From Washington, DC,

• STAT News informs us,
  • “White House officials are steering the Trump administration away from vaccine reform, fearing the political consequences of emphasizing a relatively unpopular issue in a key election year.
  • “But the Make America Healthy Again movement, led by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a health secretary with a history of anti-vaccine activism — isn’t going along without a fight.”

• FedWeek reports,
  • “The House government operations subcommittee has scheduled hearings next week on the state of USPS finances and operations, including, in the words of the announcement, “whether USPS is reliable enough for Congress to allow it to borrow more money from the Department of the Treasury.”
  • “USPS is rapidly losing money and becoming more unreliable each year and is dire need of a course-correction. While some progress has been made to improve USPS operations, there is still much more work to be done to reform the agency and make up for the billions it has already lost,” the subcommittee said in scheduling Postmaster General David Steiner and the GAO as witnesses.”
  • The hearing will be held next Tuesday March 17 at 2 pm ET.

• Federal News Network relates,
  • As the Trump administration’s Schedule Policy/Career nears finalization, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor reaffirmed his view that the pending personnel change is centered on “accountability,” rather than politicization.
  • The OPM director pushed back against criticisms from the federal community, after many warned of a return to a patronage system in the career civil service if the new federal employment classification is finalized.
  • “I think most federal employees know this — and certainly all the ones I’ve encountered have had no problem with this — your job is ultimately to effect lawful actions that the president determines are the appropriate objectives for the organization,” Kupor said during a March 5 event hosted by Federal News Network. “That’s what this does — basically codify what essentially has always been the practice of the executive branch.”
  • Tens of thousands of federal employees are on track to soon be converted to the new Schedule Policy/Career category, leaving them with limited appeal rights and making it easier for agencies to fire them.
  • FEHBlog note — This rule became effective on March 9, 2026.

• Per an HHS news release,
  • “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Office on Women’s Health (OWH), today announced a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the American Urological Association, the American Urological Education and Research, and the Urology Care Foundation (together, the AUA) to promote the appropriate and evidence-based use of local estrogen therapy in postmenopausal women, particularly those experiencing genitourinary syndrome of menopause (GSM) and recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
  • “The collaboration reflects a unified commitment by both institutions to improving women’s health, preventing disease, and enhancing quality of life through safe and effective therapies. Together, HHS and the AUA will exchange information, develop educational resources, and work collaboratively to reach health care providers and women across the country.
  • “This collaboration represents an important step forward in addressing a significant and often undertreated women’s health concern,” said Dorothy A. Fink, M.D., Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health and Director of the HHS Office on Women’s Health. “Many postmenopausal women are not aware that local estrogen therapy is a safe and effective treatment for GSM and recurrent UTIs. By joining forces with the AUA, we can ensure that clinicians and patients alike have access to clear, evidence-based guidance.”

• Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) tells us,
  • “A new KFF analysis examines Medicare Advantage coverage options in 2026 for the 2.6 million enrollees whose Medicare Advantage plan with prescription drug coverage was terminated at the end of 2025. Plan termination affected 13% of all enrollees in such plans in 2025, more than double the 6% affected the year before.
  • “Medicare Advantage insurers have warned that recent and prospective changes to the Medicare Advantage payment system are driving plan terminations and reductions in benefits. The analysis finds, however, that almost all of the enrollees whose plans were terminated have at least one Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage (MA-PD) available in 2026, and on average they have more than two dozen plan options to choose from in their area. Most beneficiaries affected by the termination of a plan that had a zero-premium MA-PD option in 2025 also had a zero-premium MA-PD option for 2026.
  • “Just 1.1% of those who were in terminated plans nationwide, or fewer than 30,000 people, have no option for a Medicare Advantage plan with drug coverage for 2026.”

• KFF also updated its key facts about the CMS drug negotiation program.

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP tells us,
  • :British drugmaker GSK said today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has expanded the approved use of its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine for younger adults at risk of complications from the virus.
  • “In a news release, the company said the FDA approved Arexvy for use in adults aged 18 to 49 who are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract disease (LRTD) caused by RSV. The vaccine was previously approved for all adults aged 60 and over and those aged 50 to 59 at increased risk of LRTD caused by RSV.”

• BioPharma Dive informs us,
  • “For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration is allowing a certain kind of cell therapy for epilepsy to be tested in humans.
  • “The therapy, created by Shanghai-based Unixell Biotechnology, is designed to curb the excessive electrical activity that triggers seizures in epileptic patients. It uses donor-derived — or “allogeneic” — stem cells reprogrammed so that they ultimately produce the main chemical messenger, “GABA,” responsible for calming the brain and nervous system.” * * *
  • “Yet, Unixell will likely also face newer competition. Decades of research into ion channels — cellular tunnels that often play a role in epilepsy — has finally started to bear fruit.”

• Cardiovascular Business notes,
  • “Vena Medical, a Canada-based medtech company, has secured U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its Vena MicroAngioscope System—advertised as the “world’s smallest camera”—to be used for intravascular imaging in the peripheral arteries.
  • “The device was designed to help care teams evaluate a patient’s peripheral vasculature without the use of X-ray fluoroscopy. It connects to standard endoscopy equipment and is used in tandem with a balloon distal access catheter to provide real-time color images. The balloon occludes the vessel temporarily and the segment is flushed with saline to enable the camera to directly image the interior of the vessel.
  • ‘In Canada, more than 100 patients have already been treated with the Vena MicroAngioscope System. With this FDA clearance in place, the company now plans to enter the hospitals and health systems in the United States.”

• Per Fierce Pharma,
  • “The FDA has rejected Hyloris Pharmaceuticals antiviral valacyclovir, an oral suspension for infections caused by herpes simplex and varicella zoster viruses. 
  • “In a complete response letter (CRL), the FDA said it identified issues in an inspection of Hyloris’ third-party manufacturer. The U.S. regulator did not specify the problems in the CRL, explaining that they were itemized to a representative of the production facility.
  • “The CRL was not a surprise. In a release last month, Belgium-based Hyloris explained (PDF) that the FDA had assigned an official action indicated (OAI) classification to the Greek facility after an inspection.” 

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
  • “RSV activity started later than expected in most regions of the United States, though illness is not more severe compared with recent seasons. This unusual timing means that higher levels of RSV activity may continue into April in many regions. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are highest among infants and children less than 4 years old. Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.
  • “COVID-19
    • “COVID-19 activity is decreasing nationally but remains elevated in some areas of the country.
  • “Influenza
    • “Overall seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally but is decreasing in most areas of the country. Influenza A activity continues to decrease while trends in influenza B activity vary by region.
    • Additional information about current influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC
  • “RSV
    • “RSV activity started later than expected in most regions of the United States, though illness is not more severe compared with recent seasons. This unusual timing means that higher levels of RSV activity may continue into April in many regions. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are highest among infants and children less than 4 years old.
  • “Vaccination
    • “RSV is a leading cause of hospitalization among U.S. babies.
    • “To help keep babies safe from severe RSV, babies younger than 8 months of age should get protection in their first RSV season (which usually starts in the fall) in one of these ways:
      • “The pregnant mother gets the RSV vaccine during pregnancy, or
      • “The baby gets an RSV antibody (nirsevimab or clesrovimab) just before the start of the RSV season or soon after birth, if born during the season.
    • “A CDC report showed that these protections are working. During the 2024–25 RSV season, infant RSV hospitalization rates were reduced by up to half compared to rates during seasons before when RSV prevention products were available.
    • “Interim estimates for the 2025–26 seasonal influenza vaccine prove getting the vaccine reduced the risk of flu-related doctor visits and hospitalizations, supporting CDC’s vaccination recommendations. For children and teenagers, the vaccine was 38%–41% effective at preventing doctor visits and 41% effective at avoiding hospitalizations for the flu. For adults aged 18 and older, it was 22%–34% effective at preventing doctor visits and 30% effective for preventing hospital stays. Read more here: MMWR.”

• The American Hospital Association News reported today,
  • “There have been 1,362 confirmed measles cases nationwide this year, according to the latest data published today by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 94% are associated with outbreaks. South Carolina and Utah currently have the largest ongoing measles outbreaks in the country. The South Carolina outbreak, which began in October 2025, has slowed in recent weeks and is at 996 cases as of today. Utah’s outbreak, which began in June 2025, has risen to 405 cases as of March 10, marking an increase of 47 cases since last week.” 
    
• The Wall Street Journal relates,
  • “Adults should be screened and treated for high cholesterol starting at age 30, if not sooner, according to new clinical guidelines, lowering the age by at least a decade at a time when heart attacks are becoming more common in younger adults. 
  • “The goal is to shift to a more proactive approach to head off problems in younger years, rather than starting lifestyle changes and medical treatment in middle age when a patient may already have damage in their arteries, said Dr. Roger Blumenthal, chair of the committee of cardiologists that wrote the new guidelines. 
  • “Growing research shows how much damage can be done when levels of LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol stay high in the blood for years, he said. At the same time, more medicineshave become available to lower cholesterol, along with screening tests and a new online tool that allows people 30 and older to calculate their risk of cardiovascular disease.
  • “We need to pay attention much earlier,” said Blumenthal, director of preventive cardiology at Johns Hopkins Medicine.  
  • “The guidelines, published Friday in two leading cardiology journals, were issued by 11 medical associations, including the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association. These organizations set standards for medical professionals from family doctors to cardiologists.”

• Per a National Institutes of Health news release,
  • “A team of researchers funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that provides decision support to clinicians by predicting if patients are at risk of intimate partner violence (IPV). Using data routinely collected during medical visits, the team trained a machine-learning model, a type of AI, that was highly accurate in detecting IPV among patients in a study. 
  • “IPV refers to abuse from current or former partners that results in serious effects such as potentially life-threatening injuries, chronic pain and mental health disorders. It affects millions of people in the United States — both men and women — at some point in their lives. However, many cases go undetected, because patients can be hesitant to disclose abusive relationships due to safety concerns, fear and stigma. 
  • “In their study, the research team led by researchers from Harvard Medical School, Boston, introduced three AI models for IPV detection in healthcare settings, comparing their performance in predicting it.  
  • “This clinical decision support tool could make a significant impact on prediction and prevention of intimate partner violence,” said Dr. Qi Duan, Ph.D., director of the Division of Health Informatics Technologies at NIH’s National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB). “Given the prevalence of cases, the tool could be a game-changing asset to public health.” 

• Health Day informs us,
  • “People frequently switch between different weight-loss drugs, swapping Ozempic for Zepbound and vice versa within the first year of treatment, a new study reports.
  • “What’s more, those patients who do swap GLP-1 drugs are more likely to stick with the drugs, researchers reported March 10 in JAMA Network Open.
  • “Switching between GLP-1RA medications should be viewed as a normal part of long-term obesity care,” said senior researcher Sarah Messiah, a professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas.
  • “Persistence should not be judged by staying on a single drug indefinitely, but by maintaining engagement in care and working with clinicians to find sustainable, effective treatment strategies over time,” she said in a news release.”
• and
  • “Vitamin D₃ supplementation does not change the four-week incidence of health care utilization or COVID-19-related outcomes among adults with newly diagnosed COVID-19 but may reduce the risk for long COVID, according to a study published online March 12 in the Journal of Nutrition.”

• Per BioPharma Dive,
  • “Vima Therapeutics announced Wednesday it has raised $100 million in the hopes of bringing to market a new oral therapy that might help people with certain neurological disorders regain control of movement.
  • “The company was hatched by biotechnology investor Atlas Venture more than three years ago. It’s since advanced a combination drug called VIM0423 to the precipice of mid-stage studies in Parkinson’s disease and dystonia. Both trials are expected to read out in 2027.
  • “Vima estimates that about 160,000 people in the U.S. have isolated dystonia, a chronic and disabling neurological condition that causes involuntary muscle contractions that can worsen as a person moves. For a larger share, dystonia is a symptom of other brain diseases, among them Parkinson’s.”

• Per Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News,
  • “Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) act as carriers for mRNA and CRISPR payloads across a wide range of therapeutic applications, from cancer to inflammatory and genetic diseases. The same delivery system used in COVID‑19 vaccines is now being adapted for other, more complex targets, but one challenge persists: LNPs transfer their cargo into cells far more readily in the lab than in the body. What makes in vivo delivery so much harder?
  • “A new study from Biohub may have uncovered a surprisingly simple way around this barrier. From Science Translational Medicine, in a paper titled “Amino acid supplementation enhances in vivoefficacy of lipid nanoparticle‑mediated mRNA delivery in preclinical models,” the team reports that co‑injecting three common amino acids with LNPs dramatically boosts both mRNA delivery and CRISPR gene editing efficiency.
  • “Gene editing and mRNA‑based therapies will play increasing roles in the medicine of the future, but they require LNPs to reach and enter cells,” said Shana O. Kelley, PhD, president of bioengineering at Biohub and head of Biohub Chicago, in a press release. “Any LNP formulation being developed today could potentially benefit from our approach.”
  • “Rather than redesigning the nanoparticles themselves—a major focus of the field—the researchers asked: Could the body’s own metabolic environment be making cells less receptive to LNP fusion?
  • “By asking why LNPs perform so differently in the physiological milieu of the body, we found a surprisingly simple answer that could make a wide range of mRNA and gene editing therapies substantially more effective,” said Daniel Zongjie Wang, PhD, who leads Biohub’s Spatiotemporal Omics Group.”

From the HIMSS Conference 2026 front,

• While the conference ended yesterday, the FEHBlog ran across some interesting stories from the conference today.

• Healthcare IT News tells us,
  • “Digital transformation demands accurate, trusted identity data
  • “Identity is part of foundational infrastructure and should be strengthened so digital transformation initiatives can truly deliver, says MDM tech exec Rachel Blum at HIMSS26.”

• Healthcare Dive informs us,
  • “The CMS wants to deploy artificial intelligence tools to Medicare beneficiaries to help navigate their care, CMS officials said at the HIMSS conference Thursday. 
  • The agency is already using the technology to detect fraud. But the CMS also hopes to get the technology into patients’ hands, both to assist seniors and to hopefully bring down rising healthcare spending, which continues to outpace the rest of the economy. 
  • “The fundamental problem right now is that other sectors of the U.S. economy have advanced and been deflationary with their use of technology,” CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz said during a panel discussion. “Healthcare has remained inflationary.”

• Beckers Hospital Review offers six notes from the conference.

• Beckers Health IT adds,
  • “As healthcare AI moves beyond the pilot phase, health systems need to build the infrastructure to enable the technology for the long term, according to a recent panel discussion at New York City-based Columbia Business School.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Kaufmann Hall reports,
  • The latest Vizient Research Institute study, The access imperative: Reimagining care delivery for a more complex patient population, concludes that the bulk of hospitalizations in the United States are due to chronic illness. Patients with chronic conditions generate roughly 10 times more inpatient admissions and emergency department visits and more than six times as many office visits compared with those without chronic care needs. On a per capita basis, they generate about 17 times more inpatient days. With more than 80% of hospitalizations involving Americans with at least one chronic condition, chronic care drives most of the healthcare utilization. The findings underscore that healthcare leaders cannot afford siloed care, and the future belongs to organizations that strategically prioritize integrated chronic care models to meet rising demand and manage complexity.

• McKinsey & Co. points out that “With aging populations and rising chronic disease, improving health span is becoming a societal and economic priority. Here’s what drives it and what can be done.”

• NAVA Benefits notes,
  • “Women’s health is a career-long conversation, but most benefit packages treat it as a single moment. This piece breaks down six areas where employer coverage still falls short, from menstrual and hormonal health to menopause and chronic conditions, and highlights what leading companies are doing differently. Whether you’re an HR leader benchmarking your benefits or an employee who’s felt the gaps firsthand, it’s a look at what genuinely inclusive coverage can look like.”

• Per Beckers Hospital Review,
  • “Hospitals and health systems had a rocky start to 2026. Patient demand and revenue growth slowed while expenses intensified, leading to an operating margins dip, according to Strata’s Monthly Healthcare Industry Financial Benchmarks report.”