From Washington, DC

• Avalere Health breaks down yesterday’s CMS Medicare Advantage premium announcement.

• Per an HHS news release,
  • “The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) today announced more than $135 million in new funding opportunities to expand nutrition services and strengthen the rural health workforce. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., alongside HRSA Administrator Tom Engels and Representative Juan Ciscomani (AZ-06), announced this important investment during a Preventative Care Roundtable with key stakeholders.
  • “Preventative care cuts costs, improves outcomes, and drives our mission to Make America Healthy Again,” said Secretary Kennedy. “These investments expand access to high-quality, affordable care—especially in rural communities that need it most.”
  • “HRSA is committed to strengthening the health workforce, advancing preventative care, and expanding access to essential nutrition services,” said HRSA Administrator Engels. “By supporting new rural residency programs to deliver evidence-based nutrition services, we are creating a stronger, more sustainable system of care that helps prevent chronic disease, improves health outcomes, and advances HHS and Make America Healthy Again priorities for communities across the country.”

• Beckers Hospital Review tells us,
  • AbbVie and Genentech are the latest drugmakers to sell prescription medications on TrumpRx, CBS News reported April 6.
  • “They are the 10th and 11th drugmakers to offer discounted medications on the website. 
  • TrumpRx now lists AbbVie’s best-selling anti-inflammatory drug Humira — in syringe or pen form — for $950, representing an 86% discount off the list price. Genentech’s antiviral medication Xofluza is also available for $50, down from a list price of $168.” * * *
  • “Since launching in February, TrumpRx’s list has expanded from 43 medications to 69. Amgen also recently added its arthritis treatment Enbrel and plaque psoriasis drug Otezla to the platform.”

• Bloomberg Law reports,
  • “President Donald Trump is in no hurry to tap a permanent attorney general to replace Pam Bondi following her ouster, according to people familiar with the matter, allowing Todd Blanche time to settle into his role as the US Justice Department’s acting chief.”
    
• NewsNation relates,
  •  “Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed key details Tuesday about the Department of Justice’s newly created National Fraud Enforcement Division.
  • “Our vision is to build a robust fraud-fighting squad capable of investigating and prosecuting the full spectrum of fraud against taxpayer dollars,” Blanche explained. 
  • “Blanche said the division will be staffed with some of the DOJ’s “best prosecutors,” including experts in health care, tax, benefits and corporate fraud.
  • “There will be an additional 93 prosecutors in every district across the country devoted to the mission of combating fraud,” Blanche added.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• Fierce Pharma reports,
  • “One year into his tumultuous tenure as the FDA’s commissioner, Marty Makary, M.D., has laid out ambitious internal goals and perhaps a more ambitious legislative wish list in his fiscal year 2027 budget proposal (PDF) to Congress.
  • “Alongside the justification of a $7.2 billion budget request, including $3.3 billion from congressional appropriations and $3.9 billion in industry-paid user fees, Makary is asking for a broad set of legislative actions. 
  • “The proposed changes would, among other things, create a new clinical trial initiation pathway as an alternative to the existing Investigational New Drug (IND) pathway, allow the FDA to disclose more information to the public in complete response letters, remove the interchangeability determination for biosimilars, give domestic generic manufacturers an upper hand and permanently authorize the rare pediatric disease priority review voucher program.”
    
• The Wall Street Journal relates,
  • “Novo Nordisk NOVO.B launched its higher-dose Wegovy weight-loss shot in the U.S. after the new treatment gained regulatory approval there last month.
  • ‘The Danish drugmaker said Tuesday that Wegovy HD is now available nationwide through more than 70,000 pharmacies, its online pharmacy, certain telehealth providers and other outlets.
  • “Wegovy HD is a once-weekly injection that contains 7.2 milligrams of active ingredient semaglutide, offering the highest weight-loss of any Wegovy injection so far, the company said.” * * *
  • “In a trial of adults with obesity but without diabetes, patients taking a 7.2 milligram dose of Wegovy over about a year and a half lost 21% of their body weight on average, while around one in three people lost 25% or more of their body weight.
  • “Prior to the launch of Wegovy HD, the highest available injectable dose was 2.4 milligrams of semaglutide, which has shown to help patients lose around 18% of their body weight on average.
  • “The higher dose of Wegovy was approved by the Food and Drug Administration nearly three weeks ago under an accelerated approval process based on the results of the trial.”

• Beckers Hospital Review tells us,
  • “Pfizer and BioNTech have halted a U.S. study of their updated COVID-19 vaccine in adults ages 50-64 due to slow enrollment, a Pfizer spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s.
  • “We can confirm our communication to the FDA about the status of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine postmarketing activities, including our intent to stop study C4591081,” the spokesperson said. “Notably, this study is not ending as a result of any safety or benefit-risk concerns.”
  • “The spokesperson added that the companies “intend to stop the study due to slow enrollment and therefore the inability to generate relevant postmarketing data.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

• The American Hospital Association News reports,
  • “A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report published April 7 found that 47.2% of all U.S. adults met federal guidelines for aerobic physical activity in 2024. The report found that 52.3% of men and 42.4% of women met the standards. The CDC found that the prevalence of meeting the guidelines increased with education level. Aerobic physical activity was higher among adults without disabilities (49.8%), those with a healthy weight (54.8%), and those with excellent or very good health (57.8%). The analysis was based on data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey.” 
    
• Healio adds,
  • “Modest real-world weight loss may significantly reduce a person’s risk for cancer, according to results of a retrospective observational study.
  • “The risk reduction conferred by nonsurgical weight loss appeared consistent over multiple time intervals.
  • “The benefits became apparent quickly, with each 1% reduction in BMI equating to an approximately 1% reduction in cancer risk after as little as 3 years of follow-up.
  • “I definitely was surprised by the results, especially that we saw them as early as we did,” Daniel M. Rotroff, PhD, chairman of the department of quantitative health sciences and Eddie J. Brandon Endowed Chair for Diabetes Research at Cleveland Clinic, told Healio. “A 1% BMI reduction for a 1% reduction in risk may not sound like a lot but, when you think about some interventions achieving 5% weight loss pretty rapidly — and [some GLP-1 or dual GLP-1/GIP receptor agonists] achieving 10% or greater — that is a really meaningful reduction in cancer risk.”
    
• Infectious Disease Advisor points out,
  • “The significant burden of respiratory syncytial virus-associated hospitalization in older adults, particularly those with underlying conditions, underscores the need for targeted vaccination strategies.”

• MedPage Today adds,
  • “Influenza vaccines were effective in preventing related hospitalizations and outpatient visits among U.S. kids in recent years, but vaccine uptake remained low.
  • “Vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization ranged from 28% during the 2021-2022 flu season to 67% in the 2023-2024 season, and against outpatient visits ranged from 28% during the 2021-2022 season to 56% in the 2023-2024 season.
  • “Experts pointed to a need to properly communicate the benefits of influenza vaccines, especially as “distrust in vaccines grows.”

• Health Day tells us,
  • “Cancer risk is higher for people battling autoimmune diseases, but the danger declines after they start taking anti-inflammatory medications, a new report finds.
  • “Italian researchers reporting in the journal Cancers found a 32% increase in the odds for cancer in the first year after a diagnosis for an autoimmune disease such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or psoriasis.
  • “However, after patients start taking drugs to ease the runaway inflammation that characterizes these illnesses, their cancer risk declines.
  • “The peak risk observed in the early stages suggests that chronic inflammation, rather than treatments, is a key factor in cancer development,” said Daniela Marotto, co-senior author of the study. She is head of rheumatology at the Local Health Authority of Gallura, in Italy.”

• Health Day adds,
  • “Catching tumors early is crucial to lung cancer survival
  • “New robotic technologies, along with other innovations, is making early detection safer and easier on patients
  • “Often, detection, staging and treatment are done during the same procedure.”

• Per STAT News,
  • “For some advanced cancers, sequencing the tumor genome should be one of the first steps patients and physicians take. But a new study finds that many patients never receive genomic testing and so never get the chance to know if they might have benefitted from newer, more targeted therapies.
  • “The study, published on Tuesday in JAMA Network Open, examined how many patients diagnosed with one of five different metastatic cancers received genetic sequencing for the cancers. For most cancers in the study, roughly half of patients in the cohort received genetic sequencing. Patients with low income, Medicare or Medicaid coverage, and Black or Hispanic race or ethnicity were also less likely to receive sequencing.”

• MedPage informs us,
  • “Under physician supervision, 26% of older adults successfully stopped levothyroxine while maintaining stable thyrotropin and free thyroxine levels for a year.
  • “Discontinuation was more common in patients taking lower levothyroxine doses at baseline.
  • “Researchers urged clinicians to reassess thyroid therapy in older adults to avoid overtreatment and its associated risks.”

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

• Fierce Healthcare reports,
  • “Last summer, the insurance industry broadly agreed to reform a major healthcare pain point: prior authorization.
  • “Now, two of the industry’s leading organizations are offering a look at progress toward those goals. AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association released a report on Tuesday that found leading health plans reduced prior authorizations for an array of services by 11% since the pledge was made.
  • “This equates to 6.5 million fewer prior auth requests for patients, according to the report. Reductions in Medicare Advantage specifically were 15%, it reads.
  • “Health plans have taken important initial steps to support patients and are working toward the shared goal of delivering answers at the point of care whenever possible—a goal that will require both plans and providers to eliminate manual processes and adopt real-time electronic data sharing,” said Mike Tuffin, AHIP President and CEO, in the announcement.”

• Physicians’ Practice adds,
  • “Access to affordable health care has displaced administrative burden as the single biggest policy concern among U.S. physicians, according to athenahealth’s fifth annual Physician Sentiment Survey. The shift signals the industry’s growing concern over systemic cost and coverage pressures, stretching well beyond the exam room.
  • “The survey, conducted online by The Harris Poll in October 2025 among 1,045 primary care physicians and specialists nationwide, found that 52% of physicians now consider access to affordable health care to be the most pressing issue they want policymakers to address. That figure was 44% in the 2025 survey and 38% in 2024, a 14-point climb in just two years. For the first time in the survey’s five-year history, the issue overtook minimizing excessive documentation requirements, which fell to 46% from 49% in 2024.”

• The Wall Street Journal charts the weight loss drug frenzy ongoing in our country.
  • “The market for weight loss drugs is exploding and patients may have several new options in coming years.”

• The Journal also relates,
  • “Gilead Sciences GILD agreed to buy German biotechnology company Tubulis for $3.15 billion to expand its portfolio of a cancer technology that aims to better guide chemotherapies to tumors.
  • “Tubulis’s lead drug is a targeted cancer therapy known as an antibody-drug conjugate. It is in mid-stage trials for ovarian and lung cancers. The German company has another antibody-drug conjugate in earlier stages of development that is being tested across several tumor types.”
  • “The deal, announced Tuesday, is expected to close by the end of June and includes up to $1.85 billion in potential milestone payments. Gilead already had a two-year research partnership, signed in 2024, with Tubulis.”

• Per an Institute for Clinical and Economic Review news release,
  • “The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) today released a Draft Evidence Report assessing the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of Comirnaty® (Pfizer, BioNTech), Spikevax® (Moderna), mNexspike® (Moderna), and Nuvaxovid® (Sanofi) for the protection against Covid-19, including both the short- and long-term effects of the infection. 
  • “This preliminary draft marks the midpoint of ICER’s eight-month process of assessing these treatments, and the findings within this document should not be interpreted to be ICER’s final conclusions.“

• Per Fierce Healthcare,
  • “Alloy Health, a virtual platform serving women in midlife, is expanding its weight care program with two new offerings: micro-dosing and the Wegovy pill.
  • “Micro-dosing will allow for more personalized dosing for women who, for whatever reason, do not tolerate the manufacturer-made doses. The Wegovy pill introduces a daily oral GLP-1 option for women who prefer an alternative to injections. The company hopes to keep adding more brand-name products, including the Zepbound KwikPen, as they become available. 
  • “The products build on Alloy’s existing weight care program, launched last year, which aims to offer menopause-specialized weight care. The program offers physician-led hormonal expertise with personalized care plans designed for midlife women. Alloy is an entirely asynchronous, text-based provider.” 
• and
  • “Artificial intelligence-enabled virtual care company Counsel Health is building out its clinical offerings to include lifestyle and chronic condition services. 
  • “The expansion will first focus on lifestyle conditions, including hair loss and sexual health, with plans to broaden its scope to chronic conditions later in 2026, including services to address high cholesterol and obesity. 
  • “If its chatbot recommends consultation with a physician, users can pay $29 to schedule follow-up care. Counsel Signature members, the company’s annual membership plan, will be able to use the expanded capabilities at no extra cost, according to a company announcement.”

• Beckers Payer Issues lets us know,
  • “Cigna Healthcare offers the best digital experience to commercial members, while UPMC Health Plan provides the best experience to Medicare Advantage enrollees, according to J.D. Power’s 2026 U.S. Healthcare Digital Experience Study. Both plans topped their respective segments in last year’s ranking as well.
  • “Overall, the segment average for commercial plan digital experience is 658 on a 1,000-point scale. For MA, the segment average is 645. Both figures represent an improvement over the 2025 study, which recorded averages of 653 for commercial plans and 597 for Medicare Advantage.
  • “The study measured satisfaction across visual appeal; navigation; information/content; speed; and telehealth. The 2026 study included evaluations from 7,687 members of the 17 largest MA plans and 16 largest commercial plans, fielded from August through December 2025.”
  • More results are available in the article.

• Modern Healthcare reports,
  • “Health systems and health plans are embracing performance-based contracts with digital health vendors. 
  • “In 2025, 75% of health plans and 61% of health systems implemented performance-based contracts with digital health vendors, according to a 2025 survey conducted by Peterson Health Technology Institute. In addition, the majority of the organizations that didn’t use performance-based contracts last year expressed interest in doing them.
  • “The contracts can ensure that payment is tied to return on investment and measurable outcomes. That makes formulating them tricky.”