Friday report

From Washington, DC,
- Govexec tells us,
- “On Thursday night, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee published its portion of the budget reconciliation bill, which aims to cut federal spending to partially pay for tax cuts for the wealthy and increased immigration enforcement.
- “Gone from the bill are House-passed provisions that would require all federal workers to contribute 4.4% of their basic pay toward the Federal Employees Retirement System, reduce their FERS benefit calculation from the average highest three years of salary to the highest five years, and eliminate the FERS supplement for employees who retire before Social Security kicks in at age 62.
- “But in their place is a more draconian iteration of the controversial plan to force future federal workers to choose between a more expensive defined benefit annuity and at-will employment, meaning they can be fired “for good cause, bad cause, or no cause at all.” Under the Senate plan, all new federal hires would pay more than double toward FERS compared to feds hired after 2014—9.4% of their basic pay—and those who elect to accrue civil service protections would pay an additional 5 percentage points on top of that, or 14.4% of basic pay.”
- Federal News Network adds,
- “The Trump administration would proceed with plans to downsize the federal workforce and reorganize agencies with minimal interference from Congress, under a Senate committee’s proposal.
- “The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, in its contribution to the budget reconciliation package, would allow the Trump administration to proceed with sweeping changes to the federal workforce — including those currently stalled by federal judges — without approval from Congress.
- “The committee’s section of the “One Big, Beautiful Bill,” which passed the House last month, also sets aside $100 million for the Office of Management and Budget to oversee and implement the Trump administration’s reorganization plans over the next decade.”
- Fierce Pharma lets us know,
- “Independent Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Angus King of Maine have introduced a bill that would ban pharmaceutical companies from advertising directly to consumers.
- “The End Prescription Drug Ads Now Act would prevent drugmakers from promoting prescription drugs through television, radio, print, digital platforms and social media.” * * *
- “The proposal is likely to receive support from the Trump administration.”
- KFF released a report about “ACIP, CDC, and Insurance Coverage of Vaccines in the United States.”
- The Sequoia Blog notes,
- Recent guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), and the United State Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) will impact coverage for women that must be provided by group health plans at no-cost, explained further [in the blog post].
- The American Hospital Association News reports,
- The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission June 13 released its June report to Congress that outlines recommendations for hospital and other Medicare payment systems. Prior to the report, the AHA urged the commission to include recommendations on physician fee schedules and reducing cost sharing for outpatient services at critical access hospitals.
- and
- “The departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury have certified two more independent dispute resolution entities, bringing the total number to 15. IDR arbitrators help make payment determinations in disputes between providers, group health plans and health insurance issuers under the No Surprises Act.”
- Radiology Business adds,
- “Radiology Partners was the No. 1 initiator of No Surprises Act payment disputes in the second half of 2024 with 136,784, according to new data released Wednesday.
- “The El Segundo, California-based industry giant accounted for about 15% of all disputes in Q4 of 2024 and 18% in Q3. HaloMD, a San Antonio, Texas, firm specializing in NSA dispute resolutions, was No. 2, initiating 134,318, followed by Knoxville, Tennessee, multispecialty group TeamHealth with 94,598.
- “In a summary document, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services highlighted the “high volume of disputes” handled between July 1 and Dec. 31, 2024. Provider groups such as Rad Partners initiated a total of 853,374 disputes through the federal independent dispute resolution (IDR) portal, up 40% from the first half of 2024. Across all of last year, a small number of organizations were responsible for the majority of disputes, CMS noted.
- “Many of the top initiating parties are (or are represented by) large practice management companies, medical practices or revenue cycle management companies representing hundreds of individual practices, providers or facilities,” the agency said May 28. “The top three initiating parties (Radiology Partners, HaloMD, and TeamHealth) represent thousands of clinicians across multiple states and accounted for approximately 43% of all disputes initiated in the last six months of 2024.”
- STAT News points out,
- “The links between ultra-processed food and higher risk of diabetes will be the focus of the first wave of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s national “Take Back Your Health” campaign, according to a notice posted on a government site for contractors.
- “The notice invites public relations agencies to pitch strategies for the launch of the ad campaign, “a wake-up call to Americans that eating processed foods dramatically increases the risk of diabetes and chronic disease.”
From the Food and Drug Administration front,
- Per Fierce Pharma,
- “The FDA has approved Moderna’s mRESVIA for the prevention of lower respiratory tract disease caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in adults ages 18 to 59 who are at an increased risk for severe disease.
- “Back in May, mRESVIA scored an FDA approval in adults 60 and older, becoming Moderna’s second commercial product behind the company’s first-generation COVID-19 shot, Spikevax.”
- and
- “Despite a recent rebuff from an FDA advisory committee, the first treatment for a specific and underserved cohort of U.S. bladder cancer patients has crossed the FDA finish line as UroGen Pharma’s Zusduri.
- “The New Jersey-based pharma paired chemotherapy mitomycin with a sterile hydrogel using its sustained-release RTGel technology to create a localized therapy for potent tumor ablation of recurrent low-grade intermediate-risk non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (LG-IR-NMIBC). It’s a drug delivery combo familiar to UroGen from its 2020 approved Jelmyto, another hydrogel and mitomycin pairing formulated as a liquid solution made for delivery in the kidney’s pyelocalyceal system that is indicated for low-grade upper tract urothelial cancer.”
- “In its phase 3 ENVISION trial, UroGen found that Zusduri could deliver a 78% complete response for patients with LG-IR-NMIBC at three months, with 79% of those patients still event-free 12 months later.”
From the judicial front,
- The Wall Street Journal reports,
- “Anne Wojcicki, the co-founder and former CEO of 23andMe, is poised to regain control of the DNA-testing company after a nonprofit she controls topped a prior bid.
- “23andMe said Friday that a nonprofit backed by Wojcicki was the new buyer for the company’s assets, offering $305 million.
- “Last month, 23andMe said Regeneron, a biotech based in Tarrytown, N.Y., had won the bidding during a bankruptcy auction to buy the company for $256 million.
- “The bidding reopened early this month, after Wojcicki, through her nonprofit, TTAM Research Institute, made the unsolicited offer. TTAM is an acronym that aligns with the first letters of 23andMe.
- “Regeneron declined to make a bid that topped TTAM’s offer, which is being financed by Wojcicki and her affiliated entities, according to a court filing. The TTAM bid still needs to be approved by the court.”
From the public health and medical research front,
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
- Reported on Friday, June 13, 2025
- Seasonal influenza activity is low. COVID-19 and RSV activity is very low.
- COVID-19
- COVID-19 wastewater activity, emergency department visits, and laboratory percent positivity are at very low levels.
- Influenza
- Seasonal influenza activity is low.
- Additional information about current influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC
- RSV
- RSV activity is very low.
- RSV activity is very low.
- The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP adds,
- Dozens of medical and public health organizations have signed a letter urging insurers to continue covering COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant patients.
- The letter from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is in response to the recent move by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to no longer recommend COVID-19 shots for healthy pregnant women.
- and
- “In its latest update on variant proportion estimates, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said the level of NB.1.8.1 viruses, recently added as a variant under monitoring (VUM) by the World Health Organization (WHO), has grown from 15% to 37% since late May, bringing it nearly even with LP.8.1, which has been dominant over the last few months.” * * *
- “The CDC also reported a rise in XFG variant proportions, which rose from 6% to 8% over the same period. Both viruses are descendants of the JN.1 Omicron SARS-CoV-2 variant.”
- and
- “The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today in its weekly measles update reported 29 more cases, bringing the national total to 1,197 cases and coming within 77 cases of matching the total from 2019, which was the most since the disease was eliminated from the country in 2000.
- “So far, 35 states have reported cases, one more than a week ago, which likely reflects Arizona’s first cases of the year.
- “Four more outbreaks were reported, bringing the national total to 21. For comparison, the CDC recorded 16 outbreaks for all of 2024. Of measles cases reported this year, 90% have been part of outbreaks. Last year, 69% of the illnesses were related to outbreaks.
- “School-aged children are the most affected group (37%), followed closely by adults ages 20 and older (33%), and children younger than 5 years old (29%).”
- The AHA New relates,
- “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has added new resources for health care providers to its Be Ready for Measles Toolkit. They include a decision tree to help providers determine when to give measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations to adults; checklists for summer camps; and immunity records templates.”
- CBS News reports,
- “The average age of moms giving birth in the U.S. continues to rise, hitting nearly 30 years old in 2023, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- “In the report, published Friday by the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, researchers found the average age of all mothers giving birth in the United States increased from 28.7 years old in 2016 to 29.6 in 2023. For new first-time moms, average age also increased, from 26.6 in 2016 to 27.5 in 2023. The data was taken from the National Vital Statistics System, which includes all birth records in the country.”
- The New York Times reports, “In Some Ozempic Households, the Weight Loss Is Contagious. Patients taking the drugs are finding their families are benefiting, too.”
- Managed Healthcare Executive adds,
- “Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) — a class of drugs typically prescribed for type 2 diabetes and weight loss — may significantly reduce the risk of developing several common age-related eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma, according to a study published online earlier this year in Ophthalmology.
- “The study, based on an analysis of electronic health records (EHRs) from older patients in the United States, revealed that GLP-1RAs were associated with lower rates of age-related macular degeneration, as well as primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG), when compared with other common medications such as metformin, insulin, statins and aspirin.”
- Per MedPage Today,
- Starting fecal immunochemical testing (FIT) at ages 40 to 49 was associated with reduced colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality compared with starting screening at age 50, a Taiwanese cohort study suggested.
- Among over 263,000 participants, the incidence of CRC was 26.1 per 100,000 person-years for those who participated in early screening (at ages 40 to 49) versus 42.6 per 100,000 person-years for those who participated in regular screening (at age 50 and older), reported Tony Hsiu-Hsi Chen, PhD, of National Taiwan University in Taipei, and colleagues.
- The mortality rate was 3.2 per 100,000 person-years for the early screening group compared with 7.4 per 100,000 person-years for the regular screening group, they noted in JAMA Oncology.
- Per Health Day,
- “A good number of people don’t know that high blood pressure is a silent killer, increasing a person’s heart risk with no obvious symptoms, a new poll has found.
- “More than a third of Americans (37%) erroneously think high blood pressure always has noticeable symptoms like dizziness or shortness of breath, according to a survey by the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg Public Policy Center.
- “In truth, high blood pressure usually has no signs or symptoms to indicate its presence, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- “Likewise, nearly 4 in 10 people (39%) mistakenly believe that “feeling calm and relaxed” is an indication that blood pressure is normal, the poll shows.
- “And very few people — only 13% — know the correct reading that reflects high blood pressure, 130/80, poll results show.
- “Because controlling blood pressure reduces one’s risk of serious health problems, including heart attacks and strokes, correcting misperceptions about ways to identify it should be a public health priority,” Patrick Jamieson, director of the policy center’s Annenberg Health and Risk Communication Institute, said in a news release.”
From the healthcare business front,
- The Wall Street Journal reports,
- “AstraZeneca said it entered into a strategic research collaboration with China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals, focused on artificial intelligence-driven research, valued at up to $5.33 billion.
- “The partnership aims to advance the discovery and development of novel oral candidates, with the potential to treat diseases across multiple indications, the British pharmaceutical giant said Friday.
- “Under the terms of the deal, CSPC will receive an upfront payment of $110 million. It is also eligible to receive up to $1.62 billion in potential development milestone payments and up to $3.6 billion in sales milestone payments, as well as potential single digit royalties based on annual net sales of the products.
- “The British group will have rights to exercise options for exclusive licenses to develop and commercialize worldwide candidates identified under the agreement.
- “The research will be carried out by CSPC and will utilize its AI-driven technology.
- “The collaboration boosts AstraZeneca’s presence in China following the $2.5 billion investment in the country announced earlier this year, while it also strengthens its collaboration with the Chinese group.”
- Modern Healthcare reports,
- “Amazon is restructuring its healthcare division and another high-profile executive is departing the company.
- “As part of the restructuring, Amazon’s Vice President of Health Partnerships and Marketing Aaron Martin is planning to leave the company later this summer after assisting with the transition, according to a person familiar with the situation.
- “The moves were made to simplify the company’s structure, reduce layers and elevate tenured leaders across six teams, said Neil Lindsay, senior vice president at Amazon Health Services, in a statement on Friday.
- “Two of Amazon’s healthcare teams will focus on Amazon’s One Medical virtual and in-person care product, with one focused on clinical care delivery while the other is centered on operations and performance. The four other teams will focus on pharmacy, growth and network development, compliance as well as a segment focused on marketing and technology.”
- Medscape tells us,
- “Hospitals are struggling with long emergency room (ER) wait times, capacity issues, and staffing shortages. A growing number of patients with cellulitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder, pneumonia, and other chronic conditions are being asked to skip hospital stays and return home.
- “Hospital at Home models may be the answer. The explosion of Hospital at Home programs now makes it possible to provide acute level care at home. Today, 378 hospitals in 140 health systems and 39 states have been approved to provide healthcare at home. And a recent report found that 71% of health systems planned to launch Hospital at Home models.
- “Digital care is the way of the future,” said Melissa Meier, MSN, RN, manager of Digital Care for OSF OnCall, the Digital Health Division for OSF HealthCare in Peoria, Illinois. “We’re always looking at ways to help reach more patients [and] always being on the cutting edge to reach our patients wherever they are is super important…[Hospital at Home] is certainly an answer for that.”
- Per Beckers Hospital Review,
- Becker’s has compiled a list of the hospitals with a CMS five-star rating for care transitions.
- CMS’ “Patient survey (HCAHPS)-Hospital” database listed hospital ratings based on the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey. This is a national, standardized survey of hospital patients about their experience during a recent inpatient hospital stay. The survey was completed between July 2023 and June 2024. The data was last updated April 30.
- [The article lists] the 195 hospitals by state with five-star care transition ratings.
- Per BioPharma Dive,
- “Quest Diagnostics has partnered with The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center to develop a cancer risk blood test.
- “The collaboration, which Quest disclosed Tuesday, builds on MD Anderson’s research into protein biomarkers that may indicate a patient is at high risk of cancer diagnosis in the coming years.
- “MD Anderson’s approach is potentially a cheaper way than liquid biopsies to find patients who would benefit from conventional screening, according to the announcement. Quest is aiming to launch the test next year.”
- and
- “Novo Nordisk is planning Phase 3 clinical trials for a obesity drug combination called amycretin, adding another emerging weight-loss medicine to the list of prospects it has in advanced testing.
- “The Danish drugmaker said Thursday the trials could begin in early 2026 and will test both an injectable and an oral formulation. In a Phase 2 trial, amycretin helped people with obesity lose up to 22% of their body weight over 36 weeks, topping Novo’s marketed medication Wegovy as well as Eli Lilly’s rival Zepbound.
- “Amycretin targets GLP-1, as Wegovy does, but also a separate metabolic hormone called amylin that has drawn increasing interest from drugmakers. Earlier this week, shares of Metsera climbed by double digits after the biotechnology company reported promising Phase 1 data for an amylin-targeting agent.”