From Washington, DC

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “President Trump directed federal officials to pay Transportation Security Administration workers, bypassing a gridlocked Congress after the latest proposal to fund the broader Department of Homeland Security ran aground Friday.
  • “The move, which Trump had previewed a day earlier, came as House Republican leaders rejected a Senate-passed bill that would fund most of DHS, including the TSA. A standoff in Congress over immigration enforcement and funding has led to missed paychecks for airport-security workers and long lines for travelers.
  • “The executive action instructs the Homeland Security secretary and the White House budget director to use federal funds that have a “reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations” to pay the TSA workers. The memo, signed Friday afternoon by Trump, described the situation at the airports as an “unprecedented emergency.”
  • “TSA officers should begin getting paychecks as early as Monday, DHS said.”

• STAT News tells us,
  • “The White House has drafted legislative text for its drug pricing policy, and officials are in the process of sharing it with more than a dozen major pharmaceutical companies, according to people familiar with the meetings.
  • “The legislative text, according to a White House official, closely follows the outlines of the voluntary deals the administration made with pharma companies. The draft includes a policy that would allow drugs purchased in cash to count toward a patient’s deductible.
  • “The Trump administration’s push for drug price legislation is part of a larger effortto get health reforms signed into law. The president’s focus on his affordability agenda in an election year has heightened the profile of the effort.
  • “Still, despite the White House digging in to get Congress to pass its plan, lawmakers have little appetite for major changes — and there’s no clear path to passage.”

• The AP relates,
  • “Vice President JD Vance on Friday held the inaugural meeting of a new anti-fraud task force he’s leading as the Trump administration seeks to show it’s cracking down on potential misuse of social programs.
  • “Vance, speaking Friday before the task force held a closed-door meeting, said that the federal government, for decades, had not taken the issue of fraud seriously and that it needed to be tackled with “a whole-government approach.”
  • “This is not just the theft of the American people’s money,” Vance said. “It is also the theft of critical services that the American people rely on.” * * *
  • “Joining the task force was Colin McDonald, a top aide to the Justice Department’s second in command. He was recently confirmed as the assistant attorney general overseeing the department’s new division focused on prosecuting fraud.”

• The American Hospital Association News informs us,
  • “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released an advisory examining innovative solutions to close gaps in behavioral health care deserts. It highlights how more than 60% of rural Americans live in designated behavioral health shortage areas. The advisory details how integrating additional community health workers and peer support specialists can enhance care. It also explains the strengths of both and includes strategies for recruitment and retention.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• STAT News reports,
  • “Food and Drug Administration officials briefed senators on the agency’s plans for food policy for 2026, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
  • “The agency plans to focus on infant formula safety, updating food labels, defining ultra-processed foods, expanding inspections of food processing plants, and bolstering seafood safety programs, according to a document shared with lawmakers, obtained by STAT.
  • “The meeting comes amid a shift in the administration’s health agenda toward food issues and away from vaccine policy. In recent polls, food reforms have been more popular than the vaccine agenda, catching the attention of administration officials looking to sharpen their message for the midterms.”
    
• Fierce Pharma relates,
  • “The FDA signed off on a new insulin from Novo Nordisk, marking the U.S.’s first once-weekly basil insulin for adults with Type 2 diabetes. 
  • “Novo’s Awiqli offers a new long-acting option compared to standard daily basil insulin injections, representing an “important advancement that meets a real need,” the company’s VP of clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs, Anna Windle, Ph.D., commented in a release. 
  • “The FDA based its decision on Novo’s Onwards Type 2 diabetes phase 3a clinical trial program, which consisted of four randomized, active-controlled, treat-to-target trials that enrolled 2,680 adults with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes. The studies showed that once-weekly Awiqli achieved efficacy in reducing A1C over daily basal insulin, with a safety profile consistent with the daily basal insulin class. 
  • “Awiqli is administered using Novo’s FlexTouch pen and will be available across the country in “the coming months,” the company said.”

• MedTech Dive tells us,
  • “Philips said Thursday it has received 510(k) clearance for a heart procedure visualization tool it developed with Edwards Lifesciences.
  • “The system, called EchoNavigator R5.0 with DeviceGuide, uses artificial intelligence to enable surgeons to track and visualize mitral valve repair devices during minimally invasive heart procedures. 
  • “Philips said the system is intended for use with Edwards’ Pascal Ace mitral valve repair system, which competes with Abbott’s MitraClip for the transcatheter edge-to-edge repair market.”

• MedPage Today informs us,
  • “The FDA on Thursday granted accelerated approval to marnetegragene autotemcel (Kresladi) as the first gene therapy for treating kids with severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I (LAD-I), an ultra-rare inherited immune deficiency.
  • “Approval stipulates use in LAD-I cases caused by biallelic variants in the ITGB2 gene and in which no human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donor is available for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
  • “LAD-I has an estimated incidence of 1 per 100,000-200,000 live births, and the disorder brings substantial morbidity and mortality in a child’s first decade of life. Roughly two-thirds of patients have the severe form of the disease, which is characterized by recurrent, life-threatening infections that don’t respond well to antimicrobials and time spent in and out of hospitals.”

From the public health and medical/Rx research front,

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP reports,
  • “After a tough flu season, today’s respiratory virus update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a bit of good news: Doctors are seeing fewer people with influenza.
  • “Cases of flu are declining in most of the country. While influenza A is on its way out, rates of influenza B—which tends to peak later in flu season—vary by region. Levels of influenza A in wastewater are low. Influenza B is not monitored in wastewater.
  • “Most flu viruses reported this week were influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B. Nearly 93% of influenza A(H3N2) viruses since late September belong to subclade K, a new strain that was not included in this year’s flu shots.
  • “About 5,640 people were admitted to the hospital for flu in the past week, nearly 2,000 fewer than the previous week, according to the CDC’s FluView report. Eight additional flu deaths were reported in children, bringing the total number for this season to 123. Among children who were eligible for a flu shot and whose vaccination status is known, 85% of children who died from flu were not fully vaccinated.
  • “The CDC estimates that there have been at least 29 million illnesses, 360,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
  • “Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels remain high, the country seems to have gotten past the worst of RSV season, which has peaked in many regions of the nation. Levels of RSV in wastewater are low.
  • “The number of COVID-19 infections is low, with low levels in wastewater. Although COVID-related emergency room visits remain low across the country, they are likely increasing in Florida and Massachusetts. According to the CDC, 2.3% of tests for COVID-19 were positive, along with 7.5% for RSV and 11.5% for the flu.”

• The American Hospital Association News relates,
  • “A measles outbreak in Utah is now at 486 cases, with 107 reported in the last three weeks, according to datafrom the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. The outbreak began in June 2025. Nationally, 1,575 measles cases have been reported so far this year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A South Carolina measles outbreak, which began in October 2025, remains at 997 cases, the state’s Department of Public Health reported today. No new cases have been reported by the state since March 17.” 
• and
  • “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 26 released a report on U.S. child vaccination coverage by age 2. The report found that coverage among children born from 2021-2022 was similar to those born in 2019-2020 but noted decreases for five vaccines. The CDC found declines in vaccinations for the flu (7.4 percentage points), the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine (1.8 percentage points), rotavirus (1.7 percentage points), the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (1.5 percentage points) and the primary series of the Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (1 percentage point). The report also found that coverage varied by race and ethnicity, poverty status, urbanicity and jurisdiction. 
  • “Vaccines have substantially reduced severe illness, hospitalization, and death and have saved approximately $2.7 trillion in societal costs,” the CDC wrote. “Although national vaccination coverage remained stable for most vaccines, lower coverage among certain population subgroups and in some jurisdictions is creating an increased risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.” 
    
• The Washington Post identifies “13 surprising ways GLP-1s may benefit the body, according to science.”

• Beckers Hospital Review points out four ways GLP-1s are changing care patterns, patient behavior

• Medscape adds,
  • “When individuals with overweight or obesity discontinue GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs), they regain approximately 60% of their weight within 1 year following GLP-1 RA discontinuation.
  • “Approximately 25% of the weight loss achieved with these medications appears to persist with long-term findings, with significant implications for how clinicians counsel patients at the point of discontinuation.
  • “These are the two central findings of a meta-analysis of 48 studies, including 36 randomized controlled trials, conducted by British researchers led by medical students Brajan Budini and Steven Luo from the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. The results were published in eClinical Medicine, which is a part of The Lancet Discovery Science.

• MedPage Today tells us,
  • “While mammography use did not significantly decline overall from 2002 to 2022, there was a significant drop in certain subgroups.
  • “Declines were significant among young women without health insurance, current smokers, unmarried women, and white women.
  • “The prevalence of mammography use among women ages 40-49 fell by almost 10 percentage points from 2010 to 2022 following guideline changes.”

• Helio informs us,
  • “Global early-onset cancer incidence has risen slightly since 1990, but mortality has decreased significantly.
  • “Deaths related to obesity have gone up substantially in the past 3 decades.”

• Per BioPharma Dive,
  • “AstraZeneca said Friday its experimental antibody drug tozorakimab met its main goal in two Phase 3 trials in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, helping reduce flare-ups in a broad range of people with the condition.
  • “The data could help AstraZeneca’s drug reach more patients than the currently available biologics for COPD, Dupixent and Nucala, both of which are limited to those with high levels of white blood cells called eosinophils. The U.K.-based drugmaker said the trials “included former and current smokers, and patients across all blood eosinophil counts and all stages of lung function severity.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Beckers Hospital Review reports,
  • “One or two health systems controlled the entire inpatient hospital care market in 47% of metropolitan areas in 2024, a March 27 KFF Health News report found.”
    
• Fierce Healthcare relates,
  • “A new oral GLP-1 therapy and the first preventive option for COVID-19 are among the pipeline drugs that payers and plan sponsors should be watching this spring, according to a new report.
  • “The pipeline surveillance team at Optum Rx has released its latest report on notable drugs that are set for an imminent Food and Drug Administration review. The spring edition includes:
  • Icotyde, or icotrokinra, an oral therapy for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis that secured FDA approval in March.
    • “Orforglipron, the second oral GLP-1 treatment, which is set for an April review.
    • “Ensitrelvir, or Xocova, a preventative therapy for COVID-19 exposure, with an FDA decision expected in June.
  • “Icotyde and orforglipron both fit within high-priority areas for many insurers: psoriasis and obesity. In the latter case, it would follow an oral Wegovy to market, but orflorglipron is the first oral GLP-1 that does not have meal-time restrictions.”

• Lively shares its 2026 healthcare savings account spend report.
  • Healthcare is changing — and HSA spending tells the story.
  • In 2025, where and how people use their health savings accounts (HSAs) reveals a clear shift.
  • Consumers are no longer relying solely on hospitals and traditional providers. They are increasingly turning to retail brands, digital platforms, direct-to-consumer healthcare companies, and connected health technology.
  • HSAs are evolving from long-term savings tools into active, everyday healthcare wallets.

• Fierce Pharma tells us,
  • “New drug manufacturer Neion Bio has emerged from stealth after incubating a novel way to cook up biologic drugs. After its founding two years ago, the company is cracking open a multi-product commercial biosimilar partnership with an unnamed drugmaker.
  • “Using its Raptor platform to produce recombinant biologics in eggs, the company is teaming up with an unnamed pharma company to co-develop and supply up to three monoclonal antibodies in a deal that includes upfront and milestone payments, plus profit sharing upon potential commercialization. 
  • “Neion Bio’s platform removes the capital intensity and process constraints of traditional biomanufacturing, enabling highly scalable and resilient production while materially lowering the cost of development and supply,” CEO and co-founder Dimi Kellari said in a company release.”

• BioPharma Dive informs us,
  • “One of the largest drug companies in Japan is looking to, through a $700 million buyout, take control of an experimental medicine that could be useful for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric conditions.
  • “On Friday, Otsuka Pharmaceutical announced that its American subsidiary plans to acquire privately held, New York-based Transcend Therapeutics. In addition to the upfront payment, Otsuka offered up to $525 million more if Transcend’s assets ultimately hit certain sales milestones. The companies expect to complete their deal sometime between April and the end of June.
  • “If finalized, the acquisition would hand Otsuka a drug meant to rapidly restore and improve “neuroplasticity,” or the brain’s ability to rewire and adjust the connections between neurons. Neuroplasticity impairment is a fundamental component of many psychiatric conditions — including PTSD, where chronic stress and trauma can keep brain cell networks stuck in a fear-based survival mode.
  • “The active ingredient in Transcend’s “TSND-201” is methylone, an analog of MDMA that was first synthesized three decades ago and widely used as a “designer drug.”  TSND-201 engages with certain transporter proteins that regulate neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, which, according to Transcend, results in “rapid and sustained enhancement of neuroplasticity.”
• and
  • “Novartis will acquire Excellergy, a young allergy drugmaker, to gain access to an experimental therapy that could improve upon the widely used medication Xolair. 
  • “The deal announced Friday could be worth as much as $2 billion overall when including the unspecified upfront payment as well as future payouts. It’s expected to close in the second half of the year, the companies said in a statement.
  • “At the heart of the acquisition is a drug called Exl-111, which targets the antibody immunoglobulin E, or IgE. In certain cases, IgE can mistakenly react to substances — like food, pollen or pet dander — that wouldn’t otherwise be harmful. The antibody then binds to cells, triggering the release of histamines and in turn, an allergic reaction.” * * *
  • “It’s the holy grail of what people are trying to accomplish,” Geoff Harris, Excellergy’s chief scientific officer, told BioPharma Dive in October. “If you can turn off this access to the immune system, you can completely control a wide swath of different allergy-driven diseases.”