From Washington, DC,

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday selected Alan Armstrong, an energy executive, to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Markwayne Mullinuntil a new election takes place in November.
  • “The announcement came a day after Mullin was confirmed Monday by the Senate as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The appointment of Armstrong as a temporary seat holder keeps the Senate’s GOP majority at 53-47.
  • “Armstrong, the chairman of Williams Companies, focused in remarks Tuesday morning on permitting reform, the cost of energy and infrastructure.” * * *
  • “President Trump has endorsed Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern for the Senate seat in the coming election, calling him a “true friend of MAGA.” The Republican primary in the deep-red state is scheduled for June 16.
  • “Armstrong said he had a positive meeting with Trump before his selection. Oklahoma state law prohibits Senate appointees from running for the seat in a subsequent election.” 
• and
  • “Senate Republicans offered Tuesday to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security except for the unit that carries out immigrant arrests and deportations, moving to end a nearly six-week funding standoff that has caused security snarls at airports nationwide. 
  • “Democrats reacted coolly to the proposal, which didn’t include the new restrictions on immigration enforcement practices they have demanded, but said that they were engaged in negotiations. President Trump indicated he wasn’t pleased with the direction of the talks, muddying the prospects of a quick resolution.”

• The Hill adds,
  • “House Republicans are pushing back stiffly against the idea of splitting up legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), despite the White House and Senate Republicans saying President Trump is open to doing just that.”

• Roll Call notes,
  • “As a deadline arrives this week to nominate a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, some Republicans are skeptical the administration will find someone who can check all the boxes necessary for confirmation.
  • “The candidate will need the “Make America Healthy Again” mindset of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Health and Human Services Department, while also appeasing a set of stick-to-science senators increasingly unhappy with Kennedy’s direction.” * * *
  • “HHS senior adviser Chris Klomp, in an interview last week with Stat News, said the agency has interviewed “dozens” of potential candidates. Though there is a structured process to name top candidates, Kennedy will ultimately make the final decision.
  • “Klomp also said that if the White House hasn’t named a nominee Wednesday, HHS would shift to delegate responsibilities, but getting a qualified nominee “is a top priority.”

• The Washington Post points out,
  • “The nascent Make America Healthy Again movement got one of its biggest wins last spring: Casey Means was selected to be the nation’s top doctor.
  • :But more than 10 months later, the controversial surgeon general pickhas yet to assume the position advising Americans on how to improve their health. Her nomination has stalled as some Republicans question her stance on vaccines, her medical credentials and her pushes against the medical establishment.
  • “Means probably cannot afford to lose the support of a single Republican on the Senate health committee, which has yet to schedule a vote to advance her nomination to the full Senate. The panel’s chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), repeatedly pressed Means on her views on immunizations during a late February hearing — questions she largely dodged — and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) afterward publicly said they still have questions.”

• The New York Times relates,
  • “Dr. Robert Malone, vice chair of the federal committee that recommends vaccines to Americans, angrily resigned his position on Tuesday.
  • “The panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is currently in judicial limbo. A federal judge ruled last week that the advisers, appointed by Health Secretary “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., did not have the expertise needed to make vaccine recommendations and prevented them from meeting as planned this month.
  • “The judge also blocked all of the committee’s actions to date, including decisions to rescind recommendations for some childhood vaccines.
  • “The Department of Health and Human Services has indicated that it will appeal the ruling but has not said when. Dr. Malone indicated that he would not rejoin the committee even if the ruling were to be overturned or if Mr. Kennedy announced a new slate of advisers.”

• FedManager observes,
  • “With the cancellation of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) for 2025, the Partnership for Public Service conducted its own version of FEVS. The goal: check the pulse of the workforce in a year of major workforce changes, including deferred resignations, returns to office, the cancellation of union contracts, and other changes. 
  • “The revamped survey was modeled after FEVS but was developed and deployed by the Partnership. While it’s not directly comparable, it contained similar questions. The survey was conducted on a smaller scale with 11,000 feds responding, compared to the 500,000 or so who respond to the official FEVS. Responses were collected in November and December 2025.
  • As for the results, employee engagement and satisfaction governmentwide was measured at a score of 32 out of 100, with 58 percent of respondents saying engagement has gotten worse since 2024. 
  • “We have every red light blinking across the federal government,” said Partnership President and CEO Max Stier. “Morale is as low as imaginable.”

• Govexec informs us,
  • “As the U.S. Postal Service contemplates service cuts due to the prospect of running out of money as soon as fall 2026, President Donald Trump recently nominated three additional individuals to the postal agency’s Board of Governors. Several unions and other stakeholders, however, reported that they are largely unfamiliar with his picks. 
  • “[The National Association of Letter Carriers] is closely monitoring these unknown nominees and will actively work to ensure they have the best interests of the employees and the network before they are confirmed,” the union said in a press release responding to the nominations announcement. 
  • “The postal board nominees are: Robert Steffens of Texas, Jeffrey Brodsky and William Gallo, both of Florida.” * * *
  • “There are currently four governors on the USPS board — two Democrats, one Republican, one independent — leaving five vacancies. No more than five of them can be from the same political party. 
  • “NALC noted that the Senate has traditionally advanced postal nominees in bipartisan pairs, but all of Trump’s picks, so far, have been Republicans. The president has attempted to remove Democratic members of several bipartisan agency boards, prompting legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court.” 

• Modern Healthcare lets us know,
  • “The Accelerating State Pediatric Innovation Readiness and Effectiveness, or ASPIRE, Model is designed for children and young adults with complex physical and behavioral health needs.
  • “The demonstration will test wraparound Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program payments to promote care coordination.
  • “CMS will distribute $125 million to up to five states over 10 years.”

• KFF analyzes the BALANCE Model for GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid.
  • “GLP-1s, a class of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions, have exploded in popularity in recent years due to their demonstrated effectiveness, but are often not covered by insurance, particularly for the treatment of obesity. According to KFF polling, about half (56%) of GLP-1 users say these drugs were difficult to afford, including one in four who say they were “very difficult” to afford.
  • “The Trump administration is pursuing various approaches to lowering the cost and expanding coverage of these medications. These approaches include striking “most-favored nation” deals with GLP-1 manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, providing access to discounted prices for GLP-1s through TrumpRx, and implementing a new demonstration program called the BALANCE (Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth) Model to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage of GLPs for obesity, which is currently subject to statutory limitations (prohibited in Medicare, permissible but not required in Medicaid). In addition, the GLP-1 drug semaglutide (branded as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) was selected for Medicare drug price negotiation in 2025, with a negotiated price set to take effect in 2027.
  • “This brief describes current coverage of GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to expand access and lower costs for GLP-1s through temporary demonstration programs including the BALANCE Model, and potential impacts on beneficiaries and program budgets.”

• The American Hospital Association tells us,
  • “The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response March 24 announced an investment to expand the domestic manufacturing of propofol and metoprolol. Propofol is a sedative used for anesthesia and intensive care unit sedation, while metoprolol is a medication used to treat cardiovascular conditions such as arrhythmias and hypertension, and can also reduce lung inflammation in ICU settings. ASPR said the API Innovation Center, based in St. Louis, was awarded $8.3 million to produce both ingredients. The investment is the latest in a series of projects by ASPR and the Department of Health and Human Services to reduce reliance on foreign resources and increase the domestic production of essential medications and their active pharmaceutical ingredients.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• MedTech Dive reports,
  • “GE HealthCare has received 510(k) clearance for its spectral photon-counting CT technology, the company said Monday.
  • “The Food and Drug Administration clearance positions GE HealthCare to compete with Siemens Healthineers’ Naeotom Alpha, the first photon-counting CT machine to reach the U.S. market.
  • “Citi Research analysts said in a note to investors that GE HealthCare’s Photonova Spectra is differentiated by its use of a detector designed to produce high-contrast spectral images with detailed visualization.”

• Cardiovascular Business adds,
  • “Medtronic has received an expanded U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its OmniaSecure defibrillation lead. 
  • “The lead was originally approved for placement in the right ventricle in April 2025. This expanded indication covers the left bundle branch (LBB) area, meaning it can now be used for conduction system pacing and even LBB optimized cardiac resynchronization therapy (LOT-CRT). This is the first time the FDA has approved a defibrillation lead for placement in the LBB area.
  • “Conduction system pacing is a rapidly growing therapy for patients who need a pacemaker,” Trevor Cook, vice president and general manager of Medtronic’s defibrillation solutions business, said in a statement. “Now, patients who require a defibrillator and pacing have an option that can safely deliver life-saving defibrillation therapy and activate the heart’s natural electrical system to enable a more synchronous, physiologic pattern. This approval underscores the versatility of the OmniaSecure defibrillation lead and supports its use across a variety of implant approaches to best serve a broad range of patients.”

From the judicial front,

• Healthcare Dive reports,
  • “CVS Health has reached a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in the agency’s sweeping case against major pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly inflating the cost of U.S. insulin.
  • “The proposed consent agreement was disclosed Monday in a joint motion from the FTC and CVS for the company’s subsidiaries, PBM Caremark and group purchasing organization Zinc, to withdraw from the case while antitrust regulators consider the deal.
  • “The filing did not include the terms of the potential settlement, but analysts expect it would be similar to the deal the FTC secured with Cigna’s PBM Express Scripts earlier this year. If CVS reaches a settlement, that would leave UnitedHealth as the lone holdout in the high-profile suit.”

From the public health, medical research and Rx research front,

• The AP reports,
  • “Whether they’re using weekly shots or daily pills, more Americans than ever are turning to anti-obesity drugs to lose weight and boost health.
  • “About 1 in 8 U.S. adults say they are taking a GLP-1 drug, according to a recent surveyby the health research group KFF.
  • “Just since January, more than 600,000 prescriptions have been written for Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy pill, the company said. Early analysis suggests that more than a third of users are new to the drugs, according to Truveta, a health care data company. 
  • “But medication alone isn’t the answer, experts caution. It also takes lifestyle changes — healthy diet, exercise, adequate sleep and stress management — to reap the biggest benefits from the drugs known as GLP-1s.
  • “The biggest mistake people make with GLP-1 medications is thinking the prescription is the treatment,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity medicine expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of FlyteHealth, a weight-loss treatment company.
  • “GLP-1s can spur weight loss and health benefits on their own, but the effects are larger and last longer when the drugs are combined with lifestyle changes, a recent review of nearly three dozen studies found.”
    
• Beckers Clinical Leadership relates,
  • “The CDC is tracking a new SARS-CoV-2 variant — BA.3.2 — that has been identified in 23 countries, including the U.S.
  • “Here are [four] things to know:
    • “1. The variant was first identified in South Africa in November 2024. Detections began increasing in September 2025, with the highest number reported during the week of Dec. 7, 2025.
    • “2. BA.3.2 was first detected in the U.S. in June 2025 at San Francisco International Airport through traveler-based surveillance. As of mid-February, it had been found in clinical samples from five patients across four states and 132 wastewater samples from 25 states. Prevalence among sequenced specimens remains low at 0.19%. Two of the five patients were hospitalized older adults with comorbidities, and all five survived.
    • “3. BA.3.2 carries about 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein compared to JN.1 and its descendant LP.8.1, the antigens used in the most current COVID-19 vaccine. Lab studies show BA.3.2 evades antibodies more effectively than other circulating variants. The 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated the lowest antibody neutralization against BA.3.2 among seven variants tested. The CDC said real-world vaccine effectiveness data is still needed and that current vaccines continue to protect against the predominant circulating strains.
    • “4. Data from several European countries show BA.3.2 has not rapidly overtaken other strains. Instead, the strain has cocirculated with other JN.1 descendent lineages at 10% to 40% prevalence. Two lab studies also found BA.3.2 had reduced lung cell entry compared with other variants, potentially limiting its ability to become dominant. However, further evolution or seasonal transmission increases could enable broader circulation, the CDC noted.”

• The American Journal of Managed Care tells us,
  • “AMD [Age related macular degeneration] affected more men than women and was higher in White vs Black individuals; Rhode Island reached ~7214 per 100,000. 
  • “Diabetic retinopathy clustered in Black and Hispanic populations and in southern states, with Mississippi ~3607 per 100,000 and marked male predominance. 
  • “DME [diabetic macular edema] prevalence remained low overall yet disproportionately higher in Black individuals (712 per 100,000) than Hispanic (578) and White (155), supporting targeted screening within diabetes care. 
  • “RVO [retinal vein occlusion] was least prevalent but showed higher rates in White individuals and in Rhode Island; analyses assumed age-related increases, potentially influencing estimates. 
  • “Specialist access and costs were substantial: California had 918 retina specialists vs 3 in Wyoming; annual payer costs were ~$13.4B AMD, $6.2B DR, $4.4B DME, $6.4B RVO.”

• Cardiovascular Business informs us,
  • “Exercise and using medications to reduce a patient’s cardiovascular risk factors are not associated with significant improvements in cognitive function, according to new findings published in JAMA Neurology. The study’s authors focused on older patients with a family history of dementia and/or self-reported signs of possible cognitive decline. 
  • “Exercise combined with pharmacological management of cardiovascular risk factors is the evidence-based strategy for maintaining cardiovascular health,” wrote first author Rong Zhang, PhD, a researcher with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and colleagues. “However, its effects on cognitive function remain unknown.”

• “Today’s issue of Research Matters from the National Institutes of Health discusses Treating addiction.”
  • “Alcohol and drug addiction can cause many harms. This Research in Context feature looks at research into the causes of addiction and new ways to treat it.”

• Per Health Day,
  • “Higher combined consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and potatoes may reduce the risk for Crohn disease (CD), according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
  • “Antoine Meyer, M.D., Ph.D., from Université Paris-Saclay in France, and colleagues assessed the risk for developing CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) based on intake of individual fruits, vegetables, legumes, and potatoes. The analysis included 341,519 individuals completing food frequency questionnaires who were followed for a median 13.4 years.”

From the U.S. healthcare business and artificial intelligence front,

• Plan Advisor reports,
  • “Rising health care costs are reshaping how employees choose workplace benefits, even when those selections expose workers to significant future financial risk.
  • “Nearly two-thirds of employees reported cost as their top priority during open enrollment, according to Securian Financial’s annual workplace benefits study, “The Affordability Trap: Why Cheaper Choices Cost Employees More.” The focus on cost leads many employees to choose lower-premium plans with higher deductibles; skip supplemental coverage; or scale back voluntary benefits, a pattern identified by the report as an “affordability trap.”
  • “While these decisions may reduce payroll deductions in the short term, the study found they often leave employees vulnerable to sizable out-of-pocket expenses when medical events occur.”
• and
  • “Cencora has agreed to acquire EyeSouth Partners’ retina business for $1.1 billion as the drug distributor continues to expand its specialty medical arm.
  • “Once the transaction closes, EyeSouth’s physicians will join Cencora’s management services organization Retina Consultants of America, according to the Monday announcement.
  • “Cencora expects the deal to close after the company’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and be slightly accretive to Cencora’s earnings.”
    
• Fierce Healthcare relates,
  • “Highmark posted a $175 million net loss in 2025 as its insurance arm weathered cost pressures that strained the industry nationwide.
  • “The company said Tuesday morning that full-year revenue $32.4 billion, up 11%. Revenues were up across business units, with Highmark Health Plans posting a 12% increase, Allegheny Health Network reporting an 11% increase in revenue and the diversified business unit—which includes United Concordia Dental and its stop-loss business, HM Insurance Group—seeing revenue up 7%.
  • “The insurance division posted a $609 million operating loss in 2025, and executives told reporters during a briefing that the performance of other businesses helped to offset some of that downturn. Allegheny Health Network, the company’s provider arm, posted $90 million in operating income, up from $237 million in 2024.”
  • “We are not immune to the strong headwinds experienced across the entire insurance industry,” Carl Daley, Highmark’s chief financial officer, said during the briefing. “About half of the industry has had credit ratings or outlooks downgraded, including some of the largest players.”
    
• BioPharma Dive tells us,
  • “Gilead Sciences will acquire autoimmune drugmaker Ouro Medicines, the companies said Monday afternoon, spending nearly $1.7 billion on the young startup and a T cell engager it licensed from a Chinese biotechnology firm.
  • “Ouro launched in early 2025, backed by GSK and Monograph Capital. Its bispecific antibody, called OM336 or gamgertamig, is designed to bind to a pair of immune cell proteins, BCMA and CD3, that have been popular targets for drugmakers.
  • “Many bispecific antibodies have been approved for cancers, but over the past decade, a flurry of research has shown these treatments hold promise in autoimmune diseases as well. The multipronged drugs eliminate B cells much like cell therapies, but cost less to manufacture, don’t require harsh chemotherapy conditioning and can be dosed multiple times.”

• Fierce Pharma informs us,
  • “UCB plans to build a $2 billion manufacturing facility near its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. It will become the first plant in the U.S. for the Belgium-based company and will produce biologics.  
  • “The 460,000-square-foot factory will sit on a 79-acre plot of land in the Rowen innovation district, a mixed-use development designed to attract corporate investment. The project is modeled after North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park (RTP). 
  • “Officials from Gwinnett County signed off on UCB’s application on Tuesday afternoon. It becomes the largest investment a company has made in county history, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The site is near Dacula, Georgia, which is 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. UCB’s U.S. headquarters is in Smyrna, which is in Atlanta’s northwest suburbs, about 45 minutes away.”

• The Wall Street Journal lets us know,
  • “Finance chiefs once questioned the returns on investing in artificial intelligence. Those days are gone.
  • “Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Council Summit in Palo Alto, Calif., finance chiefs from the tech, retail and financial services sectors said their companies are seeing big gains in efficiency and productivity—in some cases worth millions of dollars—from their investments in generative AI. Nudging employees to embrace AI also has yielded new ideas about how to accomplish time-consuming tasks, CFOs said.
  • “Finance chiefs say they are playing a leading role in their company’s AI transformation efforts, evaluating performance, pushing for productivity gains and clearly articulating the value to reluctant employees.”