

OCTOBER 21, 20261 MIN
21HEALTH

Four states weigh bans on transgender youth in school sports

Four states will consider ballot measures that would bar transgender students from competing in sports teams that match their gender identity. Two of these states already have such bans, and the new proposals would bolster those existing…

OCTOBER 21, 20261 MIN
22HEALTH

Residents in procedural specialties often exceed 80-hour workweek limits

Junior otolaryngology residents in California routinely work upwards of 90 hours per week, a practice that technically violates federal rules limiting resident workweeks to 80 hours. This pattern is described as normal for trainees in…

OCTOBER 21, 20261 MIN
23HEALTH

Massachusetts moves to revoke licenses for RegalCare nursing homes

Massachusetts state regulators moved on October 13 to revoke all nursing home licenses held by RegalCare, a New Jersey-based company that acquired twelve facilities in the state after the pandemic. The decision follows an investigation by…

OCTOBER 21, 20261 MIN
37HEALTH

Lawmakers urge FDA to close peptide loophole

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has urged the Food and Drug Administration to close a regulatory loophole regarding peptides. The STAT+ newsletter reports that FDA officials appear to be reviving a policy requiring drugs to be tested on…

OCTOBER 20, 20261 MIN
44HEALTH

Dana-Farber and Beth Israel start $1.68 billion Boston cancer hospital

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Beth Israel Lahey Health have begun construction on a new $1.68 billion cancer hospital in Boston. The facility is designated as the only medical center of its kind in New England. The project is located at…

OCTOBER 20, 20261 MIN
45HEALTH

Median price of new drugs hits $257,000 in 2025

The median net price for newly launched medicines reached $257,000 in 2025, up 35% from $190,000 in 2022, according to an analysis by the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review and West Health. The figures were adjusted for inflation…

OCTOBER 20, 20261 MIN
54HEALTH

Median net price for new medicines rose 35% to $257,000 last year

The median net price for newly launched medicines increased by 35% last year to $257,000, according to a new analysis. This figure represents an adjustment for inflation and manufacturer discounts, up from $173,000 in 2022. The study…

OCTOBER 20, 20261 MIN
80HEALTH

Former GOP lawmakers warn vaccine messaging threatens midterms

Former members of Congress who are also physicians argue that mixed Republican messaging on vaccines is becoming a significant liability for candidates facing voters in November. The group, writing in an opinion piece, states that current…

OCTOBER 19, 20261 MIN
112HEALTH

STAT newsletter offers Elizabeth Holmes documentary prep

STAT has published a recap of its past coverage of Elizabeth Holmes for readers planning to watch a newly released documentary about her. The former Silicon Valley biotech leader is the subject of the film, which details her fall from…

OCTOBER 16, 20261 MIN
120HEALTH

HHS moves to allow unapproved peptides from compounding pharmacies

The Trump administration is moving forward with a plan to permit compounding pharmacies to manufacture specific peptides, a category of injections that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved as safe or effective. The…

OCTOBER 16, 20261 MIN
124HEALTH

Xilio Therapeutics hires Yariv Houvras as chief medical officer

Xilio Therapeutics has hired Yariv Houvras to serve as its chief medical officer. The company announced the appointment in a recent personnel update. Houvras joins Xilio from Tubulis, where he held the position of senior vice president of…

OCTOBER 16, 20261 MIN
143HEALTH

HHS submits peptide drug access plan to White House

U.S. health officials have moved forward with a plan to permit specialty pharmacies to produce certain peptides. These are largely unregulated injections that have gained popularity among followers of Health and Human Services Secretary…

OCTOBER 16, 20261 MIN
159HEALTH

OMass Therapeutics Raises $310 Million for Adrenal Drug

Privately held U.K. biotech OMass Therapeutics raised $310 million to support the clinical development of a drug for congenital adrenal hyperplasia, an inherited endocrine disorder. The funding will help advance the treatment through its…

OCTOBER 15, 20261 MIN
185HEALTH

Sanofi avoids EU fine after accepting antitrust settlement

Sanofi avoided a fine from European Union antitrust regulators. The company accepted a settlement to end an investigation into its marketing practices. This resolves a probe into an alleged campaign that disparaged a rival flu vaccine. The…

OCTOBER 15, 20261 MIN
187HEALTH

Whoop wearable becomes available to Medicare patients through ACCESS program

Consumer wearable company Whoop has been accepted into the Medicare ACCESS program, making its devices available at no cost to many traditional Medicare patients aged 65 and older. This marks a significant shift for the company, which has…

OCTOBER 14, 20261 MIN
189HEALTH

Trump administration delays rule on imported prescription drugs

The Trump administration has postponed a federal rule by 90 days that would have restricted Americans from purchasing prescription medications from licensed international pharmacies. This decision follows significant backlash from patient…

OCTOBER 14, 20261 MIN
195HEALTH

Pittsburgh researchers plan GLP-1 trial for addiction and recidivism

The Center for Addiction Science, Policy and Research and the Allegheny County Department of Human Services will launch a clinical trial in early 2027 to test whether a GLP-1 drug can help people with addiction and reduce their risk of…

OCTOBER 14, 20261 MIN
201HEALTH

STAT hosts AI Prognosis newsletter and Boston summit

STAT released the web edition of its AI Prognosis newsletter, a guide to artificial intelligence in health care and medicine, on the first day of the STAT Summit in Boston. The publication invites readers to sign up for weekly delivery…

OCTOBER 14, 20261 MIN
221HEALTH

Humana swaps private equity sponsor for BlackRock in $2.8 billion clinic deal

Humana is replacing private equity sponsor Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe with BlackRock in its CenterWell Senior Primary Care clinics. The health insurer announced on Tuesday that BlackRock will buy the majority stake in the network of…

OCTOBER 13, 20261 MIN
223HEALTH

Analysis finds patient reps on FDA panels often tied to pharma-funded groups

An analysis published in Health Affairs Scholar found that nearly 40% of Food and Drug Administration advisory committee meetings over a 20-year period included a patient or consumer representative with active ties to advocacy groups…

OCTOBER 13, 20261 MIN
236HEALTH

Trump administration targets international researchers with new fees and university investigations

The Trump administration has introduced two significant measures to restrict international students and scholars in the United States. These actions target a demographic that constitutes a large portion of the country's biomedical research…

OCTOBER 13, 20261 MIN
299HEALTH

Q32 Bio names José Trevejo chief medical officer

Q32 Bio has hired José Trevejo as its chief medical officer. The company announced the appointment in a personnel update featured by STAT+.

OCTOBER 10, 20261 MIN
300HEALTH

Humana leads Medicare Advantage star ratings despite legal threats

The federal government released new quality ratings for 2027 Medicare Advantage insurers, with Humana emerging as the biggest winner. However, significant uncertainty persists regarding the quality measures that determine these grades…

OCTOBER 10, 20261 MIN
306HEALTH

American Hospital Association sues to block new 340B rebate pilot

The American Hospital Association is suing the Trump administration to stop a new test of a federal drug discount program that would replace upfront price cuts with after-the-fact rebates. This is the second time the hospital lobbying…

OCTOBER 10, 20261 MIN
308HEALTH

Biotech Executive No Longer Top Choice For NIAID Director Role

Steven Quay is no longer the leading candidate to serve as director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a source with knowledge of the decision told STAT. The position, previously held by Anthony Fauci, is the…

OCTOBER 10, 20261 MIN
335HEALTH

Argenx Vyvgart Trial Stopped Early in Sjogren's Disease

Argenx disclosed that its drug Vyvgart failed to outperform placebo in a Phase 3 trial for patients with Sjogren's disease, a chronic autoimmune disorder. The company stopped the trial early after a data monitoring committee determined the…

OCTOBER 9, 20261 MIN
338HEALTH

Pallone proposes replacing No Surprises Act arbitration with rate-based system

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) has introduced a new bill that would eliminate the arbitration process used to resolve disputes between health insurers and out-of-network providers under the No Surprises Act. The Lower Premiums, Faster…

OCTOBER 9, 20261 MIN
352HEALTH

Roche partners with Defand Therapeutics to discover new medicines

Roche is moving beyond its traditional licensing model to partner with Chinese startup Defand Therapeutics for the discovery of new medicines. This approach distinguishes the company from other pharmaceutical firms that have recently…

OCTOBER 8, 20261 MIN
353HEALTH

Democrats eye key health committees ahead of midterms

Dozens of Democratic members are competing for seats on the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees as they prepare for a potential return to control of the chamber. These two committees hold broad jurisdiction over health…

OCTOBER 8, 20261 MIN
367HEALTH

PhRMA sues Trump administration over Medicare drug price pilot

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Wednesday, challenging a new Medicare pilot program that links drug prices to those in other countries. The trade group asserts…

OCTOBER 7, 20261 MIN
369HEALTH

Dutch court halts Merck's Keytruda subcutaneous sales in Europe

A Dutch court has ordered Merck to stop manufacturing and marketing the subcutaneous formulation of its cancer drug Keytruda in several European countries. The ruling finds that Merck infringed a patent held by Halozyme Therapeutics…

OCTOBER 7, 20261 MIN
381HEALTH

US opens public docket for first government-funded ibogaine trials

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has opened a public docket to gather feedback on the design of the first government-funded clinical trials for ibogaine, a psychedelic drug being studied for opioid addiction and post-traumatic stress…

OCTOBER 7, 20261 MIN
389HEALTH

Prestigious hospitals launch cash-pay longevity clinics for private patients

Prestigious hospitals across the United States are introducing a new medical specialty focused on longevity. These clinics operate on a cash-pay model, requiring patients to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for services that monitor…

OCTOBER 6, 20261 MIN
390HEALTH

BridgeBio drug for dwarfism enters priority review

The Food and Drug Administration has granted priority review to infigratinib, an oral treatment from BridgeBio for children with achondropasia, a common form of dwarfism. An approval decision for the drug is expected by Feb. 4, 2027.

OCTOBER 6, 20261 MIN
393HEALTH

Trump rules mandate clean health care price disclosures

The Trump administration released new regulations Monday requiring health insurance companies to publish cleaned-up spreadsheets of the prices they pay hospitals and doctors. The rules strip out meaningless data that previously clogged the…

OCTOBER 6, 20261 MIN
396HEALTH

Nobel Prize awarded for optogenetics research linking light to brain control

Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann, and Georg Nagel won the 2026 Nobel Prize for Medicine for developing tools that allow scientists to control brain cells with light. Deisseroth, a researcher at Stanford University and the Howard Hughes…

OCTOBER 6, 20261 MIN
400HEALTH

Doctor says AI billing tools inflate hospital costs

Blue Cross Blue Shield released research indicating that hospitals rely on artificial intelligence to maximize insurer payments without delivering extra care. The public reaction was immediate and angry. Many had hoped AI would improve…

OCTOBER 6, 20261 MIN
401HEALTH

Northwestern University launches $5,500 longevity clinic amid nonprofit status questions

Northwestern University has entered the growing longevity market by offering an annual assessment package priced at $5,500, a move that has drawn scrutiny regarding the compatibility of high out-of-pocket costs with the institution's…

OCTOBER 6, 20262 MIN
403HEALTH

Fifth Circuit judges question HHS defense in Medicare audit lawsuit

Federal appeals court judges appeared skeptical of the Trump administration's arguments during a Monday hearing on Humana's lawsuit regarding Medicare Advantage audit rules. The three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the…

OCTOBER 6, 20261 MIN
437HEALTH

Volunteer doctor urges marathon heat safety reforms after 2022 race

A medical provider who treated athletes during the 2022 New York City Marathon argues that race organizers must prepare for a climate-changed world. The incident occurred on Nov. 6, 2022, a day described as record hot for the event. The…

OCTOBER 4, 20261 MIN
440HEALTH

Pharmacist argues policy fails to distinguish orphan drugs with multiple uses

A pharmacist in Sidney, Nebraska, argues that government policy fails to recognize distinct medical conditions when regulating orphan-designated drugs. The pharmacy owner notes that while Crohn's disease and juvenile idiopathic arthritis…

OCTOBER 4, 20261 MIN
441HEALTH

NIH spent full $34 billion budget despite delays and reduced awards

The National Institutes of Health spent its entire roughly $34 billion external grants budget for the 2026 fiscal year, but a STAT analysis indicates that delayed and opaque decisions are stymying researchers. The agency ended the fiscal…

OCTOBER 4, 20261 MIN
445HEALTH

Boehringer Ingelheim obesity drug shows 13.1% weight loss in diabetes patients

An obesity drug from Boehringer Ingelheim and Zealand Pharma helped patients with diabetes lose up to 13.1% of their body weight, a result that Bloomberg News describes as disappointing. The pharmaceutical company has positioned the…

OCTOBER 4, 20261 MIN
455HEALTH

NIH launches new website to simplify health information access

The National Institutes of Health is launching a redesigned website on Monday to make finding information about human health and biomedical research easier. The new site moves away from organizing content by individual institutes and…

OCTOBER 3, 20261 MIN
472HEALTH

Novartis secures Abogen mRNA autoimmune deal for $575 million

Novartis has agreed to pay $575 million upfront to Abogen Biosciences, a Chinese company, for the rights to an experimental mRNA therapy targeting autoimmune diseases. The transaction marks another recent example of a major pharmaceutical…

OCTOBER 2, 20261 MIN
489HEALTH

Medicare Advantage plans shift more costs onto seniors in 2027

Medicare Advantage insurers are raising out-of-pocket costs and cutting benefits for enrollees in 2027. Federal data released this week shows drastic reductions in funding for dental work and the elimination of plans with broad hospital…

OCTOBER 2, 20261 MIN
517HEALTH

Poll: Rural MAHA voters say Trump health policies failed

A new survey indicates that most rural voters supporting the Make America Healthy Again movement believe President Donald Trump's health care policies have not improved the well-being of their communities. The findings come from a national…

SEPTEMBER 30, 20261 MIN
519HEALTH

Legal immigrants face Medicaid loss under 2025 legislation

State data indicates that hundreds of thousands of lawfully present immigrants are at risk of losing government health coverage beginning October 1. This development suggests the impact of Medicaid changes in President Donald Trump’s 2025…

SEPTEMBER 30, 20261 MIN
522HEALTH

Eli Lilly Zepbound combo shows 23.3% weight loss in diabetes trial

An investigational combination therapy from Eli Lilly produced significant weight loss in a mid-stage study, though high rates of participants stopping the treatment may raise questions about its tolerability. The company tested pairings…

SEPTEMBER 30, 20261 MIN
531HEALTH

MAHA Summit features corporate health industry leaders

The Make America Healthy Again movement, originally formed around mistrust of the health system and corporate influence, now includes major industry leaders promoting their work under its banner. This shift was evident at the MAHA Summit…

SEPTEMBER 30, 20261 MIN
533HEALTH

Lawmakers urge Trump to rethink rule restricting imported medicines

A growing number of congressional lawmakers are urging the Trump administration to reconsider a federal rule set to take effect next month. Critics warn the regulation will prevent Americans from obtaining prescription medicines from…

SEPTEMBER 29, 20261 MIN
534HEALTH

Beam Therapeutics sues former scientist and Chinese startup over IP theft

Beam Therapeutics has sued a former scientist and a Chinese biotech firm, alleging theft of intellectual property. The Cambridge, Mass.-based gene-editing company claims its former employee, Zi Jun “Emma” Wang, accessed electronic…

SEPTEMBER 29, 20261 MIN
535HEALTH

Former House Leader Eric Cantor Named PhRMA CEO

Eric Cantor, a former Republican majority leader in the U.S. House of Representatives, will be the next chief executive officer of PhRMA. The lobbying group announced the appointment on Tuesday.

SEPTEMBER 29, 20261 MIN
539HEALTH

Merck Halts US Supply of Recarbrio Antibiotic

Merck has stopped supplying Recarbrio, an antibiotic used to treat serious infections, to the U.S. market. The decision was announced earlier this month without a public explanation from the company.

SEPTEMBER 29, 20261 MIN
547HEALTH

Pennsylvania measles death sparks debate over cause of death language

A dispute over medical terminology has emerged in Pennsylvania following the reporting of two measles-associated deaths in Lancaster. On Aug. 25, local officials relayed the coroner's office position that one individual died "with measles…

SEPTEMBER 28, 20261 MIN
549HEALTH

Novo Nordisk pays up to $1.3 billion for Nanexa drug delivery tech

Novo Nordisk has agreed to pay up to $1.3 billion to license and develop Nanexa's drug delivery technology, according to The Wall Street Journal. The agreement is designed to reduce the frequency with which patients must inject obesity and…

SEPTEMBER 27, 20261 MIN
551HEALTH

Reproductive Futures CEO warns FDA nominee Overton ignores abortion drug science

The CEO of Reproductive Futures stated that FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton is ignoring scientific evidence regarding mifepristone, a key abortion medication. Overton appeared before the Senate health committee on Thursday to answer…

SEPTEMBER 27, 20261 MIN
552HEALTH

Lilly wins approval for once-weekly insulin shot

Eli Lilly has received approval for a once-weekly insulin injection. In a separate legal development, a federal jury in California found that Eli Lilly breached a contract with Nektar Therapeutics regarding the co-development of the…

SEPTEMBER 27, 20261 MIN
553HEALTH

CDC investigator questions US readiness for next biothreat

A former CDC investigator on the 2001 anthrax letters case has questioned whether the United States is prepared for a similar biological threat today. Twenty-five years after the initial attacks, the author argues that reviewing the public…

SEPTEMBER 27, 20261 MIN
568HEALTH

Medicines Patent Pool signs deals for generic Roche flu drug

The Medicines Patent Pool has signed sub-licensing agreements with 11 manufacturers to produce generic versions of Roche's influenza treatment, Xofluza. The moves are designed to prepare for pandemic scenarios by expanding access to the…

SEPTEMBER 26, 20261 MIN
572HEALTH

FDA nominee Heidi Overton avoids direct answers at Senate hearing

Heidi Overton, President Trump's nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, offered few personal opinions during her Senate confirmation hearing. Overton, a preventive medicine physician from rural New Mexico, faced questions on…

SEPTEMBER 24, 20261 MIN
576HEALTH

Indonesian court blocks drug patent evergreening tactic

An Indonesian court struck down a legal provision that permitted patent evergreening, a strategy where pharmaceutical companies file new patents for minor changes to existing medicines to delay generic competition. The ruling marks a…

SEPTEMBER 24, 20261 MIN
579HEALTH

Heidi Overton faces Senate questions on FDA nomination

Heidi Overton, the Trump administration's nominee for Food and Drug Administration commissioner, will appear before a Senate committee at 10:30 a.m. for a confirmation hearing. If confirmed, the 37-year-old preventive medicine physician…

SEPTEMBER 24, 20261 MIN
582HEALTH

FDA Nominee Heidi Overton Promises Faster Drug Approval to Counter China

Heidi Overton, the presidential nominee for the Food and Drug Administration, plans to prioritize speed and efficiency at the agency to compete with China's accelerating biotechnology sector. In an opening statement prepared for her…

SEPTEMBER 24, 20261 MIN
583HEALTH

White House plan to control NIH grants appears dead

A planned executive order that would have significantly expanded White House influence over National Institutes of Health grants is likely not moving forward. This development was reported by one person familiar with the decision, who was…

SEPTEMBER 24, 20261 MIN
585HEALTH

STAT newsletter examines the gap between AI doomerism and health care reality

STAT's AI Prognosis newsletter argues that the widespread fear of artificial intelligence causing human extinction is too far removed from the current state of health care AI to be discussed in the same breath. The publication, which…

SEPTEMBER 23, 20261 MIN
596HEALTH

Novo Nordisk May Have Gained Extra Benefit From Trump Deal

The short version: Novo Nordisk may have secured an additional financial advantage from its agreement with the Trump administration to lower obesity drug costs for seniors. This potential benefit sits on top of the existing deal. An MFN…

SEPTEMBER 23, 20262 MIN
603HEALTH

Heidi Overton faces key moment at FDA confirmation hearing

Heidi Overton is nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration, a regulatory body tasked with approving medicines and ensuring product safety. The short version is that she faces a critical test at her confirmation hearing, where she…

SEPTEMBER 22, 20262 MIN
606HEALTH

FDA replaces animal testing terms in new drug safety rule

The federal government has updated its drug approval rules to allow human-based research methods to replace animal testing in many cases. This is the second major push by the Department of Health and Human Services this year to shift…

SEPTEMBER 22, 20262 MIN
620HEALTH

Congress opposes White House plan for NIH grant review board

The short version is that federal lawmakers are pushing back against a proposal to place political appointees in charge of approving scientific research funding. This plan would create a commission with the power to sign off on every grant…

SEPTEMBER 22, 20262 MIN
631HEALTH

Lilly breast cancer combination receives regulatory approval

The short version is that Eli Lilly and Company secured approval for a breast cancer treatment combination. In plain terms, a drug combination is a therapeutic strategy that pairs two distinct agents to treat a disease, often aiming to…

SEPTEMBER 21, 20262 MIN
643HEALTH

Radiopharma giants merge in $1.65 billion deal after FDA rejection

Two leading radiopharmaceutical companies are merging in a transaction valued at at least $1.65 billion. This move follows a surprise FDA rejection for one of the firms. In plain terms, radiopharmaceuticals are medicines that deliver…

SEPTEMBER 21, 20262 MIN
666HEALTH

Sanfilippo syndrome gets its first gene therapy approval after more than a decade of research

A rare childhood disease called Sanfilippo syndrome now has an approved gene therapy, the first one in the disease's history. Gene therapy, in plain terms, is a treatment that introduces corrected genetic material into a patient's cells to…

SEPTEMBER 18, 20261 MIN
676HEALTH

A rare genetic variant raises lung cancer risk 25-fold in people who have never smoked

Researchers have identified a rare genetic variant tied to a 25-fold increase in lung cancer odds among people who have never smoked, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Science. A genetic variant is a small, inherited…

SEPTEMBER 17, 20262 MIN
705HEALTH

Pennsylvania records fourth measles death, an 18-year-old from Mifflin County

Pennsylvania has now reported a fourth death connected to measles. The latest was an 18-year-old resident of Mifflin County, in the center of the state, who died from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis, a rare and severe neurological…

SEPTEMBER 16, 20261 MIN
717HEALTH

Novartis shares drop 11% on drug failure as biosimilar gap threatens $200 billion in savings

A failed clinical trial wiped nearly $30 billion from Novartis's market value this week after shares fell 11% in a single session, erasing all the gains the stock had made since the start of the year. The drug that failed, del-desiran, was…

SEPTEMBER 13, 20262 MIN
725HEALTH

EU legal adviser hands pharma a win on wastewater costs

Pharmaceutical and cosmetics companies across Europe may be off the hook for the largest share of a continent-wide water cleanup effort, after a legal adviser to the EU's top court recommended striki

SEPTEMBER 13, 20262 MIN
726HEALTH

FDA clears first drug to target muscle loss in spinal muscular atrophy

Federal regulators approved a drug on Friday for spinal muscular atrophy, a rare neurological condition where the nerve cells that signal muscles to move gradually deteriorate. The drug, Isembyld, is the first approved therapy to directly…

SEPTEMBER 13, 20262 MIN
734HEALTH

AstraZeneca's breast cancer pill camizestrant fails first-line trial

A breast cancer drug failed its largest clinical test, a result that could limit how widely the medicine is prescribed. First-line therapy is the term for the initial drug doctors try after a patient's cancer advances, before other options…

SEPTEMBER 12, 20262 MIN
751HEALTH

Federal health officials give states a clearer tool for Medicaid work exemptions

States can now sort Medicaid recipients into health-severity tiers when deciding who is too ill to work or volunteer, under guidance released this week by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medical frailty, in plain terms, is…

SEPTEMBER 11, 20262 MIN
756HEALTH

Venkat Krishnamurthy named chief scientific officer of Alloy Therapeutics' genetic medicines division

The scientific leader of a genetic medicines division has changed. Genetic medicines, in plain terms, is the field of therapies that act on DNA or RNA to treat disease at its source. Alloy Therapeutics is the company gaining a new leader…

SEPTEMBER 11, 20261 MIN
768HEALTH

Trump administration to mail $500 checks to select ACA enrollees before midterms

A federal subsidy is government money that reduces what a person pays each month for health coverage. The Trump administration says it will send $500 refund checks to nearly 1 million Americans enrolled in Affordable Care Act health plans…

SEPTEMBER 11, 20261 MIN
774HEALTH

Childhood cancer drugs cause liver-aging mutations, Science study finds

A group of drugs that transformed survival rates for children with liver cancer have been found to cause genetic mutations in healthy liver tissue that speed up how fast the organ ages. The drugs are platinum-based chemotherapy agents, a…

SEPTEMBER 10, 20261 MIN
782HEALTH

Vaccine mandates on the ballot: five midterm races where school shot requirements are the fight

Vaccine mandates, the laws specifying which inoculations children must receive before they can enroll in public school, have become a prominent issue in at least five midterm races ahead of November's elections. Republican candidates in…

SEPTEMBER 10, 20262 MIN
786HEALTH

U.S. agency commits $62.7 million to build FDA-authorized AI for heart failure care

A federal health research agency is committing $62.7 million to develop artificial intelligence systems designed to help manage heart failure, where heart failure means the heart muscle can no longer pump enough blood to meet the body's…

SEPTEMBER 9, 20262 MIN
840HEALTH

Readers debate doctor credentials, AI in the exam room, and surrogacy in STAT's First Opinion letters

When physician credentials, artificial intelligence in the exam room, and surrogacy generated enough reader mail to warrant a public reply, STAT published the letters. The health and life sciences publ

SEPTEMBER 6, 20261 MIN
861HEALTH

A drug for Angelman syndrome failed its final trial. Researchers say the science is not done.

A late-stage trial for an experimental Angelman syndrome drug came back negative this week, dealing a major blow to patients and to the company behind it. Late-stage, in clinical testing, means the final ro

SEPTEMBER 5, 20262 MIN
866HEALTH

Novartis heart drug pelacarsen fails its largest clinical trial

A closely watched drug for a common heart disease risk factor has failed in its biggest test. Pelacarsen, developed by Novartis, targets Lp(a), a particle made from lipids and proteins whose elevated concentrations in the blood raise the…

SEPTEMBER 4, 20261 MIN
870HEALTH

Boston cancer patients face a choice as Mass General Brigham plan drops Dana-Farber

A network split is forcing some cancer patients in Boston to choose between their doctor and their insurance coverage. A network, in plain terms, is the list of hospitals and specialists an insurer has agreed to pay for directly. Starting…

SEPTEMBER 4, 20261 MIN
888HEALTH

Two patients who received pig kidneys have now gotten human transplants

Two people who received genetically engineered pig kidneys have now gone on to receive human donor organs, a result that suggests a temporary animal transplant does not block a conventional one later. A xenograft, the medical term for a…

SEPTEMBER 4, 20262 MIN
904HEALTH

FDA lets AI medical devices reach patients before full authorization under new TEMPO pilot

Some medical devices that use artificial intelligence to make care decisions can now reach patients before their makers have received marketing authorization, the formal federal clearance that normally must precede any commercial sale of a…

SEPTEMBER 3, 20262 MIN
911HEALTH

Doctors groups release vaccination guidelines ahead of respiratory illness season

Vaccination guidance for the coming winter respiratory season is now available for both medical professionals and their patients. The short version: a coalition of professional organizations representing pediatricians, family physicians…

SEPTEMBER 2, 20261 MIN
915HEALTH

Trump's pharma deals may not deliver on drug cost promises

Voluntary drug pricing agreements between the White House and midsize biotechnology companies are unlikely to change what most Americans pay for their prescriptions, at least in the near term, analysts say. The agreements follow a…

SEPTEMBER 2, 20261 MIN
919HEALTH

ADA internal review clears group of censorship after members ejected in New Orleans

An internal review, meaning an investigation the organization runs into its own conduct using a committee it appoints, has cleared the American Diabetes Association of censoring five members ejected from its scientific conference in New…

SEPTEMBER 2, 20262 MIN
943HEALTH

GLP-1 drugs are forcing employers to reconsider how they pay for workers' health care

A class of prescription medications known as GLP-1 drugs is upending how employers pay for their workers' health coverage. STAT's Health Care Inc. newsletter, written by reporter Bob Herman, describes

AUGUST 31, 20261 MIN
947HEALTH

A federal court will test whether buying a drug patent application can extend a monopoly illegally

Buying a patent application, a government filing that claims rights to an invention before the patent is officially issued, may be enough to cross the line into anticompetitive behavior. That question sits at the center of a federal…

AUGUST 31, 20262 MIN
952HEALTH

New study finds CTE in nearly 1 in 4 NFL players sampled, and the authors say that count may be low

Boston-area researchers have found that roughly one in four NFL players in their study sample had CTE at the time of death. CTE, or chronic traumatic encephalopathy, is a degenerative brain disease caused by repeated concussions and the…

AUGUST 31, 20262 MIN
957HEALTH

Alnylam defends its heart drugs after AstraZeneca's Wainua trial fails

A treatment for ATTR-CM, a heart condition, failed its clinical trial on Friday, and the fallout reached beyond the company that ran the test. AstraZeneca disclosed that its drug Wainua did not

AUGUST 31, 20261 MIN
962HEALTH

FDA clears Mimrylo for rare blood cancer that thickens patients' blood

A new weekly injection for polycythemia vera, a rare chronic blood cancer that causes the body to overproduce red blood cells and thicken the blood, won Food and Drug Administration approval on Friday. The drug is called rusfertide…

AUGUST 30, 20262 MIN
967HEALTH

Novartis drug pacibekitug cuts inflammation markers in midstage heart study

A drug designed to interrupt a specific inflammation signal in the body reduced measurable signs of that inflammation in a midstage clinical trial. Biomarkers, the proteins used to track whether inflammation is active inside a patient…

AUGUST 30, 20262 MIN
987HEALTH

Measles deaths in Pennsylvania set off a confrontation between Kennedy and Shapiro

Two unvaccinated people in Pennsylvania died from measles-associated causes, and the federal response began with a phone call. Federal assistance is when the national government steps in with resources or coordination to help a state…

AUGUST 27, 20261 MIN
993HEALTH

FDA approves first drug to target a genetic root of pancreatic cancer

The Food and Drug Administration approved a life-extending treatment for advanced pancreatic cancer on Wednesday, the first drug designed to block a genetic driver of the disease. A genetic dri

AUGUST 26, 20261 MIN
994HEALTH

Calcium scans may tip the statin decision for borderline heart risk patients

Two new trials point to a potential tiebreaker for patients caught in the gray zone on heart disease risk. A coronary artery calcium scan, meaning a low-dose CT image that detects calcified plaque inside the arteries near the heart, can…

AUGUST 26, 20262 MIN
997HEALTH

Shingrix vaccine tied to lower heart disease risk, observational study finds

A newer shingles vaccine has been linked to reduced rates of heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure in research the study team describes as a natural experiment, meaning it draws on real-world vaccination patterns rather than randomly…

AUGUST 26, 20261 MIN
1028HEALTH

Spruce Biosciences taps Adrian Quartel for chief medical officer role

A chief medical officer is the executive who decides how a drug company designs its clinical trials, interprets the data that comes back, and makes the medical case to regulators. Spruce Biosciences has filled that seat, hiring Adrian…

AUGUST 22, 20261 MIN
1039HEALTH

Federal health officials open a 30-day window to reconsider how children's vaccine recommendations are categorized

The federal government has taken a formal step toward reconsidering how children's vaccines are recommended in the United States, though no existing recommendations have changed. That step is a request for information

AUGUST 22, 20262 MIN
1053HEALTH

FDA clears Ultragenyx gene therapy in a week of back-to-back regulatory action

A gene therapy has received clearance for use in American patients, one of at least two approvals the Food and Drug Administration processed in a short stretch this week. Gene therapy, in p

AUGUST 20, 20261 MIN
1058HEALTH

Health systems deploy AI chatbots to search and summarize patient records

Hospitals and health systems are deploying chatbots powered by large language models to search and summarize patient medical records, a technology shift driven by how bloated those records have become. A large language model is software…

AUGUST 20, 20262 MIN
1092HEALTH

Federal vaccine messaging is making new parents' decisions harder, says the AAP president

Fearmongering (spreading exaggerated alarm to shift behavior, rather than to inform a decision) is what some federal leaders are doing on childhood vaccines, the president of the American Academy of Pediatrics now argues. The AAP is the…

AUGUST 16, 20262 MIN
1096HEALTH

Federal investigators are examining Epic Systems over potential antitrust violations

Federal regulators are looking at whether the nation's largest electronic health records company violated competition law. Antitrust law, which bars dominant companies from using their market position to lock out rivals, is the framework…

AUGUST 16, 20262 MIN
1110HEALTH

FDA clears first CELMoD drug for blood cancer as a $6.7 billion shareholder lawsuit returns to court

Multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, now has a new oral treatment approved by U.S. regulators. The Food and Drug Administration cleared Zenbexus, made by Bristol Myers Squibb, as the first drug in a new class called CELMoDs and the first drug…

AUGUST 14, 20262 MIN
1148HEALTH

Autoimmune research pioneer Georg Schett co-founds his first biotech, choosing antibody therapies over CAR-T

Georg Schett, the German scientist who spent five years demonstrating that CAR-T therapy, a treatment that engineers a patient's own immune cells to target and eliminate the source of disease, can reset the immune system in autoimmune…

AUGUST 12, 20262 MIN
1164HEALTH

Splitting the MMR vaccine risks more missed doses and more sick children, history suggests

Separating the MMR vaccine into individual shots is likely to produce more missed doses and more sick kids. The MMR is a single injection covering measles, mumps, and rubella. It is now the target of a White House executive order

AUGUST 11, 20262 MIN
1166HEALTH

FDA Rejects ITM's Cancer Drug on Manufacturing Grounds, Blocking Novartis Rival

A manufacturing problem flagged by U.S. regulators has halted a radiopharmaceutical, a cancer therapy that works by delivering radioactive isotopes directly to tumor cells. The drug's maker, ITM Isotope Technologies Munich SE, had already…

AUGUST 11, 20262 MIN
1187HEALTH

States must begin notifying Medicaid enrollees about new work requirements and eligibility rules in September

People covered by Medicaid, the joint federal-state health insurance program for low-income individuals, face new enrollment rules that take effect in 2027. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025 introduced those changes on what the law…

AUGUST 10, 20262 MIN
1189HEALTH

NIH moves to cut visa-holding researchers from a key early-career grant

A major federal science agency is moving to restrict one of its most sought-after early-career grants, called a K99/R00 award, which is a two-part fellowship that funds postdoctoral training and then a researcher's first years running an…

AUGUST 10, 20262 MIN
1190HEALTH

Sanofi Pompe disease drug shortage hits Myozyme and Nexviazyme as FDA flags Waterford plant

Two medicines used to treat Pompe disease, a rare inherited muscle disorder caused by the abnormal buildup of glycogen in the body's cells, are running short across the United States and Europe. Sanofi, which manufactures both drugs, has…

AUGUST 10, 20262 MIN
1201HEALTH

Teresa Nunes joins EpilepsyGTx as chief medical officer

A chief medical officer (the executive who owns a company's clinical strategy and translates scientific findings into decisions the broader organization can act on) has taken a new position. Teresa Nunes, who held that title at Allucent…

AUGUST 9, 20261 MIN
1206HEALTH

Senate contempt vote against Anthony Fauci diverts attention from China's documented obstruction of Covid-19 data

A Senate committee voted last week to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress after he invoked the Fifth Amendment, the constitutional protection against self-incrimination, during hearin

AUGUST 9, 20262 MIN
1226HEALTH

FDA clears Replimune's melanoma drug Tudriqev after two rejections

A cancer treatment rejected twice by federal regulators has now won approval. The Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Tudriqev, a drug made by the biotech company Replimune, for patients with advanced melanoma…

AUGUST 7, 20262 MIN
1264HEALTH

Seven months after launch, Aurora Therapeutics scraps its lead gene-editing program and cuts staff

Personalized CRISPR therapies, gene-editing treatments built around one patient's specific mutation rather than a disease shared by millions, just lost one of their early backers. Aurora Therapeutics has scrapped its lead program and laid…

AUGUST 4, 20262 MIN
1279HEALTH

California Supreme Court rules Gilead Sciences has no legal duty to fast-track a safer HIV drug

Pharmaceutical companies do not owe patients a legal duty to speed up development of a safer drug simply because a less safe version is already on the market. That concept, called a "duty to innovate," was at the center of a case brought…

AUGUST 3, 20262 MIN
1290HEALTH

Trump administration shifts 340B drug program from upfront discounts to rebates, drawing hospital backlash

A federal law requires pharmaceutical manufacturers to sell discounted medicines to specific hospitals and clinics. That discount mechanism, the foundation of the 340B Drug Pricing Program, is now being reshaped. The Trump administration…

AUGUST 2, 20262 MIN
1316HEALTH

Senate health panel clears Trump's CDC and pandemic preparedness nominees

A Senate committee vote, meaning a panel decision that sends nominees to the full chamber for final confirmation, moved two of President Trump's public health choices forward on Thursday. Erica Schwartz, nominated to lead the Centers for…

JULY 31, 20261 MIN
1339HEALTH

More than 200 ADA members demand leadership resign after scientists expelled in New Orleans

Five researchers were removed from a major diabetes organization's annual scientific conference, a once-a-year gathering where clinicians present new findings and debate the direction of clinical practice, in New Orleans last month. More…

JULY 29, 20262 MIN
1359HEALTH

Drug spending is up. PhRMA wants journalists to frame it differently.

Prescription drug spending is rising, and the pharmaceutical industry's main lobbying organization is running a campaign to change how reporters describe it. Lobbying, at its most basic, means paid outreach

JULY 27, 20262 MIN
1369HEALTH

Rigel Pharmaceuticals names Alison Hannah chief medical officer

The person who sets a drug company's clinical strategy and oversees how patient trials are designed is called the chief medical officer. Rigel Pharmaceuticals has filled that seat, hiring Alison Hannah as executive vice president and chief…

JULY 27, 20261 MIN
1371HEALTH

FDA panel splits on peptide compounding, backing epitalon while rejecting emideltide

An FDA advisory panel voted Friday to allow compounding pharmacies to produce epitalon while narrowly recommending against the same permission for emideltide. Compounding pharmacies, for those unfamiliar with the term, are facilities…

JULY 26, 20262 MIN
1385HEALTH

Six cyclospora outbreaks are active in the U.S. Only one is tied to a food source.

The FDA is currently investigating six separate cyclospora outbreaks, and only one has so far been linked to a specific food: shredded iceberg lettuce. Cyclospora is a pathogen that causes cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness that reached…

JULY 26, 20262 MIN
1519HEALTH

Access to testosterone medication in the U.S. draws scrutiny in health media

The question of who can legally obtain testosterone, a hormone medication prescribed for a range of medical conditions, surfaced this week in STAT's Morning Rounds, a free daily newsletter covering health and medicine. The newsletter…

JULY 17, 20262 MIN
1537HEALTH

Mayo Clinic faces whistleblower lawsuit over AI deployment ethics

A lawsuit filed by a former health-system employee claims she lost her job after raising concerns about how artificial intelligence was being used in patient care. The legal term for that kind of case is a whistleblower

JULY 15, 20262 MIN
1578HEALTH

Germany moves to more than double drug rebates as U.S. biotech firms retreat into secrecy

The price of selling a branded medicine in Germany may soon rise sharply for drug companies. German lawmakers passed a bill that would increase the mandatory rebate, the fixed discount manufacturers must return to the country's public…

JULY 10, 20262 MIN
1588HEALTH

White House weighs three finalists to head the FDA

The Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency that approves new prescription drugs, medical devices, and food safety standards before they reach consumers, is close to getting a new leader. The White House has received a short list…

JULY 9, 20261 MIN
1590HEALTH

RFK Jr. moves to expand Covid vaccine injury compensation

A federal compensation process for Covid-19 vaccine injuries is about to get easier to access. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to begin compiling a formal list of conditions the government would presume were caused by Covid…

JULY 8, 20262 MIN
1614HEALTH

Vertex Pharmaceuticals to Buy Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $10 Billion in Rare Disease Deal

Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced Monday it will acquire Crinetics Pharmaceuticals for $10 billion, or roughly $85 per share, adding a commercial rare-disease therapy and additional pipeline candidates to its portfolio. The deal centers on…

JULY 7, 20262 MIN
1628HEALTH

Mental Health of Content Creators Takes Center Stage at VidCon

At VidCon — the largest annual social video creator conference, held this year in Anaheim, California — a striking share of programming was devoted to the mental health of content creators themselves, not the audiences scrolling past their…

JULY 6, 20262 MIN
1637HEALTH

Federal Judge Blocks Colorado's First-Ever Price Cap on an Amgen Blockbuster Drug

A federal judge has blocked the Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board from enforcing a first-in-the-nation upper payment limit on a blockbuster drug sold by Amgen, ruling that the

JULY 5, 20262 MIN
1638HEALTH

Federal Judge Halts Colorado's First-in-the-Nation Enbrel Price Cap; Medicare to Offer Weight-Loss Drugs at $50 a Month

A federal judge has temporarily blocked Colorado from capping the price of Amgen's Enbrel, dealing a setback to state-level drug affordability efforts. Separately, a new Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services program will make obesity…

JULY 5, 20262 MIN
1654HEALTH

Roche Drug Sets New Standard for KRAS-Driven Lung Cancer

A Roche drug has established a new treatment standard for KRAS-driven lung cancer, STAT+ reported, marking a significant moment in an oncology target that has long resisted effective therapy. The news lands as the broader biotech sector's…

JULY 4, 20262 MIN
1664HEALTH

DeGette's Loss Is a Mixed Bag for the Pharmaceutical Industry

The pharmaceutical industry is losing one of Capitol Hill's more informed Democratic voices. Democratic lawmaker DeGette has lost her seat, and STAT News's D.C. Diagnosis newsletter — which covers the politics and policy of health and…

JULY 4, 20261 MIN
1672HEALTH

Protillion Biosciences Names Robert Hollingsworth Chief Scientific Officer

Protillion Biosciences has hired Robert Hollingsworth as its chief scientific officer, according to the STAT+ executive-tracking column "Up and Down the Ladder." Hollingsworth previously held the same title at Shoreline Therapeutics and…

JULY 4, 20262 MIN
1673HEALTH

Elevance Health Sues U.S. Government for $115 Million Over Medicare Advantage Star Ratings

Elevance Health has sued the U.S. government, alleging that federal regulators recalculated its Medicare Advantage quality ratings in a manner inconsistent with a recent court ruling — a me

JULY 4, 20262 MIN
1686HEALTH

Bipartisan Lawmakers Urge RFK Jr. to Force Eli Lilly Back Into 340B Hospital Discounts

A bipartisan group of Congressional lawmakers has written to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., pressing the Trump administration to compel Eli Lilly to restore federally mandated price breaks to hospitals enrolled…

JULY 3, 20262 MIN
1693HEALTH

Medicare Proposes Cutting 340B Drug Payments to Hospitals by More Than a Third

Medicare has proposed paying hospitals average sales price minus 33.4% for drugs acquired through the 340B discount program, a sharp retreat from the current reimbursement rate of average sales price plus 6%. The proposal, released…

JULY 3, 20262 MIN
1722HEALTH

Anthropic Enters Drug Development With Claude Science Launch; Trump Drug Pricing Plan Faces Mid-Size Pharma Test

Anthropic has released Claude Science, a version of its large language model configured specifically for scientific laboratories and pharmaceutical research operations, becoming the first large artif

JULY 1, 20262 MIN
1735HEALTH

Anthropic to Develop Its Own Drugs, Testing Whether AI Can Do Real Science

Anthropic, the San Francisco-based artificial intelligence company behind the Claude family of models, announced Tuesday that it will enter drug development — a significant step that tests whether AI systems can do genuine scientific work…

JULY 1, 20262 MIN
1737HEALTH

Anthropic Launches Claude Science to Target Pharma Research Operations

Anthropic has released Claude Science, an application that optimizes the company's artificial intelligence model for use in scientific laboratories, with pharmaceutical research operations as its primary commercial target. The San…

JUNE 30, 20262 MIN
1745HEALTH

FDA's Top Gene Therapy Regulator Vijay Kumar Steps Down Amid Continuing CBER Turnover

Vijay Kumar, the acting director of the Food and Drug Administration's Office of Therapeutic Products — the unit that reviews cell and gene therapies for safety and approval — is leaving his post, according to an internal email obtained by…

JUNE 30, 20262 MIN
1751HEALTH

AstraZeneca to Pay $34 Million to Settle Texas Medicaid Kickback Claims

AstraZeneca agreed to pay $34 million to settle allegations brought by the Texas attorney general that the pharmaceutical company paid kickbacks to improperly influence prescriptions covered by Texas Medicaid. The settlement resolves…

JUNE 29, 20262 MIN
1760HEALTH

Australian Musician's U.S. Tour Break Ends With a Quintessentially American Hospital Bill

An Australian musician who broke her back while on tour in the United States spent nearly two weeks in an American hospital, then published an account of the experience. Her dispatch was described as surprisingly heartwarming — the medical…

JUNE 29, 20261 MIN
1764HEALTH

Edison Scientific, AI Drug-Discovery Spinout With $70 Million in Backing, Tapped by Metsera Team to Build New Biotechs

Edison Scientific, an artificial-intelligence drug-discovery company spun out of the nonprofit FutureHouse in late 2025 with $70 million in venture funding, has been engaged by the team behind Metsera to create new biotechnology companies…

JUNE 29, 20262 MIN
1801HEALTH

988 LGBTQ+ Crisis Line Set to Relaunch This Year, But the Group That Helped Build It May Be Locked Out

The Trump administration is moving to restart the specialized LGBTQ+ option within the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the federal crisis intervention hotline, but The Trevor Project — the nonprofit that helped pioneer the service for…

JUNE 27, 20262 MIN
1803HEALTH

BIO 2026 in San Diego Signals a Mood Shift for the Biotech Industry

BIO 2026, one of the largest annual gatherings of biotechnology companies and investors, brought delegations from dozens of countries to San Diego and delivered something the industry had not felt at several comparable events in the prior…

JUNE 26, 20262 MIN
1807HEALTH

Delphia Therapeutics Names David Kerstein as Chief Medical Officer

Delphia Therapeutics has appointed David Kerstein as its chief medical officer. Kerstein arrives with direct experience in the role, having previously served as CMO at both IDRx and Theseus Pharmaceuticals — a track record that matters in…

JUNE 26, 20261 MIN
1815HEALTH

One Patient Has Been Granted Exclusive Access to Eli Lilly's Obesity Drug Retatrutide Through FDA Compassionate Use

The Food and Drug Administration and Eli Lilly have permitted a single individual to receive retatrutide — Lilly's highly anticipated obesity drug candidate — through the FDA's compassionate use program, according to a scoop by STAT News…

JUNE 26, 20262 MIN
1820HEALTH

BIO 2026 in San Diego: China's Drug-Development Push and the AI Imperative Dominate the Industry Agenda

The annual international BIO conference in San Diego brought biotech and startup executives face-to-face with two forces reshaping the global drug industry: China's deepening capabilities in drug development and the early competitive…

JUNE 25, 20262 MIN
1823HEALTH

CDC's Vaccine Advisory Panel Gets a New Charter That Widens the Door on Membership and Mission

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published a revised governing charter for its Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the expert panel that shapes how vaccines are recommended for use across the United States. The…

JUNE 25, 20262 MIN
1829HEALTH

Vaccine Makers Find Cautious Optimism at BIO Conference Despite RFK Jr.-Era Disruptions

Vaccine manufacturers at the BIO international conference in San Diego this week acknowledged a series of once-unthinkable policy shifts under Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — including the cancellation of major mRNA vaccine…

JUNE 25, 20262 MIN
1841HEALTH

WHO-Backed Clinical Trial to Test Remdesivir and MBP-134 Against Bundibugyo Ebolavirus in DRC

A clinical trial set to begin next week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will test Gilead Sciences' antiviral drug remdesivir and MappBio's monoclonal antibody MBP-134 against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the World Health Organization…

JUNE 24, 20262 MIN
1842HEALTH

Federal Judge Blocks Texas Prosecutors From Subpoenaing Transgender Patient Records at New York Hospitals

A federal judge in Manhattan has temporarily blocked federal prosecutors based in Texas from obtaining the medical records of transgender patients treated at New York hospitals, ruling the

JUNE 24, 20262 MIN
1859HEALTH

Federal Judge Blocks Government From Restricting SNAP Purchases of Candy and Sugary Drinks

A federal judge ruled Monday that the U.S. government does not have the authority to prevent recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program — the nation's largest food aid program — from using their benefits to buy candy…

JUNE 23, 20262 MIN
1895HEALTH

GLP-1 Weight Loss Drug Race Heats Up as Pfizer and Amgen Challenge Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly

The scramble to compete in the GLP-1 weight loss drug market is intensifying. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Amgen are developing products to take on Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound

JUNE 21, 20262 MIN
1897HEALTH

Nitazenes: The Super-Potent Synthetic Opioids Now Spreading Across the United States

A class of super-potent synthetic opioids called nitazenes is spreading across the United States, adding a new and potentially more lethal layer to a drug crisis that has already devastated families

JUNE 21, 20262 MIN
1908HEALTH

Eli Lilly Cuts 340B Drug Discounts to Dozens of Hospitals Over Missing Claims Data

Eli Lilly has begun eliminating mandated price breaks for a few dozen hospitals enrolled in the federal 340B drug discount program, making good on a threat it issued earlier this month after those facilities failed to provide comprehensive…

JUNE 21, 20262 MIN
1910HEALTH

CMS Recalculates 2026 Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Under Legal Pressure, Putting $16 Billion in Bonuses in Motion

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has recalculated the quality star ratings for 2026 Medicare Advantage plans, a new government memo shows, after the health insurance industry filed yet another legal challenge targeting its…

JUNE 21, 20262 MIN
1912HEALTH

Daraxonrasib Doubles Average Survival in Pancreatic Cancer, UCLA-Led Trial Shows

A UCLA-co-led international study presented May 31 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in Chicago reported that pancreatic cancer patients treated with daraxonrasib survived an average of 13.2 months — nearly double…

JUNE 20, 20262 MIN