From Washington, DC,

• Federal News Network reports,
  • “The U.S. Postal Service will run out of cash within a year unless Congress lifts a decades-old cap and allows the agency to borrow more money, the new postmaster general warned in an interview.
  • “If it doesn’t, the Postal Service might not be able to pay its employees or vendors by February 2027, with potentially dire consequences for mail delivery, Postmaster General David Steiner told The Associated Press.
  • “How long are employees going to work and vendors going to show up if we’re not paying them?” Steiner said in an interview on Wednesday.
  • “The postmaster general is scheduled to testify before Congress later this month about the Postal Service’s financial struggles and the need to change longstanding rules and regulations that he considers burdensome. He singled out the $15 billion cap on borrowing that has been in place since 1990.”

• Per an HHS news release,
  • “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), today announced $69.1 million in funding opportunities for three grant programs: the Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI), Implementing Zero Suicide in Health Systems (Zero Suicide) and Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT).
  • “Last month, I launched a comprehensive plan to strengthen prevention, expand treatment, and advance President Trump’s Great American Recovery Initiative,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “These grants will directly address the root causes of addiction — including homelessness and serious mental illness — and strengthen community safety by expanding treatment that prioritizes recovery, stability, and self-sufficiency.”
  • “Recovery is possible, and these investments help communities reach people earlier with the support and treatment that can change lives,” said Senior Advisor for Addiction Recovery Kathryn Burgum. “By expanding access to evidence-based mental health services and strengthening community partnerships, we are helping more Americans find a path to healing and stability.”

• STAT News adds in an editorial piece,
  • “In a political moment defined by division, it is telling that former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D) and health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are attempting to find common ground on on one issue: the urgent need to take mental health and addiction seriously as national priorities.” * * *
  • “The urgency for our nation’s leaders to act is underscored by sobering data. Suicide remains one of the leading causes of death for young people. Anxiety and depression among adolescents have risen sharply over the past decade. Alcohol-related deaths continue to climb while overdose deaths remain high, particularly in communities already facing economic and health disparities. The economic toll of mental illness and addiction now reaches hundreds of billions of dollars annually — costs borne by families, employers, health systems, and taxpayers.
  • “In the discussion about this crisis, one fact is routinely overlooked: These conditions are often preventable in the first place. If the health secretary is serious about making America healthier, preventing behavioral health disorders is one place to start.”

• Earlier this week, Blue Shield of California Paul Markovich and others launched a healthcare political movement called Worthy. Check it out.

• Fierce Healthcare relates,
  • “Just over 56 million people are enrolled in Medicare Part D, with the share of those securing coverage through Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MAPD) plans growing alongside the overall program.
  • “As of 2026, 24.9 million people were enrolled in standalone Part D plans, according to a new analysis from KFF, while 31.4 million were in MAPD plans. By comparison, overall enrollment in 2006 was just 21.8 million, with 15.8 million of those individuals with just Part D coverage.
  • “The data for 2026 do reflect slight growth year over year in the number of people with standalone Part D, as 23.2 million were enrolled in just the prescription drug coverage for 2025.
  • “The report found that enrollment in non-group MAPD plans has steadily risen over the past several years, while sign-ups for non-group standalone prescription coverage has plateaued.
  • “Meanwhile, it’s the opposite story in employer group Medicare, according to the report. Enrollment in employer group MAPD plans fell from 3.9 million to 2.7 million between 2025 and 2026, while sign-ups for group Part D plans rose from 5.1 million to 6.3 million.
  • “This marks the first time enrollment in employer group MAPD coverage has declined, the KFF researchers said.
  • “The researchers note that this shift may be in response to the Part D premium stabilization program, instituted last year, which is applicable only in standalone prescription plans and not MA plans. In employer Part D plans, the program would afford $10 per member per month in additional subsidies.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration’s controversial vaccines chief is leaving the agency.
  • “Dr. Vinay Prasad, who has led the FDA’s vaccines and biotech drugs division, will depart at the end of April, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said Friday. Federal health officials are searching for his replacement, Makary said.”

• Per an FDA press release,
  • “Earlier this week, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration held a meeting with several states to discuss the section 804 importation program (SIP), which allows states and Indian tribes to import certain prescription drugs from Canada to significantly reduce the cost of these drugs to the American consumer. The gathering was the latest step toward the FDA’s implementation of President’s Trump’s executive order on lowering drug prices. 
  • “The meeting provided a forum to exchange information, with the goal of making it easier for states that have expressed interest in the program to obtain authorization without sacrificing safety or quality. Representatives from HHS and the National Academy for State Health Policy also participated.
  • “We are committed to lowering prescription drug prices for Americans, building on recent MFN wins,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “We’re moving forward to implement the president’s executive order as we continue the crucial work of helping states and Indian tribes import reduced cost prescription drugs, while protecting public health and safety.” * * *
  • “Presentations from yesterday’s meeting are available for download at: Section 804 Importation Program Policies and Authorizations.”

• The American Hospital Association News points out,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration March 5 issued a request for information seeking public comments on potential new standards for in-home opioid disposal products. The FDA said it is considering whether to require opioid sponsors to make in-home disposal systems available through dispensers. Comments are due April 6.”

• BioPharma Dive tells us,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration has approved a regimen involving Johnson & Johnson’s antibody drugs Tecvayli and Darzalex for relapsed multiple myeloma less than three months after the drugmaker presented study data suggesting the combination could have curative potential.   
  • “The regulator reviewed the drug under its new “national priority voucher” program, which it used “proactively” following J&J’s release of the findings at the American Society of Hematology meeting. The approval issued Thursday was the third under that program, following that of an older antibiotic and a lung cancer treatment from Boehringer Ingelheim. The review took a total of 55 days, according to the FDA.
  • “The decision also converts Tecvayli’s authorization from a conditional, “accelerated” approval to full clearance that’s based on its ability to improve survival in early disease.”

• Cardiovascular Business informs us,
  • “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is sharing additional information about a series of recalls for certain electrophysiology (EP) and ultrasound catheters from Medline Industries. The agency emphasized that these devices should be destroyed immediately as opposed to being set to the side or returned to the manufacturer.
  • “Back in February, Medline Industries recalled several reprocessed catheters after discovering that they may contain small traces of residual material that could harm a patient. The catheters were originally made by a variety of vendors, but Medline Industries reprocessed the devices and then sold them again. Reprocessing single-use devices is a central component of the company’s business model, and it estimates this diverts more than 1 million pounds of waste from landfills each year. 
  • “Initial details about these recalls first appeared in an FDA database in February. However, this new advisory is the first time the agency has warned the public about these concerns.”

From the judicial front,

• Govexec reports,
  • “A coalition of federal employee unions and other employee advocacy groups this week renewed their effort to block the implementation of President Trump’s plan to convert tens of thousands of federal workers into at-will employees who can be fired for virtually any reason, arguing that Trump exceeded his authority and violated federal law in advancing the policy.
  • “On Trump’s first day back in office last year, he signed an executive order reviving Schedule F, the abortive 2020 proposal to move feds in “policy-related” positions out of the competitive service and stripping them of most civil service protections, and renaming it “Schedule Policy/Career.” Final regulations implementing the policy are set to take effect next week, after which Trump is expected to sign an additional executive order formally converting the first tranche of positions into the new job category. Officials have estimated around 50,000 employees will be targeted for conversion.
  • “On Wednesday, the American Federation of Government Employees, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the AFL-CIO, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility and Democracy Forward filed an amended complaint in their lawsuit challenging Schedule Policy/Career, which began in January 2025 in the U.S. District Court for Maryland, incorporating new details that arose in the 14 months that the administration has spent preparing to launch the new excepted service job category.”

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 severity is not higher compared with recent seasons. This atypical season indicates 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
    • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally. Influenza A activity is decreasing in most areas of the country 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 has started later than expected in most regions of the United States, though severity is not higher compared with recent seasons. This atypical season indicates 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.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP relates,
  • “Children under two years of age hospitalized for COVID-19 are more likely to die or become seriously ill than babies with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to a study  published this week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 
  • “Babies can become sick and die from both respiratory viruses, even if they were healthy before becoming infected, according to the study, which was led by researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.” * * *
  • “Although RSV immunizations were approved in 2023, they were not yet widely available during the study. Only 5.5% of babies age six to 23 months were vaccinated against COVID-19 in the study.
  • “Research shows that vaccinations for both RSV and COVID-19 are safe and effective. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends women receive a COVID-19 vaccine at any time during pregnancy and an RSV vaccine between the 32nd and 36th week of pregnancy. Both vaccines can protect newborns too young to be vaccinated. 
  • “For babies whose mothers weren’t vaccinated against RSV, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends newborns under 8 months receive an injection of lab-grown antibodies. The pediatric group also recommends babies age six to 23 months be vaccinated against COVID-19.”

• The AHA News reports,
  • “The South Carolina Department of Public Health March 6 reported that the state’s measles outbreak is at 991 cases. The agency said the vaccination status of 925 cases is unvaccinated, 26 are fully vaccinated, 19 are partially vaccinated and the status of 21 cases is unknown. Additionally, the agency reported that more than 17,300 doses of the measles vaccine were administered statewide last month, a 70% increase compared to February 2025. Nationwide, 1,277 confirmed measles cases have been reported this year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 5% of all cases have been hospitalized and no deaths have been reported.” 
    
• USA Today relates,
  • “International travel often comes with vaccine reminders, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is now warning travelers to ensure their polio vaccinations are up to date.
  • “The CDC issued a level 2 travel advisory on March 3, warning that poliovirus has been detected in multiple destinations within the past 12 months – including parts of Africa, the Middle East and Europe.” 

• Healio tells us,
  • “In-hospital mortality was significantly higher for younger women vs. younger men after a first heart attack, with women receiving fewer cardiac procedures and having more nontraditional cardiovascular risk factors, researchers reported.
  • “A study evaluating trends in first MI outcomes, both STEMI and non-STEMI, based on sex was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.”

• Health Day informs us,
  • “Regular cannabis users may be more likely to experience anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts than non-users
  • “Rates of generalized anxiety and major depressive episodes among Canadians have nearly doubled since 2012
  • “Younger people show the strongest cannabis-mental health link.

• Genetic Engineering and BioTechnology News notes,
  • “According to a new Stem Cell Reports paper, scientists have demonstrated that targeted delivery of mRNA can restore sperm production and fertility in genetically infertile male mice without introducing permanent changes to the germline. Full details are provided in a paper titled “Messenger RNA delivery into Sertoli cells restores fertility to congenitally infertile male mice.” The study was done by a team of scientists from Kyoto University, RIKEN, and elsewhere.  
  • “The findings represent a step forward in efforts to develop therapies that may help people affected by infertility.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Healthcare Dive reports,
  • “The Mayo Clinic ended 2025 with income over 13% higher than the year before, as the nonprofit health system was buoyed by increased volumes and demand for healthcare services, according to earnings documents released this week.
  • “The Rochester, Minnesota-based nonprofit health system said increases in its outpatient, hospital and surgical volumes accounted for the rise in revenue compared to the year prior.
  • “Still, as revenues rose, so too did expenses. Mayo’s increase in volumes drove supply and services expenses up, contributing to an over 8% year-over-year increase in operating costs, according to the health system.”

• Modern Healthcare adds,
  • “Many large health systems are on the upswing financially — at least for now.
  • “Health systems are seeing improved margins as they benefit from higher volumes, investment returns and technology-driven efficiency efforts. They are betting that a stronger balance sheet will help offset the coming reimbursement cuts. 
  • “Nonprofit health systems addressed these issues in quarterly and full-year earnings reports released over the past few weeks. Here are five key themes from those reports.
    • “Systems are strengthening their margins
    • “Investment income is driving profits
    • “Cash on hand is improving
    • “Non-labor expenses are climbing, and
    • “Systems are bracing for what’s ahead.”

• Beckers Hospital Review tells us,
  • “Fairfield, Calif.-based NorthBay Health has signed a letter of intent to acquire Providence Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, Calif., a move that would expand the system to three hospitals.”
• and
  • “Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems has signed a definitive agreement to sell four Arkansas hospitals to Freeman Health System for $112 million.” 

• STAT News relates,
  • “Generic versions of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster Wegovy and Ozempic medications could be mass produced for about $3 per person per month, a cost that could greatly widen access in low- and middle-income countries, according to a new analysis.
  • “After reviewing data for active pharmaceutical ingredients from the past two years, the researchers estimated a generic version of semaglutide — the key ingredient in the Ozempic diabetes treatment and Wegovy weight loss drug — could be made for $28 to $140 per person a year and then sold at low prices once patents expire this year in several countries.
  • “Specifically, patents for semaglutide are due to expire starting later this month in India, China, Canada, Brazil, and Turkey, along with three other countries later this year, which is expected to spark distribution of generic versions. This is especially true of India, where numerous generic makers are based and are seeking new markets.
  • “The standard dose of semaglutide is 2.4 milligrams per week as an injection, which is the equivalent of 10 mg per month. This is a very small amount of drug, which is why the cost of production is so low,” said Andrew Hill, a University of Liverpool pharmacology professor, who has previously analyzed production costs for HIV, cancer, and hepatitis drugs. “These low prices open the door to worldwide access to an essential medicine.”

• Fierce Pharma informs us,
  • “As nonprofit-governed Servier continues to make gains with its IDH-mutant glioma med Voranigo, the drugmaker is wading deeper into the rare oncology arena with a new M&A play. 
  • “Servier on Friday unveiled a definitive agreement to acquire Day One Biopharmaceuticals—a commercial-stage company developing targeted therapies for pediatric cancers and other diseases—for $21.50 per share in cash. The total value of the deal, which is expected to close in the second quarter, comes to roughly $2.5 billion, the companies said in a March 6 release.” 

• Per BioPharma Dive,
  • “Blackstone Life Sciences is widening its presence in drug development, announcing Tuesday a $400 million commitment over four years to support Teva Pharmaceutical’s work on a late-stage gut disease drug likely to be in a hotly contested class.
  • “Per deal terms, if the drug, called duvakitug, gains Food and Drug Administration approval, Teva will owe a milestone payment to Blackstone, along with additional payouts and royalties based on commercial sales. Blackstone has signed similar deals with Moderna, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Autolus Therapeutics.
  • “Duvakitug is in Phase 3 clinical trials that will enroll more than 3,000 people with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease and follow them for up to 40 weeks. The deal will help subsidize Teva’s research and development spending, which topped $1 billion in 2025.”

• Per MedTech Dive,
  • “MiniMed, Medtronic’s diabetes tech spinoff, made its debut on the public markets Friday. 
  • “The company started trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker “MMED.” MiniMed offered 28 million shares priced at $20 each, for a total value of $560 million.
  • “The amount was below the $25 to $28 per share suggested by the company in filings last month.
  • “MiniMed has a market capitalization of about $5.29 billion, according to Yahoo finance.”