Weekend update

FDA

Weekend update

David Ermer–Congress, FDA, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, Mental health care, Telehealth, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports.
    • “Speaker Mike Johnson (R., La.) faces a tougher-than-expected vote to end a partial government shutdown this week, after House Democrats pushing for sweeping changes to immigration enforcement signaled they wouldn’t help Republicans pass any funding measures through the narrowly divided chamber.
    • “Johnson, with a 218-213 majority, will need to keep almost all Republicans on board or risk the shutdown that started Saturday stretching deep into the week. The measure, endorsed by President Trump, funds swaths of the government for the rest of the fiscal year, while providing a two-week extension for the Department of Homeland Security—which contains immigration-enforcement agencies. The extension is intended to jump-start talks on reining in enforcement officials’ practices.
    • “I’m very optimistic that we will get everyone back in town,” Johnson said Sunday in an interview, referring to GOP lawmakers. “We will convince them that we need to implement the president’s play call,” giving the White House time to discuss changes to DHS with Democrats.” * * *
    • “Johnson’s tiny vote margin gives any one or two GOP members powerful leverage if they want changes or concessions. Johnson as soon as Monday is expected to swear in Christian Menefee, a Democrat who just won a Texas special election to represent Texas’ 18th Congressional District after former Rep. Sylvester Turner’s death last year. That will bring the majority to 218-214.”
  • Here’s a link to Roll Call’s take on what to expect to occur on Capitol Hill this week.
  • The American Medical Association tells us,
    • “The influential Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) voted in January to address inadequate payment for Medicare physician services under current law, once again underscoring a longstanding policy failure that is widely recognized but remains unresolved.
    • “MedPAC voted to recommend an additional 0.5% update on top of the updates specified in current law—0.25% and 0.75%—and will forward that recommendation to Congress. 
    • “The AMA appreciates that last year’s reconciliation bill provided a temporary 2.5% update for 2026; however, that increase expires in 2027. Absent meaningful reform, physicians again will face payment cuts, and Congress will once more be forced into last-minute efforts to avert further disruption,” AMA Board Chair David H. Aizuss, MD, said in a statement.
    • “The AMA is leading the charge to reform the Medicare payment system. That includes strongly urging MedPAC to recommend to Congress that they update 2027 physician payment rates so that they keep pace with the Medicare Economic Index (MEI).” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • Per an FDA news release,
    • “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today began accepting requests to participate in the FDA PreCheck pilot program. FDA PreCheck is designed to strengthen the domestic pharmaceutical supply chain by increasing regulatory predictability, facilitating the construction of manufacturing sites in the U.S., and streamlining aspects of pharmaceutical manufacturing facility assessments in advance of a specific product application.
    • “After 35 years of globalists taking pharmaceutical manufacturing overseas, the FDA is taking bold steps to bring it back,” said FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, M.D., M.P.H. “The PreCheck program is one of several powerful incentives we are providing to make the U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing sector more resilient and competitive.”
    • “The agency will select an initial cohort of new pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and begin conducting PreCheck activities in 2026. Facilities will be selected based on overall alignment with national priorities across multiple selection criteria, such as products to be manufactured, phase of facility development, timeline to producing pharmaceutical products for the U.S. market, and innovation in facility development. Additional priority consideration will be given to facilities producing critical medications for the U.S. market.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • MedPage Today reports,
    • “There’s been a small but “alarming” bump in aortic stenosis (AS) deaths among people ages 45 to 74 in recent years, according to nationwide trends.
    • “In this younger group, age-adjusted AS mortality rates had been relatively stable until 2019, when they started climbing from a rate of 3.33 per 100,000 to 3.57 per 100,000 in 2023 — a statistically nonsignificant change that is notable nonetheless, according to Sameer Hirji, MD, MPH, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
    • “In comparison, those ages 75 and older showed a consistent decline in age-adjusted AS mortality rates from 2012 (112.3 per 100,000) to 2023 (104.1 per 100,000) based on the CDC WONDER database, Hirji reported at the Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS)opens in a new tab or window annual meeting.
    • “This emerging trend — spanning sex, race, and geography — demands urgent evaluation of existing screening practices, timely diagnosis, and equitable access to both transcatheter and surgical therapies,” he concluded.”
  • The Washington Post relates,
    • “For years, scientists have been working to unravel the mystery of patients with failing kidneys dying from heart-related complications.
    • “Researchers now say they’ve uncovered a clue that explains why people with chronic kidney disease have such a high risk of heart failure — and it could have major implications for the diagnosis and treatment of the two common health conditions.
    • “A new study found that diseased kidneys released tiny particles that were toxic to the heart, according to findings published recently in the peer-reviewed journal Circulation.” * * *
    • “That molecular discovery is helping to shed light on one way the kidney and heart are linked — and, in this case, to dangerous effect, said Susmita Sahoo, the study’s senior author and an associate professor of medicine at the Cardiovascular Research Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
    • “No one has shown this causal relationship before,” Sahoo said.” * * *
    • “Sahoo said her team’s findings could help identify heart disease in kidney patients earlier, before they show symptoms.
    • “By measuring these cardiotoxic microRNAs, you can actually predict or identify or diagnose the patient who are on the way to developing a failing heart,” she said.
    • “The research can also influence treatment recommendations, said Erdbrügger, the study co-author who is also a practicing kidney doctor. For instance, Erdbrügger said if she knew one of her kidney patients had a higher risk of heart disease, she would consider treating more aggressively by increasing drug dosages or using more combinations of medications.”
  • The Wall Street Journal tells us,
    • “Federal regulators issued a safety warning, telling used-car owners in the U.S. to examine their vehicles’ maintenance histories regarding air-bag safety.
    • “NHTSA said nine people have died and two were injured in otherwise-survivable crashes after DTN inflaters ruptured.
    • “NHTSA urged drivers who find that their vehicles experienced an air-bag deployment to have an inspection.” * * *
    • “If a DTN inflater is found, the vehicle should not be driven until you are able to have it replaced with genuine parts,” NHTSA said.
  • NPR Shots informs us,
    • “Building strength and muscle comes with huge payoffs for health and longevity, but most Americans still don’t lift weights or regularly practice any muscle-strengthening activity.
    • “Why? People often blame a lack of time.
    • “Exercise physiologist David Behm says often when he talks to people about resistance training they seem to think they’d need hours in the gym to get results, working through rows of machines targeting each muscle.
    • “They’re like ‘my God, I’m going to be in there for an hour and a half or longer,” says Behm, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland in Canada.” * * *
    • “The evidence shows you can make real gains in strength and muscle with as little as one or two quick workouts a week — depending on the approach, you might be able to get away with as little as a half hour in the gym (or even less).
    • “The key is focusing on what are called multi-joint exercises, or compound lifts.”
  • The New York Times points out,
    • “A study published this week in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that a close, nurturing relationship with parents during middle and high school was associated with a variety of positive social metrics up to two decades later.
    • “Researchers looked at six outcomes, such as having three or more close friends or socializing at least once a week. They found that high social connection in adulthood was more than twice as common among those who had felt the strongest family ties in youth, compared with those who had felt the weakest.
    • “We tend to think of adult loneliness or low social connectedness as byproducts of individual choice or adult social structures,” said Dr. Andrew Garner, a pediatrician and researcher at Case Western Reserve University, who was not involved in the research. This study, on the other hand, “forces us to think developmentally.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “2026 is an “execution year” for Teladoc Health, CEO Chuck Divita told Healthcare Dive.
    • “The telehealth company has spent the past year focusing on a strategy shift, prioritizing international expansion, improving operating efficiency, better leveraging its mental health assets and enhancing its integrated care business.
    • “The goal is to deliver sustainable long-term growth at Teladoc, which has seen its stock price decline significantly from the heights reached during the COVID-19 pandemic. To that end, the virtual care giant completed multiple acquisitions last year, launched new products and began accepting insurance coverage at its direct-to-consumer mental health arm BetterHelp. 
    • “I believe that we have the right strategy, the right priorities, and it’s really about execution now,” said Divita, who took up the role as Teladoc’s chief executive about a year and half ago.”
    • For the full interview, read the article. 
  • McKinsey & Co. discusses the changing contours of health and wellness.
    • “As 2026 takes shape, long-held notions of health and wellness, both in and out of the workplace, are evolving—expanding beyond disease prevention to focus on longevity, performance, and quality of life.
    • “Advances in healthspan science are driving biomedical innovations that contribute to healthy longevity, while the rapidly evolving wellness economy reflects shifting consumer expectations around fitness, nutrition, and healthy aging. McKinsey Health Institute research from Barbara Jeffery, Jacqueline Brassey, Lucy Pérez, and Darshini Mahadevia also shows that workplace health interventions can deliver measurable gains for both individuals and organizations. 
    • “As you navigate your own wellness journey this year, explore these insights on what it means to live a healthier, more fulfilling life.”
  • Per Fierce Healthcare,
    • “Maven Clinic launched a research institute on Thursday to rally further research and collaboration in digital health.
    • “The Clinical Research Institute is based on what Maven claims is the largest public evidence base measuring the impact of virtual care on women’s and family health. Maven has published over 40 peer-reviewed publications. A clinical research team, including Maven’s chief medical officer, is part of the center and driving its research and collaborations with partners.
    • “The goal is to serve as a platform for partnerships across academia and industry while expanding the scope of women’s and family health research. Current and past research partners include Harvard Medical School, Brown University, Posterity and OURA, with additional studies planned.
    • “The Institute also advances research through Maven’s Visiting Scientist program. Visiting Scientists work part-time with Maven for up to one year, contributing to research that informs care delivery and helps translate evidence into practice.”
  • and
    • “Nourish, a virtual nutrition provider, is launching a program that gives patients access to free cardiometabolic lab testing. 
    • “Nourish Labs will integrate blood testing into personalized nutrition care. The free basic panel will include key cardiometabolic markers like cholesterol, A1C and thyroid-stimulating hormone. An enhanced lab panel for insights into heart and hormone health will be available for a small add-on cost. 
    • “The objective measurement will improve treatment plans and strengthen patient engagement, executives say.
    • “We had just really wanted to, for a long time, bring it in-house and to be able to do this ourselves,” Aidan Dewar, co-founder and CEO of Nourish, told Fierce Healthcare in an exclusive advanced interview.”

Friday report

David Ermer–CDC, Congress, COVID-19, FDA, Medical / Rx research, NIH, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • The Washington Post reports,
    • The Senate passed a bill Friday to fund most of the federal government and buy more time to debate new accountability measures for immigration agents, but many agencies will still shutter this weekend.
    • The vote was 71-29. Five Republicans and 23 Democrats voted against the bill, as did Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vermont), an independent who caucuses with Democrats.
    • The House will not consider the spending legislation until early next week, setting off a partial shutdown just past midnight. The effect of the lapse in funding is expected to be relatively limited compared with the 43-day government shutdown last fall, the longest in history.
  • Govexec adds,
    • “We have been sending guidance to agencies this week, including today, on the likely lapse in funding,” an Office of Management and Budget spokesperson said on Friday. They added that OMB was following the “normal shutdown process” and would send a memorandum later on Friday instructing them to kick off shutdown procedures. Agencies would then notify employees who will be deemed excepted—and would therefore have to work during the shutdown—and who will be furloughed.” * * *
    • “All federal employees who would normally report to work on Feb. 2 would be expected to do so anyway, as is standard practice on the first working day after a funding lapse to initiate “orderly shutdown activities.” Depending on when the House acts, OMB could advise furloughed employees to remain at work or to go home and await an update.” 
  • Per a House of Representatives news release,
    • “U.S. Representative James Walkinshaw (D-VA-11) and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL)  called on Donald Trump—who has repeatedly failed to deliver on his promise to provide free IVF for all Americans—to prove his self-proclaimed support for IVF by expanding coverage for the millions of hardworking Americans in our federal workforce. In their letter, the lawmakers called on the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to require all Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program insurance carriers to cover IVF and other fertility treatments to at least the same level of coverage that Members of Congress and their staff currently enjoy.”* * *
    • “Since many FEHB carriers also offer plans through the DC Health Link, these insurance carriers have already invested time and resources improving their plan designs to comply with the DC Health Link’s excellent IVF benchmark requirements,” the lawmakers continued. “The bottom line is that OPM setting FEHB’s required IVF benefit at an identical or equivalent level to the DC Health Link IVF benefit requirements would bring fairness to the Federal workforce; strengthen recruitment and retention; and provide clarity, consistency, and improved IVF access across FEHB.”
  • Today, the Department of Health and Human Services announced certain information from the 2027 Notice of Benefits and Payment Parameters required for administering the Affordable Care Act. Of interest to FEHB and PSHB plans,
    • Maximum Annual Limitation on Cost Sharing for 2027
    • Under 45 CFR 156.130(a)(2), for the 2027 calendar year, cost sharing for self-only coverage may not exceed the dollar limit for calendar year 2014 increased by an amount equal to the product of that amount and the premium adjustment percentage for 2027. For other than self-only coverage, the limit is twice the dollar limit for self-only coverage. Under § 156.130(d), these amounts must be rounded down to the next lowest multiple of $50. Using the premium adjustment percentage for 2027 of 1.8916224814, and the 2014 maximum annual limitation on cost sharing of $6,350 for self-only coverage, which was published by the Internal Revenue Service on May 2, 2013,6 the 2027 maximum annual limitation on cost sharing is $12,000
    • for self-only coverage and $24,000 for other than self-only coverage. This represents an approximately 13.2 percent increase from the 2026 parameters of $10,600 for self-only coverage and $21,200 for other than self-only coverage.
  • The American Hospital Association (AHA) News tells us,
    • “The White House issued an executive order Jan. 29 to address substance use and addiction. The order establishes the White House Great American Recovery Initiative, a federal effort tasked with coordinating the administration’s efforts on the matter. The initiative will be led by the Department of Health and Human Services, which will work in conjunction with other federal agencies and officials. The initiative would advise federal agencies on how to implement programs regarding substance use prevention, early intervention, treatment, recovery support and re-entry, among other efforts. Additionally, the program would advise federal agency leaders on how to direct grants supporting addiction recovery.”
  • and
    • The Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy/Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology released a request for information Jan. 29 on the potential adoption of diagnostic imaging interoperability standards for health IT under ONC’s Health IT Certification Program. Comments on the request are due March 16. 
  • The Labor Department posted a fact sheet about the proposed ERISA PBM transperency rule published in today’s Federal Register.

From the judicial front,

  • Beckers Payer Issues reports,
    • “A federal judge has ruled that Luigi Mangione will not face the death penalty in the federal case stemming from the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.
    • “On Jan. 30, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett dismissed two of the four federal counts against Mangione, including a murder charge that would have made him eligible for capital punishment. Judge Garnett found the charge was technically flawed because it required an underlying “crime of violence,” and she ruled that the government’s stalking allegation did not meet that legal standard under Supreme Court precedent. Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to pursue the death penalty in April.
    • “The remaining stalking-related charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Mangione, 27, has pleaded not guilty to both federal and state murder charges.
    • “In a win for prosecutors, Judge Garnett denied the defense’s motion to suppress evidence seized from Mangione’s backpack during his December 2024 arrest at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. Authorities said the backpack contained a handgun and a notebook describing his intent to target an insurance executive.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
    • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally and increased this week after three weeks of decreasing trends. Emergency department visits among children 5-17 years are increasing. Hospitalization trends continue to decline overall. However, they are increasing among infants less than 1 year old. They remain stable in children 5-17 years old. RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country. Emergency department visits for RSV are highest among infants under 1 year and children 1-4 years old. RSV hospitalizations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.
    • “COVID-19
      • COVID-19 activity is elevated in some areas of the country.
    • “Influenza
      • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally and increased this week after three weeks of decreasing trends.
      • “Additional information about current influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC
    • “RSV
      • “RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits among infants under 1 year and children 1-4 years old. Hospitalizations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.
    • “Vaccination
      • National vaccination coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines remains suboptimal for children and adults. COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines can provide protection against severe disease this season. It is not too late to get vaccinated this season. Talk to your doctor or trusted healthcare provider about what vaccines are recommended for you and your family.
  • The AHA News informs us,
    • “The South Carolina Department of Public Health announced Jan. 30 that the state’s measles outbreak now has 847 cases. The agency said most cases are close contacts of known cases, but the number of public exposure sites indicate that the disease is circulating through community spread, increasing the risk of exposure and infection for individuals who are not immune due to vaccination or natural infection. The state’s outbreak began in October. Nationally, 588 cases have been reported since Jan. 1 across 17 jurisdictions, according to datafrom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those cases, 94% are outbreak-associated. Additionally, the vaccination status of 94% of cases is classified as unvaccinated or unknown.” 
  • Per an HHS news release,
    • “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today announced that its Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS) program has surpassed one million voluntary participants, marking a significant milestone in the United States’ ability to detect and respond to emerging public health threats at our borders.
    • “TGS is one of many tools the United States uses to strengthen disease surveillance and protect the American people. Through voluntary and anonymous sample collection from arriving international travelers at select U.S. airports, the program provides early insight into emerging pathogens and variants before they spread broadly within the United States
    • “The United States is the world’s leading authority in public health,” said HHS Deputy Secretary and Acting CDC Director Jim O’Neill. “The broad participation of travelers enhances our ability to safeguard the nation using tools that are developed, operated, and governed here at home without reliance on unaccountable global bureaucracies.”
  • Per a National Institutes of Health news release,
    • “National Institutes of Health (NIH)-supported investigators have developed a blood test to find pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, one of the deadliest forms of cancer. The new test could improve survival rates from pancreatic cancer, which tends to be diagnosed at late stages when therapy is less likely to be effective. The findings were published in Clinical Cancer Research.
    • “Overall, only about 1 in 10 pancreatic cancer patients survive more than five years from diagnosis. However, experts expect that when the cancer is found and treated at an earlier stage, survival would improve. While finding the cancer early is key, there are no current screening methods to do so.”
  • The University of Minnesota CIDRAP informs us,
    • “Researchers and clinicians in Michigan have developed new guidance for triage and management of suspected urinary tract infections (UTI) symptoms in patients seeking care via telehealth and virtual visits. * * *
    • “The result is two algorithms for uncomplicated UTI management—one for non-pregnant women and one for men—that clinicians can use in any setting to determine whether urine testing, empiric antibiotics, and further examination are needed. The guidance also addresses patients with more complicated health conditions and symptoms that could indicate a more serious health issue.
    • “The authors of the paper say the guidance is needed because UTIs are one of the most common reasons for antibiotic use in outpatient settings, but far fewer patients are being seen in a setting where a urine sample can be collected to confirm an infection.
    • “We hope that this guide will help both patients and providers be aware that even though they’re now able to take a questionnaire or interact with a provider completely virtually, that alone may not be enough to get the right diagnosis or treatment,” first author Jennifer Meddings, MD, MSc, a clinician and patient safety researcher at VAAAHS and Michigan Medicine, said in a press release.”
  • Per MedPage Today,
    • “Risk of recurrent major adverse limb events was lower in diabetes patients taking GLP-1 agents compared with DPP-4 inhibitors.
    • “Reduction of limb events was most significant for major amputations, where the risk was reduced by 41%.
    • “Researchers suggested the findings support preferential use of GLP-1 drugs for preventing recurrent limb events.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Beckers Payer Issues “connected with 17 health plan leaders to learn how their organizations are shifting their priorities in response to continued medical cost trends and affordability concerns.”
  • OptumRx writing in LinkedIn shares its notable new drug report
    • “In our latest edition of this ongoing series that highlights anticipated new drugs, we’ll review:
      • “Anaphylm™ (dibutepinephrine), the first oral drug for emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions.
      • “Sotyktu® (deucravacitinib) for treatment of psoriatic arthritis. This is a new indication for Sotyktu, which is currently approved for plaque psoriasis.
      • “Insulin icodec, the first once-weekly basal (or long-acting) insulin for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.
    • “These drugs are expected to receive Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval during the first quarter of 2026.”
  • BioPharma Dive reports,
    • “Amgen is backing out of a deal for an eczema drug it spent considerable resources developing, handing rights back to Kyowa Kirin for a medication called rocatinlimab that completed its first Phase 3 studies more than a year ago
    • “Amgen’s decision was based on a “strategic portfolio prioritization,” the Japan-based drugmaker said Friday, adding that it plans to seek regulatory approvals in the first six months of the year. Kyowa Kirin is “confident in the potential of rocatinlimab,” said Abdul Mullick, the company’s president, in a statement.
    • “While the two rocatinlimab trials in eczema achieved their primary goals, investors and Wall Street analysts have viewed them as disappointing compared to leading treatments like Regeneron and Sanofi’s Dupixent. Sanofi, though, is still planning regulatory submissions for a drug in the same class despite results that fell short of expectations.”
  • Modern Healthcare relates,
    • “Clinical teams are increasingly using wearables from consumer companies such as Apple, Fitbit and Samsung.
    • “Involving clinical teams before implementation of these tools has helped combat skepticism.
    • “There’s room for greater collaboration between clinicians and device manufacturers.
    • “Brigham and Women’s Hospital is using Apple Watches to study the connection between physical activity and heart health.”

Thursday report

David Ermer–CMS, Congress, FDA, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • The New York Times reports,
    • “Senate Democrats have struck a deal with Republicans and the White House to pass five spending bills to fund a large portion of the government for the remainder of the fiscal year, as well as a stopgap measure to fund the Department of Homeland Security for two weeks while they continue negotiating guardrails to rein in immigration agents. Republicans had pushed to fund the department for several weeks, but Democrats insisted on a shorter-term measure. It is unclear how quickly the House can and will process those funding bills after the Senate passes them. The shutdown deadline is midnight on Friday.”
  • The Washington Post lets us know which government operations will remain open in the event of a partial shutdown.
  • Per an HHS press release,
    • “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. today announced the appointment of a new Chair and 10 new public members to the Advisory Council on Alzheimer’s Research, Care, and Services. Established in 2011 under the National Alzheimer’s Project Act (NAPA), the Advisory Council meets quarterly to advise the Secretary on reducing the burden of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.” * * *
    • “The new Chair is Michelle Branham, Secretary of the Florida Department of Elder Affairs. Appointed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in 2021, Secretary Branham leads the state agency serving nearly 6.5 million Floridians. She brings more than 25 years of experience in Alzheimer’s disease public policy, public health, and public relations.”
  • Healthcare Dive tells us,
    • “The Trump administration has negotiated deals with major Medicaid systems vendors that it says will save states hundreds of millions of dollars as they hustle to implement massive changes to the safety-net insurance program from the GOP’s “Big Beautiful Bill.”
    • “On Thursday, CMS officials shared a list of 10 companies that have agreed to provide IT services and products at low or no cost to states to help them stand up work requirements, a controversial policy tying Medicaid eligibility to work or other approved activities.”
  • and
    • “Almost 23 million Americans signed up for health insurance coverage on the Affordable Care Act exchanges this year, the CMS said on Wednesday. That’s down 5% from last year’s record high, but not the nosedive some market watchers predicted given steep premium increases for ACA plans.
    • “Some 3.4 million people are new to the marketplaces, while 19.6 million already had ACA coverage and re-enrolled.
    • “Enrollment trends differ across the country. Much of the volume was driven by Texas alone, where more than 200,000 additional people signed up for coverage in 2026 compared to 2025. Texas led the pack of 9 states and Washington, D.C. that had more residents sign up for ACA plans. The remaining 41 states experienced enrollment declines, with particularly steep drops in North Carolina, down 22%, and Ohio, down 20%.”
  • Bloomberg Law relates,
    • “President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced the nomination of a veteran federal prosecutor to lead a new Justice Department unit focused on fraud, as the administration looks to refocus attention on the justification for its immigration crackdown in Minnesota that has grown increasingly unpopular.
    • “Trump, in a post on his Truth Social platform, nominated Colin McDonald as “assistant attorney general for national fraud enforcement,” a role that requires Senate approval.”
  • and
    • “The Trump administration proposed a rule Thursday requiring transparency in pharmacy benefit managers’ compensation and referral fees they pay to brokers.
    • “The proposed rule (RIN: 1210-AB37) is part of President Donald Trump’s broader push on price transparency in the health-care sector, where PBMs have come under fire for what critics say is opaque and anticompetitive behavior. 
    • “The Labor Department released the proposal after an executive order Trump signed in February 2025. The rule follows recent updates to a set of price transparency rules for health insurers and hospitals that Trump initially finalized in his first term.” * * *
    • “The rule would require PBMs and affiliated brokers to disclose their compensation to fiduciaries of self-insured health plans under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, so they can “assess the reasonableness of the contracts” required under ERISA and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA).”
    • The public comment deadline is March 31, 2026.
  • Tammy Flanagam writing in Govexec, offers a summary of the “annual adjustments to retirement benefits, FEHB costs, Social Security rules and TSP limits are now taking effect” for federal and postal annuitants.

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • Fierce Pharma reports,
    • “Combining two eye drops that have been on the market for at least 30 years each has earned Tenpoint Therapeutics an FDA approval (PDF) for Yuvezzi, a treatment for presbyopia, a common, age-related condition that makes it difficult to focus on nearby objects.
    • “Yuvezzi, which is a solution of 2.75% carbachol and 0.1% brimonidine tartrate, becomes the first combination treatment for presbyopia, which affects roughly 2 billion around the world and 128 million in the United States.
    • “Carbachol reached the market in 1972 as Alcon’s Miostat to dilate pupils during cataract surgeries. Brimonidine tartrate was commercialized in 1996 by Allergan as an ocular hypertension eye drop and most recently by Bausch+Lomb as Lumify, a treatment to reduce eye redness.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Life expectancy in the U.S. reached a record high in 2024 following a substantial decline of drug-overdose deaths, according to figures released by the federal government Thursday.
    • “The life expectancy at birth for the average American was 79 years old in 2024, up 0.6 year from the year prior, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. The increase signals a rebound from declines in life expectancy during the coronavirus pandemic and progress in combating the opioid crisis.
    • “The agency reported that deaths related to drug overdose decreased by more than 26% between 2023 and 2024, marking the largest year-to-year drop in those types of fatalities recorded by the federal government.
    • “You’ve got those two things working together: improvements coming out of the pandemic and then declines in overdose deaths,” said Robert Anderson, chief of the Statistical Analysis and Surveillance Branch at the National Center for Health Statistics. “The result is increased life expectancy to a level a little bit higher than what we saw prepandemic.”
  • The New York Times tells us,
    • “Your potential life span is written in your genes, according to a new study. You can lengthen it a bit with a healthy lifestyle. But if your genetic potential is to live to be 80, for example, it is unlikely that anything you do will push your age at death up to 100.
    • “That, at least, is the conclusion of a paper published Thursday in Science.
    • ‘Uri Alon of the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and other researchers drew the data for the study from three sets of data from pairs of Swedish twins, including one set of twins that was reared apart. To test how generalizable the results are, the group also examined data from a study of 2,092 siblings of 444 Americans who lived to be over 100. Their goal was to identify outside factors that can affect how long someone lives, like infections or accidents, separate from the intrinsic factor of genetics.
    • “They report that aging is mostly hereditary, a conclusion that flies in the face of much conventional medical wisdom regarding dieting, exercising and healthy habits. These habits are important for the quality of a person’s life, but they run into another form of conventional wisdom: You can’t make someone into a centenarian, unless that person also has a genetic inheritance of longevity.”
  • NBC News adds,
    • “The early bird may not only catch the proverbial worm but also have a healthier heart, new research suggests.
    • “People who naturally stay up late, self-described night owls, are likelier to have poor heart health than people with more traditional sleep-wake schedules, according to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
    • “The findings were particularly strong among women.”
  • MedPage Today notes,
    • “Roughly 126 million U.S. adults ages 20 and older are projected to have obesity by 2035, according to estimates from a cross-sectional analysis.
      “In 1990, 19.3% of U.S. adults had obesity; in 2022, this rose to 42.5%. By 2035, 46.9% of the adult population is expected to have obesity, reported Catherine O. Johnson, PhD, MPH, of the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health in Seattle, and colleagues.
      “The results, with data collected over three decades, provide insight into future levels of persons living with obesity, if past trends continue. Effective policies may be identified by examining populations with consistently lower rates of obesity,” Johnson and her team wrote in JAMA.”
  • Genetic Engineering and BioTechnology News points out,
    • “Organoids have helped create a comprehensive map showing how eight different genetic mutations associated with autism spectrum disorder affect early brain development. This work provides new insights into the ways diverse genetic causes may lead to shared features and symptoms of the disorder.
    • “Over the past two decades, more than 100 genes harboring rare mutations linked to autism have been identified. This genetic heterogeneity has raised a fundamental question: if autism can be caused by so many different genetic changes, why do individuals with autism often share common features?
    • “A new study published in Nature in the paper, “Developmental convergence and divergence in human stem cell models of autism,” provides new insights by demonstrating that while different mutations affect the developing brain in initially distinct ways, they increasingly impact overlapping molecular pathways as development progresses.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • The Health Care Cost Institute reports,
    • “Urgent care spending among people with employer-sponsored insurance increased by more than 50% from 2018 to 2022, according to a new analysis released today by the non-profit Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI). Unlike most health care categories where rising prices have driven spending growth, this increase was fueled primarily by a sharp rise in utilization.
    • “Urgent care centers have become a critical access point for patients seeking timely care, and this was especially true during the pandemic,” said Katie Martin, president and CEO of HCCI. “Our analysis shows that while prices remained relatively stable, utilization skyrocketed – underscoring the role urgent care plays in meeting patient needs outside traditional settings. While urgent care may be filling a critical gap and easing ER demand, with spending up 50% over five years it deserves close attention from employers, insurers and policymakers.”
  • The Wall Street Journal relates,
    • “Drugmakers are doing something unusual this year: slashing prices for several widely used medicines.
    • “The companies made their typical round of price increases to start the year. In addition, they also made big cuts to U.S. list prices for widely used drugs for diabetes, blood clotting and other conditions.
    • “A big factor: federal government policy changes, including lower prices that Medicare negotiated and took effect for the first time this year.
    • “All told, 20 brand-name drugs had list-price cuts this month, ranging from 9.8% to 91.7%, according to 46brooklyn Research, a Dayton, Ohio-based firm that analyzes drug pricing.
    • “Among them were a 43% cut to the list price for bloodthinner Eliquis from Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Squibb and a 44.4% drop for diabetes treatment Jardiance from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly.
    • “These are heavyweight drugs, and to see them crater in price like this is historic,” said Antonio Ciaccia, chief executive of 46brooklyn.
    • “For patients who have to pay the full price or a copay based on a percentage of list price, the price cuts will mean lower costs. Patients with insurance who pay a fixed monthly copay might not see much of a change.”
  • Modern Healthcare tells us,
    • “Hospitals discharge about 40% of patients to post-acute care, but not always to the most appropriate setting.
    • “Some health systems have special teams to ensure patients go to the correct place for additional care.
    • “Providers are successfully appealing some denials by insurers for referrals to nursing homes and inpatient rehab facilities.”
  • Per Beckers Hospital Review,
    • “The Pennsylvania Department of Health on Jan. 28 approved Franklin, Tenn.-based Community Health Systems’ plan to sell its three Pennsylvania hospitals to the Tenor Health Foundation. 
    • “The approval comes after CHS, a for-profit system, signed a definitive agreement in October to sell Commonwealth Health to Tenor, a newly formed nonprofit organization. 
    • “Under the deal, Tenor will acquire Regional Hospital of Scranton (186 beds), Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton (122 beds) and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital (369 beds).
    • “The sale would see CHS exit the Pennsylvania market. CHS previously attempted to sell the hospitals to WoodBridge Healthcare for $120 million in 2024, but the deal collapsed because WoodBridge was unable to satisfy the funding requirements.  
    • ‘CHS and Tenor will now work to finalize the transaction “as quickly and smoothly as possible,” a CHS spokesperson told Becker’s in a statement. The terms of this deal were not disclosed.”
  • Per Radiology Business,
    • “Premier Radiology Services is acquiring another rival teleradiology group, the private equity-backed imaging outfit announced on Wednesday. 
    • “The Deerfield Beach, Florida-based company said it has reached a deal to buy National Radiology Solutions, or NRad, for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2013 by industry veteran Robb Kolb, MBA, Premier said NRad is a “highly regarded teleradiology provider,” known for its “deep expertise” across all subspecialties. 
    • “Adding the Winter Garden, Florida-based firm will allow Premier Radiology to grow its national footprint, strengthen clinical coverage and enable more efficient interpretations.
    • “Welcoming the NRad team marks another important milestone for Premier and meaningfully expands the scale and capabilities of our platform,” CEO Andy Copilevitz, MBA, said in a statement Jan. 28. “Our organizations share a deep commitment to advancing the practice of teleradiology and supporting the physicians who make it possible.”
  • Per Fierce Healthcare,
    • “Sword Health, a company that provides an artificial-intelligence-first care model, plans to acquire rival Kaia Health for $285 million, the company announced Wednesday.
    • “Kaia, which has headquarters in New York and Munich, is a digital therapeutics company focused on musculoskeletal (MSK) and pulmonary care.
    • F”ollowing the acquisition, Sword will move Kaia’s U.S. members onto its MSK platform, the company said in a press release. Kaia’s millions of American members will gain access to Sword’s expanded AI Care platform.” 

Notable Obituary

  • The New York Times reports,
    • “Dr. Angella D. Ferguson, a pediatrician whose groundbreaking research aided in the early diagnosis and treatment of sickle cell anemia, a painful and deadly disease that disproportionately afflicts people of African descent, died on Jan. 6 at her home in Chevy Chase, Md. She was 100.
    • “Her death was confirmed by her nephew Roger W. Ferguson Jr., an economist and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve.
    • “Dr. Ferguson was one of a small group of pediatricians — including Yvette Fay Francis-McBarnette and Doris Wethers — who as Black women physicians were rarities for their time, and who as researchers focused on sickle cell, a field that many white clinicians had overlooked.”
  • RIP

Midweek report

David Ermer–CMS, Congress, COVID-19, FDA, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Senate Democrats demand an overhaul of immigration enforcement, tying it to passing a $1.3 trillion spending package to avert a government shutdown.
    • “Democrats propose changes including: ending roving patrols, tightening warrant rules and requiring ICE coordination with local law enforcement.
    • “The standoff follows two fatal shootings by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis, with Democrats refusing to fund DHS without revisions.”
  • The Hill adds,
    • “House Republicans are warning the Senate against making any changes to a government funding package that includes funds for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), saying any reforms sought by Democrats would not clear the House and would lead to a government shutdown at the end of the week.
    • “Conservatives also say they would seek significant concessions from Democrats if they were to split up the six-bill funding package and tinker with the DHS spending bill — threatening to seek avenues to fund the department without needing support from Democrats.
  • The House Budget Committee identified highlights from last week’s hearing on how to reverse the healthcare cost curve. One of the experts that the FEHBlog admires, Avik Roy, observed,
    • “Mr. Avik Roy, Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity: I’d encourage you to look at the World Index of Health Care Innovation that my organization puts out every year. FREOP, which looks at a lot of these metrics of how we measure the quality of the health care system, what we can learn from other countries, what they can learn from us. On the point about options other than health insurance, first of all, we have to make health insurance more affordable. You can do a lot to have alternatives to health insurance, and I will talk about that, but we, the people, still need affordable options for health insurance. The fact that the Affordable Care Act made health insurance massively more expensive for people who buy it on their own is a huge problem, because the foundation of free market health insurance is you buying that health insurance for yourself, not depending on your employer to buy it for you, not depending on the government to buy it for you. You buy it for yourself, and maybe the government helps you pay for that premium.“
  • FEHBlog note — The FEHB Program would be a good model for choice but for the fact that the U.S. Office of Personnel Management has been benefit mandate crazy in recent years. OPM needs to revoke those mandates.
  • The Wall Street Journal tells us,
    • “The Census Bureau’s first snapshot of population data for 2025 confirms some big trends, like a major shift in immigration as the U.S. cracks down on border crossings and steps up deportations. 
    • “The estimates, which cover the 12-month period ended in mid-2025, also uncovered some surprises regarding the comings and goings between states. Some places in the Midwest, for example, are seeing a net influx of people from within the U.S. for the first time in years.” ***
    • “The U.S. added slightly more babies, but not enough to move the needle significantly on population growth. Births ticked up about 12,200 on the year to 3.6 million. That is better than the decline of 40,700 in the prior year, but it didn’t shift a still-falling birthrate that has become a concern among some Republicans.”
  • The American Hospital Association New informs us,
    • “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Jan. 28 released a proposed rule that would update conditions for coverage for organ procurement organizations. The proposal would eliminate regulatory requirements that limited the Secretary of Health and Human Services in certifying new OPOs, clarify the OPO designation process, modify the appeals process for OPOs, and update and add certain key definitions, among other changes. CMS also seeks comments on various topics, including a new process to certify OPOs; conflicts of interest in organ and tissue procurement; automated electronic referrals, from donor hospitals to OPOs; and alternative approaches to OPO designation and non-renewal of OPO agreements.”
  • Per an HHS news release,
    • “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the appointment of 21 new members to the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC). These appointments reflect the commitment of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to support breakthrough innovations in autism research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention by bringing the nation’s understanding of and policies concerning autism into alignment with gold-standard science.”
  • MedCity News points out,
    • “While the 15 medications selected for the latest round of the federal government’s drug price negotiation program will face steep cuts in what Medicare will pay, the financial impact to pharmaceutical companies is expected to be minimal.
    • “Leerink Partners analyst David Risinger said in a Wednesday research note that Gilead Sciences HIV drug Biktarvy is the only one of the selected products with Medicare exposure that is material to its manufacturer’s sales, accounting for about 8% of Gilead’s 2027 estimated global revenue. Rexulti, a drug approved for schizophrenia among other neurological indications, has the second-largest exposure, with revenue from Medicare estimated to be about 3% of Lundbeck’s global sales. But Risinger said this exposure for Lundbeck is overstated because the company shares in commercialization of the drug with partner Otsuka Pharmaceutical.”
  • Avalere Health explains how this week’s “2027 Advance Notice Materially Alters Part D Risk Adjustment.”
  • Tammy Flanagan, writing in Govexec, discusses “how federal employees can protect a spouse in retirement”
    • “To better understand their potential benefits and financial risks in retirement, both spouses should be aware of some benefits planning realities.”

From the Food and Drug Administration,

  • Fierce Pharma reports,
    • “Even as Johnson & Johnson’s oncology superstar Darzalex Faspro racks up megablockbuster sales and reshapes the multiple myeloma treatment paradigm, the drug is still finding ways to consolidate its position. This week, the drug is doing just that with an FDA nod for a more powerful regimen in newly diagnosed patients who are ineligible for autologous stem cell transplant.
    • “The Jan. 27 approval enables Darzalex Faspro’s use within a quadruplet combination that includes Takeda’s Velcade, Bristol Myers Squibb’s Revlimid and the steroid dexamethasone (VRd), which is altogether referred to as D-VRd. Before that, the triplet regimen of D-Rd has been allowed to treat first-line, transplant-ineligible patients since 2019. 
    • D-VRd is now the only anti-CD38 antibody-based regimen that can treat newly diagnosed patients regardless of transplant eligibility, J&J said in a Jan. 27 press release.”
  • BioPharma Dive adds,
    • “Regenxbio lost almost a fifth of its value Wednesday after the Food and Drug Administration placed a clinical hold on two of the company’s experimental gene therapies.
    • “Regulators acted after researchers found a case of brain cancer in a 5-year-old child who had received one of the treatments, RGX-111, four years earlier. The agency decided to extend the hold to the second therapy, RGX-121, because of similarities between the two and “shared risk between the clinical studies,” Regenxbio said Wednesday.
    • “The company said there has been no causal link between RGX-111 and the child’s condition and emphasized that RGX-121 is a separate therapy with years of safety data. “We are surprised by FDA’s decision to place our RGX-121 program on hold while the investigation of this single, inconclusive incident in RGX-111 continues,” CEO Curran Simpson said in the statement.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • Infectious Disease Advisor reports,
    • “Millions of COVID-19-associated illnesses and outpatient visits as well as thousands of hospitalizations and deaths continued to occur annually in the United States from late 2022 through 2024, despite the formal end of the public health emergency, according to a cross-sectional analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine.
    • “To provide updated national estimates during a period marked by evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants, changes in testing practices, and increasing population immunity, investigators analyzed data from the COVID-19 Hospitalization Surveillance Network. Using hierarchical Bayesian modeling and probabilistic multiplier methods, the investigators estimated the national burden of symptomatic illnesses, outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and deaths across 2 surveillance periods aligned with influenza seasons: October 2022 to September 2023 and October 2023 to September 2024.”
  • The Wall Street Journal informs us,
    • “A recent email ad from a telehealth company selling weight-loss medications features tennis-superstar Serena Williams.  
    • “If you’re carrying 15-20 extra pounds,” it says, “medications like Wegovy can help jumpstart your progress.”
    • “For obesity doctors and researchers, this kind of messaging is problematic. The blockbuster drugs—known as GLP-1s—are increasingly marketed as lifestyle fixes to help take off some weight. But they are actually designed as lifelong treatments for chronic diseases, namely obesity and Type 2 diabetes. 
    • “That distinction matters.
    • “While nearly 18% of U.S. adults have taken a GLP-1 drug for weight loss or to treat a chronic condition, about half of people will stop taking it within a year. Often, they don’t understand what is likely to come next. 
    • “Studies show that after stopping the drugs, people typically regain lost weight within about 1.5 years. And any improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure or cholesterol are reversed.
    • “People who take GLP-1s regain weight four times faster than those who lose weight through lifestyle interventions, according to a recent analysis published in the British Medical Journal.
    • “The depressing results raise the question: Are the drugs worth starting if you can’t stay on them long-term? Doctors largely say yes but caution the need for proper counseling and lifestyle changes.
    • “The medications, which include Ozempic, Mounjaro and Zepbound, mimic naturally occurring gut hormones such as GLP-1, suppressing appetite and making people feel full faster.”
  • Cardiovascular Business calls attention to five takeaways from new stroke guideline.
    • “The American Stroke Association (ASA), a division of the American Heart Association, has developed an updated ischemic stroke guideline that highlights the importance of coordinated care and expands patient access to critical treatments. The new document, published in full in Stroke, also includes the first detailed recommendations for treating stroke in pediatric patients.
    • “This update brings the most important advances in stroke care from the last decade directly into practice,” Shyam Prabhakaran, MD, MS, chair of the writing group behind the guideline and chair of the department of neurology at the University of Chicago Medicine, said in a statement. “New recommendations in the guideline expand access to cutting-edge treatments, such as clot-removal procedures and medications, simplify imaging requirements so more hospitals can act quickly, and introduce guidance for pediatric stroke for the first time.”
  • MedPage Today lets us know,
    • “Unhealthy alcohol use ranks among the top three causes of preventable deaths in the U.S., yet less than one-third of patients who visit a primary care clinician ever discuss alcohol use.
    • “A tailored practice facilitation strategy was linked to increased adoption of evidence-based screening and counseling for unhealthy alcohol use among adults at small and medium-sized primary care practices.
    • “Studies in two other states documented similarly positive findings.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “Elevance became the second major insurer to predict declining revenue in 2026 on Wednesday, as for-profit payers continue to shave off members to try and recover margins.
    • “The Indianapolis-based insurer estimated its operating revenue will drop by a low-single digit percentage next year. The guidance comes one day after UnitedHealth forecast an annual revenue decline for the first time in more than three decades, sparking a selloff of managed care stocks that continued into Wednesday.
    • “Elevance also projected adjusted diluted earnings per share of at least $25.50, compared to the $30.29 it posted in 2025. Analysts said the insurers are setting attainable guidance to rebuild investor confidence after a difficult few years for the sector.”
  • Cigna released on LinkedIn a white paper about the healthcare landscape facing employers this year.
  • Bio Pharma Dive notes,
    • “Eli Lilly is expanding its footprint in genetic medicine, announcing Wednesday an agreement with Germany-based startup Seamless Therapeutics to develop treatments for hearing loss. 
    • “The alliance gives Lilly access to a type of next-generation gene editing technology. Seamless engineers and programs “recombinases,” or enzymes that rearrange DNA, in such a way that they can precisely pinpoint and modify specific areas of the genome. Through the deal, Seamless will design certain recombinases to correct mutations in unspecified “genes of interest” in hearing loss, the companies said.
    • “Lilly didn’t specify how much guaranteed cash Seamless will receive initially. But the startup is eligible for over $1.12 billion in total payouts, which includes an upfront payment and a variety of unspecified milestones.
    • “The deal adds to a concerted push by Lilly, which recently flirted with a $1 trillion market value thanks to its diabetes and obesity medicines, into the field of genetic medicine.”  
  • Per Fierce Healthcare,
    • “Premise Health and Crossover Health plan to merge, creating a large employer-focused advanced primary care company serving more than 400 organizations and operating 900 clinics across the country.
    • “Both companies offer primary care and occupational health services for employers, unions, tribes and health plans with worksite or near-worksite clinics. The companies also offer virtual care services.
    • “Financial details of the agreement were not disclosed. The deal is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.
    • “After closing, the combined company will approach $2 billion in annual revenue, according to a Premise Health spokesperson.”
  • and
    • “Reperio Health, a provider of at-home health screenings with instant results, is teaming up with Amazon One Medical to expand access to primary care. 
    • “This marks Amazon’s first partnership in the at-home preventive screening space. 
    • “Reperio was founded in 2020, working with employers to offer at-home health screenings with instant results. Now, it is launching ReperioCare, which adds an on-demand virtual visit with a contracted clinician to interpret those results. Employees using the service can then take advantage of an included One Medical membership for ongoing primary care. 
    • The partnership’s goal is to streamline the path from early detection to ongoing primary care, particularly in rural areas.” 
  • Per Beckers Hospital Review,
    • “Fort Wayne, Ind.-based Parkview Health has signed a letter of intent with Goshen (Ind.) Health to explore a partnership.
    • “The partnership would make Goshen Health Parkview’s largest hospital outside of Fort Wayne and establish it as a regional hub for care, access and growth, according to a Jan. 27 Goshen Health news release.
    • “Goshen and Parkview plan to collaborate to strengthen clinical services, expand care access and build a sustainable healthcare system. The process begins with a 90-day due diligence period, followed by regulatory review and final board approval.”
  • and
    • “Walmart has moved 3,000 of its pharmacy technicians into pharmacy operations team lead roles and expanded pay ranges for the workforce.
    • “Pharmacy technician hourly rates average $22, which can increase to $40.50 depending on location and certification, according to a Jan. 28 news release from Walmart. The 3,000 recently promoted pharmacy operations team leads receive an average hourly pay of $28 with the potential to earn up to $42 per hour. Walmart operates about 4,600 locations in the U.S.
    • “The two largest U.S. pharmacy chains by prescription dispensing revenue, Walgreens and CVS, have made similar investments in their pharmacy technicians. In April, Walgreens said it would pay for pharmacy employee’s prerequisite coursework for a PharmD degree. A few months later, CVS opened a workforce development center in Texas for pharmacy technicians, customer service representatives and other pharmacy employees.” 

Notable Obituary

  • The New York Times reports
    • “Thomas Fogarty, 91, Who Helped Revolutionize Vascular Surgery, Dies
    • “Drawing on his love of fly-fishing, he developed a balloon catheter that removes blood clots from patients’ limbs in a minimally invasive way. It has saved millions of lives.”
  • RIP

Tuesday report

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, Congress, FDA, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, Mental health care, NIH, Obesity, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Senate Republicans and the White House were trying to broker a last-minute deal Tuesday with Democrats who are demanding changes to immigration enforcement in a sprawling funding package, with an agreement seen as critical to averting a partial government shutdown.
    • “The Senate is set to consider a $1.3 trillion package of six spending bills, including one that would fund the Department of Homeland Security. Lawmakers need to send the measures to President Trump’s desk by the end of this week to avoid a funding lapse. Democrats have said they would pass five of the bills, but insisted on separating or reworking the DHS funding legislation, arguing that any changes to immigration enforcement must be written into law. 
    • “An administration official said the White House is offering to change its immigration-enforcement operations to get the final appropriations bills passed, pointing to steps already taken such as removing Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino from Minneapolis. But the White House doesn’t want to alter the funding bills, the official said, seeing such a move by the Senate as effectively guaranteeing a shutdown this weekend by requiring the House—currently on recess until Monday—to take action.”
  • Fierce Pharma relates,
    • “Even as the Trump administration works to implement its “most favored nation” pricing system, the U.S. government continues to advance efforts to negotiate Medicare drug prices as enabled by the Inflation Reduction Act. 
    • “On Tuesday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services unveiled the next 15 high-spend medicines up for price negotiations under the program. 
    • “Meds up for first-time Medicare price negotiations this year include GSK’s inhaler Anoro Ellipta, Gilead’s HIV blockbuster Bitkarvy, AbbVie’s Botox and Botox Cosmetic brands, Takeda’s inflammatory bowel disease drug Entyvio and Johnson & Johnson prostate cancer medicine Erleada, according to a Jan. 27 release from the CMS.
    • “In addition, Novartis’ breast cancer medicine Kisqali, Eisai’s cancer therapy Lenvima, Lundbeck and Otsuka’s atypical antipsychotic Rexulti, Eli Lilly’s diabetes drug Trulicity and its breast cancer treatment Verzenio are also due up for first-time negotiations, according to the government.
    • “Rounding out the list are Roche and Novartis’ Xolair for food allergies, chronic hives and other uses, plus immunology biologics Cosentyx, Cimzia, Orencia and Xeljanz from Novartis, UCB, Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer, respectively.
    • “Also for the first time, the government will renegotiate a drug’s price under the IRA system, tagging Boehringer Ingelheim’s diabetes med Tradjenta for renegotiations. The drug was previously included in last year’s batch of pricing talks.”
    • “After the negotiation process for the drugs kicks off this year, their new Medicare prices will become effective in early 2028, according to the CMS. Drugmakers have until the end of February to decide whether to participate in the process.”
  • Per an HHS news release,
    • “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced new guidance clarifying how pharmaceutical manufacturers can offer lower-cost prescription drugs directly to patients — including Medicare and Medicaid enrollees — in a manner that’s low risk under the federal anti-kickback statute, so long as key safeguards are met. * * *
    • “The guidance, issued as a bulletin [PDF] by the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), supports efforts to make medically necessary drugs more affordable while protecting patients and federal health care programs from fraud and abuse. It also aligns with the Trump Administration’s broader effort to lower drug prices, increase transparency across the prescription drug market, and expand the availability of affordable direct-to-consumer pharmaceuticals as part of the TrumpRx program. * * *
    • “The guidance issued today provides pharmaceutical manufacturers with assurance that they may sell prescription drugs directly to patients who choose to pay cash — including patients enrolled in federal health care programs — when the arrangement meets specific conditions. These include ensuring the drug is not billed to Medicare, Medicaid, or other federal programs, is not used to market other federally reimbursable products, and is not tied to future purchases or referrals.
    • “Importantly, the guidance does not change the federal anti-kickback statute itself, which remains a criminal law enforced on a case-by-case basis. It also does not address financial relationships between manufacturers and other parties such as physicians, pharmacies, pharmacy benefit managers, or marketers. HHS OIG has indicated it will seek additional public input on those arrangements separately.”
  • Healthcare Dive tells us,
    • “The Trump administration’s top Medicare official is coming to the defense of the 2027 Medicare Advantage rate notice, after the rule sparked a wave of backlash from the health insurance sector.
    • “The CMS proposed a flat rate update for next year, which won’t adequately cover higher spending on seniors in the privatized Medicare program, insurers say. Regulators also proposed reforms to MA risk adjustment that would restrict insurers’ ability to inflate members’ risk scores and, correspondingly, their reimbursement from the federal government.
    • “The rule sent a shockwave down Wall Street, which had expected a much higher update from the historically pro-business Trump administration.”
  • Yesterday, CMS released proposed Medicare Part D payment policies for 2027. The American Hospital Association News notes,
    • “CMS plans updates to the Part D risk adjustment model. Out-of-pocket prescription drug costs for individuals with Medicare Part D are proposed to be capped at $2,400 in 2027, up from $2,100 in 2026. Comments on the [two] CY 2027 proposals are due Feb. 25. The agency expects to publish a final rate announcement on or before April 6.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • MedTech Dive reports,
    • “Amid a deregulatory push by the Trump administration, the Food and Drug Administration is scrutinizing its digital health policies. The agency suddenly issued a pair of guidances earlier this month, intended to clarify its approach to wellness devices and medical software. 
    • “The updates reflect changes to the agency’s thinking about what counts as a wellness device, but also raise new questions and pose challenges to consumers, experts said. 
    • “FDA Commissioner Marty Makary announced the pair of guidances — issued without any prior notice or public comment period — at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January. Makary said the agency has 27 different guidances that deal with software and digital health, and he aims to cut that number by at least half, while updating them to be more clear, modern and consistent.
    • “Despite Makary’s framing, attorneys viewed the updates as less of a major change to regulations, and more as tweaks and examples. 
    • “He was talking about cutting red tape and deregulating, and that’s not really what these are,” said Amanda Johnston, a partner at Gardner Law. “The law itself has not changed.” 
  • BioPharma Dive informs us,
    • “Shares for Intellia Therapeutics climbed by about 10% early Tuesday after the company said the Food and Drug Administration cleared it to resume one of two Phase 3 trials evaluating its experimental CRISPR-based treatment against the rare genetic disease transthyretin amyloidosis.   
    • “U.S. regulators halted two studies of Intellia’s nexiguran ziclumeran, or nex-z, last October following the occurrence of serious liver toxicity that resulted in the death of a trial participant. Intellia said Tuesday that the FDA has allowed it to restart “MAGNITUDE-2,” a trial testing nex-z in people with a form of the disease that affects the nerves, by incorporating new risk mitigation measures. It’s also enrolling about 10 more patients in that study. Intellia aims to begin testing again “as quickly as possible.” 
    • “Intellia also revealed, however, that a pause in the “MAGNITUDE” trial in patients with the “cardiomyopathy” form of the disease is ongoing. The company will provide an update once aligned with regulators on the program’s path forward there.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • STAT News reports,
    • “The South Carolina measles outbreak has surpassed the recorded case count in Texas’ 2025 outbreak, as health officials have logged almost 600 new cases in just over a month.
    • “The outbreak centered in northwestern Spartanburg County is showing little sign of slowing down, with health officials saying Tuesday that 789 cases have been confirmed since September. Last year in Texas, 762 cases were reported, although experts believe that was likely an undercount.
    • “A large outbreak on the Utah-Arizona border is also ongoing, and the United States’ measles elimination status is at risk.”
  • ABC News informs us,
    • “Long-term alcohol use has been linked to higher risks of colorectal cancer, according to a study published Monday in the journal Cancer.
    • “Researchers found that those with heavy lifetime alcohol consumption have up to a 91% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer compared with those who drank very little. That risk significantly increased with consistent heavy consumption, whereas those who quit drinking may have demonstrated decreased risk of precancerous tissue.
    • “The longer someone drinks, the longer their colon and rectum are exposed damage and impaired repair, both major mechanisms of cancer,” Dr. Lynn M O’Connor, section chief of colon and rectal surgery at Mercy Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in New York, told ABC News.
    • “The study followed more than 88,000 adults with no prior history of cancer. Participants reported their alcohol use beginning in early adulthood and were followed for nearly a decade to track cancer outcomes.
    • “Compared with those who averaged one drink or less per week over their lifetime, those who consumed over 14 drinks a week had a 25% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer. The link was even stronger for rectal cancer, where one’s risk nearly doubled.”
  • and
    • “Reducing the sodium in pre-packaged and prepared foods may prevent thousands of cases of heart disease, stroke and death, according to two new studies.
    • “The studies, published early Monday in the journal Hypertension, took place in France and the United Kingdom, countries where food giants have subtly reduced salt levels in store-bought foods.
    • “Using national diet and health data, researchers in France estimated that modest decreases in bread salt content could cut adults’ daily salt intake by 0.35 grams, lower their blood pressure and prevent more than 1,100 deaths.
    • “Researchers from the U.K. estimated that similar salt reductions in packaged foods and takeout meals could lower daily British sodium intake by 17.5%, preventing more than 100,000 cases of heart disease and 25,000 cases of stroke over 20 years.
    • “Sodium plays important health roles, like helping blood vessels hold water. However, about 90% of Americans consume too much of it, according to the American Heart Association. Excessive sodium raises the risk of high blood pressure, a risk factor for issues such as cardiovascular disease, long-term kidney disease and cognitive decline.”
  • The New York Times considers whether “Intermittent Fasting Live Up to the Hype? The diet has been linked to weight loss, longer life span and even a lower risk of cancer — in mice. What about humans?” For example.
    • “The most common claim about intermittent fasting is that it’s a better way to lose weight than other diets. Early mouse and rat experiments suggested that something interesting was going on beyond simple calorie restriction. The animals lost weight and stayed healthier than mice that ate normally, no matter how many calories they binged between fasts.
    • “But in humans, the idea that intermittent fasts offer special weight loss benefits “really hasn’t been borne out by the data,” said James Betts, a professor of metabolic physiology at the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.”
  • Per an NIH news release,
    • “A study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) provides the clearest evidence to date to link severe chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) to dementia risk. CTE is a degenerative brain disorder in some people who have had repeated head impacts over time. It can only be diagnosed after death by examining brain tissue. While researchers were able to link severe CTE (stages III and IV) to dementia risk, they did not find any measurable link between less severe CTE (stages I and II) and changes in thinking, mood, or daily functioning.
    • “The research, led by scientists at Boston University CTE Center and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System, analyzed 614 donated brains from people with known exposure to repetitive head impacts. None of the donors had Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body disease, or frontotemporal lobar degeneration, three of the most common neurodegenerative diseases that cause dementia.”
  • NIH released its latest edition of Research Matters which covers the following topics:
    • “Testing risk-based breast cancer screening
      • “In a large clinical trial, risk-based breast cancer screening was as safe and effective as annual mammograms.
      • “This approach could help reduce anxiety, costs, and unnecessary follow-up testing.”
    • “ADHD medications stimulate alertness, motivation”
      •  “Researchers found that prescription stimulants for ADHD act on brain networks that control wakefulness and reward, but not attention as previously thought.
      • “The study suggests that stimulants and additional sleep affect the brain in similar ways, and that getting enough sleep could help in managing ADHD.”
    • “Cellular mitochondria transfer prevents pain”
      • “Studies in mice and human cells revealed that power-hungry sensory neurons get mitochondria for energy production from nearby supporting cells.
      • “The results point to potential new treatments for nerve pain caused by drugs or health conditions that harm mitochondria.”
  • Per MedPage Today,
    • “Postmenopausal women on the GLP-1 medication tirzepatide (Zepbound) for obesity lost more weight if they were also using menopause hormone therapy, a retrospective cohort study indicated.
    • “Among 120 women with overweight or obesity on tirzepatide, hormone therapy users lost 19.2% of their body weight, while those not using hormone therapy treatment lost 14% (P=0.0023), reported Maria Daniela Hurtado Andrade, MD, PhD, of the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida, and colleagues.
    • “Women in the hormone therapy group lost 35% more body weight than those in the no hormone therapy group and showed notable improvements in key cardiometabolic parameters, supporting a potential enhancing effect of hormone therapy on tirzepatide’s therapeutic effect,” the researchers wrote in Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health.”
  • The Wall Street Journal points out,
    • “Roche ROG Holding said an experimental injection achieved positive results in a midstage clinical trial by helping patients shed weight, paving the way for the start of the company’s first late-stage obesity study.
    • “Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 drugs currently dominate the obesity-drug market, but big drugmakers including Roche, Pfizer and Amgen, as well as smaller players, are trying to come up with new treatments to challenge them.” * * *
    • “The Swiss pharmaceutical company said Tuesday that a once-weekly injection of a drug candidate known as CT-388—one of its experimental drugs bought from Carmot—resulted in a weight loss of 22.5% when adjusting for placebo at 48 weeks.
    • “The reduction was achieved at the highest dose tested, 24 milligrams, without reaching a weight-loss plateau, the company said. Roche said 54% of trial participants on the 24 mg dose achieved resolution of obesity.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Wall Street believed the Trump administration was going to take a friendly approach to Medicare insurers. Now, investors think the industry might be in for a rough ride.
    • “Shares of big insurers plunged after The Wall Street Journal first reported that the Medicare agency was proposing 2027 Medicare insurer rates well below analysts’ expectations.
    • “UnitedHealth Group’s shares were down nearly 20% on Tuesday, while Humana’s dropped 21%. CVS Health and Elevance Health both fell 14%.”
    • “Among those large companies, $96 billion in market capitalization was wiped out Tuesday.” 
  • Beckers Payer Issues informs us,
    • “UnitedHealth Group reported fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 earnings Jan. 27. Profits took a hit, with the company attributing drops to Medicare funding reductions, the Inflation Reduction Act, steeper medical costs and remaining Change Healthcare cyberattack costs.”
  • Modern Healthcare adds,
    • “United Health Group plans to reduce Optum Health’s footprint by 20%.
    • “Optum Health will focus on its profitable segments as UnitedHealth Group navigates a multiyear recovery.
    • “Optum Health lost $278 million from operations in 2025. 
    • “Optum Financial Services will be incorporated into Optum Insight.”
  • Beckers Hospital Review lets us know,
    • “Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare reported a net income of $6.8 billion in 2025, a 17.8% increase year over year, according to its Jan. 27 financial report.” 
  • and
    • “Healthgrades published its annual “America’s Best Hospitals Awards” Jan. 27, recognizing 250 hospitals across the country for strong quality performance.
    • “The list recognizes the top 50, 100 and 250 best hospitals, representing the top 1%, 2% and 5% of hospitals in the country for clinical excellence, respectively, the consumer platform said in a news release. For the ranking, Healthgrades analyzed clinical performance for 4,500 hospitals across 30 common procedures and conditions. It covers Medicare data from 2022 through 2024. Full details on the methodology can be found here.”
    • The article lists the top 50 hospitals organized by State.
  • Fierce Pharma informs us,
    • “Pfizer again heads up a physician ranking of vaccine manufacturers, beating Merck & Co. and Moderna to complete an unchanged top three from the last edition of the survey. But, while the rankings held steady, the operating environment has changed quickly to reinforce the value of being in good standing with physicians.
    • “ZoomRx generated the league table by asking 58 U.S.-based healthcare professionals (HCPs) about 14 vaccine manufacturers. Respondents graded the companies’ innovation, patient centricity, reputation, HCP centricity and promotions, generating data that ZoomRx used to give each manufacturer a score out of 100. 
    • “As happened when ZoomRx ran a similar survey in 2024, Pfizer took the top spot after achieving strong scores across all five dimensions. The Big Pharma scored 83 out of 100 after HCPs praised its innovation, reliability and sales execution in particular.”
  • Per MedCity News,
    • “Purchasers are increasingly seeking performance-based contracts — in which payment is tied to outcomes — with digital health solutions. However, implementing these contracts is difficult, especially for employers who have limited resources.
    • “That’s why the Peterson Health Technology Institute (PHTI) released a playbook last week for purchasers on how to effectively execute performance-based contracts. The playbook was created in collaboration with health plans, vendors, brokers, consultants, data warehouses and other stakeholders.
    • “We have consistently heard from both health plans and employers that the process of negotiating performance-based contracts remains very arduous. … We would really like to see purchasers coming to the table as a customer with high standards, we want to raise the bar on purchasing,” said Caroline Pearson, executive director of PHTI, in an interview. “Every payer should be holding their partners accountable for outcomes that really matter.” 

Monday report

David Ermer–CMS, Congress, FDA, Generative AI, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, Mental health care, No Surprises Act, Patient safety, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • Roll Call reports,
    • “The Senate inched closer to triggering a partial government shutdown Monday as GOP leaders pushed forward with a $1.33 trillion funding package that includes a Homeland Security bill Democrats vowed to oppose.
    • “With only four days left before current funding for most federal agencies runs out, both parties sought to find an exit ramp from the road to a shutdown that neither side wants.”
  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “The Trump administration is proposing a .09% average payment increase for Medicare Advantage plans in 2027, significantly below Wall Street’s roughly 4% to 6% expectations.
    • “The proposal also includes eliminating payments tied to diagnoses from insurer medical chart reviews not linked to specific medical visits, reducing the 2027 payment rate by 1.53 percentage points.
    • “Overall payments are projected to increase by 2.54% for 2027, combining the proposed rate changes with an additional 2.45% from underlying billing trends.”
  • Per another CMS news release,
    • “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today issued an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) seeking public feedback on potential approaches to strengthen the American-made supply chain for personal protective equipment (PPE) and essential medicines. Building on lessons learned during the COVID-19 public health emergency, the agency is exploring ways to reduce reliance on foreign-made medical supplies and enhance the nation’s readiness for future emergencies while supporting American workers and manufacturers.” * * *
    • “Information on how to submit comments is available via the Federal Register at: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/current. There is a 60-day comment period.”
  • The American Hospital Association (AHA) News notes,
    • The AHA Jan. 26 urged the Health Resources and Services Administration to take immediate action to stop a new Eli Lilly and Company policy from taking effect on Feb. 1, including by “assessing civil monetary penalties for intentionally overcharging 340B hospitals.”  
    • On Jan. 15, Lilly issued a notice to all 340B covered entities that the company was updating its data requirements for its 340B distribution program. The policy would require 340B covered entities to submit claims data for all dispensations of all Lilly drugs, regardless of setting.  
    • “All told, Lilly’s draconian new policy is a case of ‘déjà vu all over again,’” the AHA wrote. “Once more, we have a drug company taking unilateral action against 340B hospitals based on flawed legal and policy reasoning, testing the limits of the law and challenging HRSA’s authority over the 340B Program. Much like its 2021 contract pharmacy restrictions and its 2024 unilateral rebate policy, Lilly seeks to boost its bottom line at the expense of 340B hospitals and the vulnerable patients they serve.” 
  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “Providers and health insurers submitted almost 1.2 million cases to a federal portal meant to resolve disputes over surprise medical bills in the first half of 2025 — almost 40% more than in the last six months of 2024, according to new data from the CMS.
    • “Arbiters are handling the rising volume while cutting into the existing backlog, processing more than 1.3 million disputes in the first half of the year, the CMS said. That’s up almost 50% from the prior six months.
    • “Still, despite faster closures, the independent dispute resolution process remains dogged by problems. Many submitted disputes are actually ineligible for IDR, and parsing through those is the primary cause of delays, the CMS said. And, the lion’s share of disputes continue to be submitted by a handful of mostly private equity backed-provider groups, raising concerns IDR is being exploited for profit.”
  • The AHA News adds,
    • “The Departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury have added Dane Street, LLC as a new independent dispute resolution entity, bringing the total number to 16. IDR arbitrators help make payment determinations in disputes between providers, group health plans and health insurance issuers under the No Surprises Act.” 
  • OPM Director Scott Kupor writes in his Secrets of OPM blog about “the performance management priorities and actions the Trump Administration is taking on behalf of the American people.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • Fierce Healthcare relates,
    • “Aidoc has secured 11 new indications from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), bringing a comprehensive body CT triage solution to emergency departments and ambulatory settings to reduce patient backlogs. 
    • “Aidoc, a clinical artificial intelligence company, is trying to solve the root issue of overcrowding in emergency departments and provider offices. The company argues that providers’ operational workflows, which mostly prioritize patients on a “first come, first serve” basis, don’t work well.
    • “Instead of first-in, first-out, Aidoc’s AI triage solution can prioritize scans based on its initial review of the images. Those scans are then moved up in the queue for radiologists to review, allowing acutely ill patients to receive care more quickly.”
  • MedTech Dive points out,
    • “Intuitive Surgical on Monday provided more details about its new cardiac surgery initiative for the da Vinci 5 robot, including specifying nine procedures that received U.S. clearance.
    • “Among those are mitral and tricuspid valve repair, mitral valve replacement, and left atrial appendage closure — procedures that comprise key businesses for heart device companies such as Boston Scientific, Abbott and Edwards Lifesciences.
    • “Intuitive said cardiac procedures with da Vinci 5 can enable surgeons to operate through small incisions without splitting the breastbone, which is typically required in open heart surgery.” * * *
    • “The update comes after Intuitive executives told analysts on an earnings call last week that the Food and Drug Administration had cleared the robot for cardiac surgery.”
    • “Intuitive said it plans to begin working with a limited number of U.S. sites through 2026 to establish da Vinci 5 cardiac programs.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children be vaccinated against 18 diseases, more than the U.S. government directs after it overhauled its schedule.
    • “The doctors group, which released its recommendations Monday, kept its guidance largely unchanged from its previous version from last year. The group said it doesn’t endorse the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s childhood-vaccine schedule. The agency now recommends all children get vaccinated against 11 diseases.”
  • A commentator, writing in STAT News, observes,
    • “The recent overhaul of the U.S. pediatric vaccine schedule under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. touched off a firestorm of criticism — most of it for demoting six vaccines from routinely recommended to “shared clinical decision-making” (SCDM). The implication was that these six vaccines are optional, less safe, or less useful than the routinely recommended ones.
    • “Like nearly everyone in public health, I agree that the evidence for the safety and efficacy of the six vaccines is robust and hasn’t changed.
    • “But in its urge to say what Kennedy gets wrong, the public health and medical community is actively resisting something he gets right: Vaccination decisions belong to patients and their parents, guided by candid advice from health care professionals.”
  • The American Medical Association lets us know what doctors wish their patients knew about polio.
  • The New York Times relates,
    • “For years, the nonprofit groups that coordinate transplants in the United States regularly ignored federal rules — skipping patients at the top of waiting lists and sending organs to those who weren’t as sick and hadn’t waited as long.
    • “But new federal data shows that the rate of skipped patients has dropped by more than half in recent months, a change that reflects a far-reaching effort to make the transplant system fairer and safer.
    • “This is truly great news for patients and the system,” said Dr. Jesse Roach of the National Kidney Foundation. “We need to continue to monitor it, to ensure the system is fair, efficient and transparent. But this is a win.”
  • Beckers Clinical Leadership informs us,
    • “The Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum are aligning their serious safety event reporting frameworks in an effort to reduce redundancy and ease the administrative burden on healthcare providers.
    • “Effective Jan. 1, 2027, The Joint Commission will adopt the NQF’s Serious Reportable Events, or SRE List, across all accredited domestic and international organizations, according to a Jan. 26 news release from the organizations. Three workplace safety events — homicide, sexual abuse or assault, and physical assault of staff — will be retained as part of the revised SRE list.
    • “Leaders of both organizations said consolidating around the NQF list will simplify reporting for clinicians and hospitals while providing a more consistent, standardized framework for measuring and tracking patient safety events across states and health systems.”
  • Genetic Engineering and BioTechnology News notes,
    • “It is known that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) increases the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). But the underlying mechanism—and the genetic drivers—between this link remain yet to be determined. Genetic variants in TNFSF15, encoding tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-like cytokine 1A (TL1A), are associated with both severe IBD and advanced CRC.
    • “Now, a new study points to immune reactions in the gut—driven by a key signaling protein and a surge of white blood cells from the bone marrow—to help explain why people with inflammatory bowel disease have a higher risk of colorectal cancer.
    • “This work is published in Immunity in the paper, “Innate lymphoid cells activated by the cytokine TL1A link colitis to emergency granulopoiesis and the recruitment of tumor-promoting neutrophils.”
  • Per Healio,
    • “Researchers compared the outcomes of more than 40,000 infants who were immunized through nirsevimab or maternal RSV vaccination.
    • “Nirsevimab was associated with fewer severe outcomes than the maternal vaccine.” * * *
    • “Our results should not be interpreted as evidence against maternal RSV vaccination,” Marie Joelle Jabagi, PharmD, PhD, MPH, said. “Instead, they underscore that clinicians should individualize prevention strategies based on clinical context, access to care and timing within the RSV season. Both approaches remain valuable and may be complementary, particularly in efforts to maximize population-level protection against RSV.”
  • Per Health Day,
    • “Childhood ADHD can set a person up to have poor health in middle age, a new study says.
    • “People with ADHD traits at age 10 are likely to have chronic illness and disability at age 46, researchers reported Jan. 21 in JAMA Network Open.
    • ‘The study said these health problems can include asthma, migraines, back problems, cancer, epilepsy, hearing problems, GI disorders, kidney disease and diabetes.
    • “We have added to the concerning evidence base that people with ADHD are more likely to experience worse health than average across their lifespan,” said lead researcher Joshua Stott, a professor of aging and clinical psychology at University College London in the U.K.
    • “People with ADHD can thrive with the right support, but this is often lacking, both due to a shortage of tailored support services but also because ADHD remains underdiagnosed, particularly in people in midlife and older, with needs unaddressed,” Stott said in a news release.”

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

  • The Street reports
    • “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently published some in-the-weeds datasets on the use of, and spending for, drugs prescribed to Medicare beneficiaries. 
    • “There’s the Medicare Quarterly Part B and Part D Drug Spending Datasets and the annual version of the Medicare Part B and Part D Drug Spending datasets.”
    • The Street feature a 13 minute webinar with a consultant who has used the data sets (plus a transcript of that webinar).
  • Beckers Hospital Review tells us,
    • “More than 500,000 providers prescribed GLP-1s in 2025, with wide variation between specialties, according to a Jan. 22 article from IQVIA, a clinical research firm. 
    • “GLP-1 medications are approved for several conditions, including Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, liver disease and sleep apnea. Among GLP-1 drugs approved for weight loss — Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound — adoption and prescribing trends differed across provider specialties.
    • “Endocrinologists stand out as both quick adopters of Wegovy and subsequent high writers for Zepbound, leveraging their expertise in managing complex metabolic conditions to integrate new treatments earlier,” according to IQVIA. “Their readiness to prescribe is shaped by familiarity with the mechanisms of GLP-1 therapies and a patient base that often presents with comorbidities where these drugs deliver added value.”
    • “Primary care providers account for the largest share of GLP-1 prescriptions due their broad patient base. However, in contrast to endocrinologists, they have been slower to adopt GLP-1s, which IQVIA defines as prescribing a GLP-1 within the first 1.75 years of the drug entering the market.”
  • Per BioPharma Dive,
    • “Children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy who received Sarepta Therapeutics’ gene therapy Elevidys in a clinical trial continued to perform better on tests of motor function than historical data suggests they should, and the benefits appear to compound with time, the company said Monday.
    • “According to Sarepta, patients in the study, Embark, had greater reductions on three measures of function than a matched historical control group, with the gap “significantly widening” between two and three years after treatment. Doug Ingram, Sarepta’s CEO, said the data is an opportunity to “rebalance the discussion” surrounding Elevidys, sales of which have slowed amid safety concerns and newly restrictive labeling. 
    • “In research notes published Monday, multiple Wall Street analysts viewed the data as a positive development for the company. They also noted, though, that investors will be more focused on whether the results translate to sales growth. Sarepta shares, which have lost much of their value over the last year, rose by double digits in morning trading.” 
  • MedCity News considers “what does OpenAI and Anthropic’s healthcare push mean for the industry?”
    • “As OpenAI and Anthropic move deeper into healthcare, experts say AI chatbots are becoming the new front door to medicine. This shift is shaking things up for some health tech startups, redefining the patient-provider relationship, and intensifying debates over safety, privacy and accountability.:

Weekend update

David Ermer–Congress, FDA, Medical / Rx research, Mental health care, Obesity, U.S. Healthcare, Uncategorized–

From Washington, DC,

  • While the House of Representatives is on recess this week, the Senate returns to Capitol Hill for Committee business and floor voting.
  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Senate Democrats angered by the deadly shooting in Minneapolis [on January 24] said they wouldn’t vote for a government funding package without major changes to its homeland security provisions, raising the possibility of a partial government shutdown this coming weekend. 
    • “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said Sunday that Republicans should work with Democrats to instead advance the other five funding bills in the package while lawmakers rewrite the Department of Homeland Security measure. Democrats are demanding constraints on DHS’s immigration enforcement activities and more oversight.
    • “Schumer said lawmakers need to overhaul immigration enforcement to “protect the public.” He said reworking the DHS bill while passing the remaining five—which include military and health funding—was the “best course of action, and the American people are on our side.”
    • “Republicans control the Senate 53-47, but 60 votes are needed to advance most legislation. Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R., Maine) is exploring all options for the legislation, a spokeswoman said.
  • and
    • “This month has been tough for Republicans [who hold a narrow majority in the House of Representatives]. Following the death of Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California and the resignation of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Republicans now hold 218 seats to Democrats’ 213. Democrats are expected to win a seat in Texas following a special election on Jan. 31, which would temporarily tighten the GOP majority to 218-214 once the new member is sworn in.
    • “The Republican members who voted Thursday included Rep. Steve Womack (R., Ark.), who was voting just a few days after his wife died. Rep. Jim Baird (R., Ind.) was present in a neck brace after his car accident earlier this month. Other GOP members, including Reps. Chip Roy, Nancy Mace and Julia Letlow, like Hunt, are campaigning for new jobs, which might create more pressures on their time. So far, 19 current Republican House members have announced campaigns for other offices, including for Senate and governor, compared with eight Democrats running for other offices. 
    • “Rep. Tom Emmer (R., Minn.), the party whip charged with counting votes, said recently that “outside of life-and-death circumstances, the whip’s office expects members to be here working on behalf of the American people.” It is a message Johnson and Emmer emphasized again in the House GOP’s weekly conference meeting on Wednesday, according to members.” 
  • Govexec notes,
    • “Federal agents on Saturday fatally shot a man protesting immigration enforcement activities in Minneapolis. The man was later revealed to be an employee of the Veterans Affairs Department, working as an intensive care unit nurse at the medical center in the city where he was killed. 
    • “Alex Jeffrey Pretti, 37, was taken to the ground by several federal agents before one of them shot him. Pretti gathered with other protestors as Border Patrol was conducting what it called a targeted operation to detain an individual it said was in the country illegally.”
  • Roll Call shares more details on this week’s activities on Capitol Hill.

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • STAT News informs us,
    • “Powdered whole milk used to make ByHeart infant formula could be a source of contamination that led to an outbreak of botulism that has sickened dozens of babies, U.S. health officials indicated Friday.
    • “Testing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration found the type of bacteria that can cause the illness in two samples linked to the formula, officials said.” * * *
    • “Some formula companies do test raw materials and finished formula for evidence of the contamination, but such testing should be required, said Sarah Sorscher, director of regulatory affairs for the Center for Science in the Public Interest, an advocacy group.
    • “FDA has not announced a plan to do testing, and that’s what we really want to see them do,” she said.
    • “Even if the contamination was traced to a milk supplier, the company remains responsible for the harm caused by its product, said Bill Marler, a Seattle food safety lawyer who represents more than 30 families of babies who fell ill.’

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • MSN points out,
    • “The Georgia Department of Public Health says it would like to see lawmakers expand a state program aimed at bringing down the level of maternal and infant deaths.
    • “Georgia’s public health commissioner, Dr. Kathleen Toomey, recently told a legislative committee that her department has had a successful first couple of years for its Home Visit Program.
    • “According to the Georgia Department of Public Health website, “the DPH Home Visiting Program provides services by public health department nurses and trained staff, to expectant mothers from pregnancy until the first year of their baby’s life, at no cost to patients or providers.”
  • Medscape reports,
    • A 44-blood metabolite signature may help predict type 2 diabetes (T2D) beyond traditional risk factors, according to a new study based on data from more than 20,000 individuals without baseline diabetes.
    • “Integrating these data in large samples allowed us to identify early metabolic pathway changes that precede type 2 diabetes, providing new insights into disease mechanisms,” said Jun Li, MD, epidemiologist and assistant professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
    • “By further examining how genetics and modifiable lifestyle factors, such as diet, physical activity, and body weight, are related to these metabolites, our findings help shift the field toward more precise and potentially more effective strategies for preventing type 2 diabetes,” Li told Medscape Medical News.”
  • The American Journal of Managed Care tells us,
    • “Chronic inflammation and oxidative stress contribute to accelerated biological aging and increased skin cancer risk.
    • “Proinflammatory and pro-oxidative diets are associated with higher skin cancer risk, mediated by biological aging.
    • “The study used Dietary Inflammatory Index and Dietary Oxidative Balance Index to classify participants’ diets.
    • “Despite limitations, the findings highlight the need for further research on diet’s role in skin cancer development.”
  • The Washington Post relates,
    • “When Harith Rajagopalan considers the millions of patients who have taken a GLP-1 drug to treat diabetes or obesity, he sees a revolution that is failing to realize its promise. “We are literally lighting tens of billions of dollars on fire,” he said.
    • “Rajagopalan is referring to studies showing that most patients stop taking GLP-1 medications within a year or two, preventing them from reaping the long-term benefits like reducing cardiovascular risk. A cardiologist by training, Rajagopalan believes there’s a better way to harness the benefits of GLP-1 drugs: a gene therapy that, with a single infusion, can program the body to make more of the GLP-1 hormone naturally for years.
    • “Rajagopalan is the co-founder of a small biotech firm making a long-shot bid to disrupt the booming weight-loss industry. His publicly traded company, Fractyl Health, says it is on track to begin a human clinical trial later this year.” * * *
    • “The company has the attention of Wall Street and obesity researchers as it prepares to start its clinical trial for patients with Type 2 diabetes. Closer at hand, Fractyl plans to seek regulatory clearance this year for its other leading product: a procedure to help people maintain weight loss by removing the lining of part of the gut so that healthy tissue can regrow.
    • “So far, investors are more enthusiastic about other, more limited genetic approaches to treating obesity. Wave Life Sciences electrified Wall Street in December when it announced results from a small trial of an injectable drug that dials down the activity of a gene implicated in obesity. A single dose — designed to last at least six months — led participants to lose 9 percent of their visceral fat while increasing lean mass after 12 weeks. The company’s stock jumped almost 150 percent that day.
    • “Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals reported similar results from its own drug targeting the same gene, INHBE, by suppressing a protein that encourages the body to store energy rather than burn it.”
  • and
    • “If you are like a lot of people, you might be anxious about the risk of getting dementia as you age.
    • “The lifetime risk of developing dementia after age 55 is estimated at 42 percent, according to a 2025 study of over 15,000 participants. The number of Americans developing dementia each year is estimated to increase from 514,000 in 2020 to about 1 million by 2060.
    • “But there have been exciting strides in the diagnosis and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, which accounts for 60 to 80 percent of dementia cases, as well as in understanding biological causes and development of dementia more broadly. About half of dementia cases may be preventable by addressing known risk factors, according to a 2024 Lancet Commission report.”
    • The article points out seven advances that occurred last year.

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

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • Merck MRK is no longer in discussions to buy biotech Revolution Medicines RVMD, according to people familiar with the matter. 
    • Merck had recently been in talks to acquire RevMed in a deal that could have valued the cancer-drug biotech at around $30 billion. 
    • The talks cooled after the two couldn’t come to an agreement on price, some of the people said. 
    • It is always possible talks could restart or another suitor for RevMed could emerge. RevMed is expected to release closely watched testing data for its pancreatic and colorectal cancer drug candidates during the first half of this year.
  • The Rutland (N.D.) Herald lets us know,
    • “The North Dakota Insurance Department has approved the strategic affiliation between Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota (BCBSND) and Cambia Health Solutions.
    • “The affiliation will enable greater capabilities for access to care that is simpler and more affordable while maintaining the strong local commitment that has served North Dakotans for more than 85 years. The affiliation will unify all operations and enable the organizations to share best practices for local plan innovation and services, deliver personalized member experiences and leverage Cambia’s robust technology infrastructure.” * * *
    • “The affiliation will take effect Feb. 1, 2026, making Cambia a five-state enterprise with North Dakota joining Cambia’s Regence health plans in Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington.”
  • Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News observes,
    • “2026 kicked off with a stream of AI platform deals across pharma, signaling a cultural shift away from single-asset bets and toward investment in AI infrastructure for broad discovery.  
    • “The collaborations between AI start-ups, Chai Discovery, Noetik, and Boltz, and pharma giants, Eli Lilly, GSK, and Pfizer, respectively, will implement AI platforms across diverse applications, including biologics design, cancer clinical outcome prediction, and small molecule drug discovery.”  
  • MedCity News identifies “Five Collaboration Trends That Shaped Healthcare AI in 2025. Relationships between health systems, non profits, universities and public agencies are not new. The difference here is a nuance, the structure of the relationships are what stands out in these collaborations.”

Notable Obituaries

  • STAT News reports,
    • “William (Bill) Foege, credited by many for shepherding the smallpox eradication effort to completion, died Saturday at the age of 89. A towering figure, both literally — he was 6’ 7” — and figuratively, Foege epitomized all that was positive about an era of public health that saw enormous gains made both in the United States and abroad.
    • “He served as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1977 to 1983, capping 23 years of service with the agency. He was a founding member of the Task Force for Child Survival (now called the Task Force for Global Health), the first executive director of Carter Center — President Jimmy Carter’s human rights and global health focused alternative to a presidential library — and worked for a time as a senior medical adviser to the Gates Foundation.” * * *
      “Bill was a towering figure in global health — a man who saved the lives of literally hundreds of millions of people,” [Bill] Gates said in a statement. “He was also a friend and mentor who gave me a deep grounding in the history of global health and inspired me with his conviction that the world could do more to alleviate suffering. … The legacy of his career is that many of the remarkable developments to come will have his imprint all over them.”
    • “Though the list of his achievements was long, Foege — whose name was pronounced FEY-gee, with a hard G — was as well known for his unwillingness to claim credit as he was for the accomplishments themselves.” 

Friday report

David Ermer–CDC, Congress, COVID-19, FDA, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, OPM, Patient safety, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • MedCity News offers four takeaways from yesterday’s House of Representatives hearings with health insurance CEOs.
    • Everyone agrees healthcare affordability is a problem.
    • Everyone has different ideas for addressing the affordability problem.
    • Vertical integration [bad per a bipartisan group of members of Congress]
    • Prior authorization and denials [bad per a bipartisan group of members of Congress]
  • Roll Call adds,
    • “The House left Thursday night after barely shooting down another war powers resolution and passing a last slate of funding bills, leaving it up to the Senate to avert a partial government shutdown by next week’s deadline.
    • “But with a major winter storm predicted to blanket Washington and other swaths of the country in double digits of snow this weekend, senators are already facing delays that make for tight timing. A spokesman for Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., announced Friday that Senate votes originally slated for Monday would be postponed until 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday [due to the impending winter storm].”
  • The Wall Street Journal offers the Medicare-eligible community helpful information about Medicare Part B and D’s income adjustment premiums, which are known as IRRMA.
  • OPM Director Scott Kupor added to his Secrets of OPM blog with a post about improving claims administration for the complex federal employee retirement systems.
    • “Here’s the reality: OPM does not receive a fully completed application and cannot begin its work – on average – for about 120 days from when the applicant starts the application process.
    • “So, where are those 107,000 total [online retirement] applications [(ORA)} sitting today? 
    • Roughly half are at OPM (more on that later), but 30% are sitting with the payroll providers; 12% are sitting with agency HR teams, and 8% are sitting with the applicant.
    • That matters, because when cases do reach OPM, we move quickly. We are issuing interim pay immediately in about 75% of cases, and on average within seven days in 100% of cases. That means, on average,  within seven days of receiving the application, annuitants will be getting 80% of their expected final post-adjudication payout. Making sure retirees have money in their bank accounts as fast as possible is our first priority, and our performance there is strong.
    • And we are also seeing huge dividends from ORA in the time it takes for us to complete the final review of an annuitant’s case and deliver them 100% of their earned pension. As of today, we are completing ORA applications in less than 40 days from when we receive them in OPM. To give you a reference point, it takes at least twice as long for us to adjudicate paper-based cases. So, we are moving in the right direction.
    • But we are not complacent with the status quo and will continue to do even better.
  • FedWeek reports,
    • “The Postal Service has launched a new bid solicitation platform allowing businesses to submit proposals to access its last-mile delivery network, something Postmaster General David Steiner has touted as a key to turning around the service’s finances.
    • “Competitive bidding is now open for its 18,000 delivery destination units (DDUs) for same day or next day service, something that had become increasingly likely as contract renewal talks with Amazon stalled late last year – and with Amazon reportedly threatening to directly compete with it own, expanded, fleet.
    • “USPS officials said the move responds to growing demand for speed and convenience in the shipping market and to better leverage agency’s last-mile capabilities. Accepted bids are expected to be formalized through negotiated service agreements, with winning bidders notified in the second quarter of 2026 and service beginning in the third quarter.
    • ‘The news is bitter sweet for some postal carriers that have been wrestling Amazon packages to their final destinations for years, as any relief could be short lived and potentially result in the same volume but dealing with multiple carriers instead of one.”
  • The American Hospital Association News tells us,
    • “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released a guide to improve coordination between 988 lifeline and 911 emergency services. It outlines strategies to reduce legal risk, clarify roles and strengthen partnerships to ensure appropriate care in crisis situations. The guide also includes resources to help achieve interoperability between the services.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • BioPharma Dive reports,
    • “Sanofi said Friday it will ask regulators around the world to review its new eczema drug amlitelimab following mixed study results that could lead to a clearance in the U.S. but spell trouble in Europe.  
    • “A combination of amlitelimab and topical steroids helped between one-quarter and one-third of people with eczema completely or almost completely clear their skin lesions, depending on the dose frequency received and trial they’d participated in. Amlitelimab met all its objectives in one late-stage study. too. But in a second trial, amlitelimab missed a statistical threshold sought by European regulators. A safety study also uncovered one case of a type of skin cancer in a drug recipient.
    • ‘The results show amlitelimab is “a U.S. file-able drug that can differentiate on convenience,” Jefferies analyst Michael Leuchten wrote in a note to clients. Sanofi said it intends to move forward with global submissions based on the “totality of the data.”
  • MedTech Dive informs us,
    • “Integra LifeSciences has recalled wound and burn treatments over issues linked to 14 serious injuries, the Food and Drug Administration said Thursday.
    • “The FDA published an early alert after Integra wrote to customers about packaging failures that affected the sterile barrier and could lead to patient infection.
    • “Integra wrote to customers last week, around five months after recalling other wound and burn devices because of inadequate sealing of sterile barrier packaging.”

From the judicial front,

  • Beckers Payer Issues reports,
    • “Jury selection in the federal murder trial of Luigi Mangione is scheduled to begin Sept. 8, U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said Jan. 23.
    • “The 27-year-old is accused of fatally shooting UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson outside the New York Hilton Midtown in late 2024. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to four federal charges, including murder through use of a firearm, as well as state murder charges.
    • “The next milestone in the federal case will depend on Judge Garnett’s decision on whether Mangione will face the death penalty, which Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to pursue in April. If Judge Garnett removes capital punishment as an option, the trial would begin Oct. 13; if she allows the case to proceed as a capital case, the trial would start in early 2027, according to reporting from The Guardian.“
  • MedPage Today points out,
    • “The American Psychiatric Association (APA) is suing a New York State health plan over its alleged use of “ghost networks” that list mental health providers that are not in their network or aren’t taking new patients.
    • “The class action lawsuit, filed on Dec. 30 in federal court against EmblemHealth, alleges that the ghost network directory “constitutes unlawful deceptive acts and practices, false advertising, and violations of statutory and regulatory requirements,” according to an APA press releaseopens in a new tab or window. “It also alleges that their provider directory violates federal trademark law by falsely advertising and misusing the names, identities and reputations of mental health clinicians.”

From the U.S. healthcare and medical / Rx research front,

  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
    • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally but has decreased for three consecutive weeks. Among children 5–17 years, hospitalizations are stable and emergency department visits are increasing. RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country. Emergency department visits for RSV are highest among infants under 1 year and children 1-4 years old. RSV hospitalizations are highest among infants less than 1 year old.
    • “COVID-19
      • COVID-19 activity is elevated in some areas of the country.
    • “Influenza
      • “Seasonal influenza activity remains elevated nationally but has decreased for three consecutive weeks. Among children 5–17 years, hospitalizations are stable and emergency department visits are increasing. Activity is increasing or stable in the Midwest, Central, and West Coast regions.
      • “Additional information about current influenza activity can be found at: Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report | CDC.
    • “RSV
      • “RSV activity is elevated in many areas of the country, including emergency department visits among infants under 1 year and children 1-4 years old. Hospitalizations among infants less than 1 year old are elevated.”
    • “Vaccination
      • “National vaccination coverage for COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines remains suboptimal for children and adults. COVID-19, influenza, and RSV vaccines can provide protection against severe disease this season. It is not too late to get vaccinated this season. Talk to your doctor or trusted healthcare provider about what vaccines are recommended for you and your family.”
  • The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP adds,
    • “The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) today confirmed 54 new measles cases in just three days, raising the size of its outbreak, which DPH first reported in October, to 700 cases.
    • “The news comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 416 total US cases so far this month—an increase of 245 infections in the past week—and as US health officials downplay the burgeoning outbreak and the key role that vaccines play in preventing illness.”
  • and
    • “Routine childhood vaccinations, nor the aluminum used as vaccine adjuvants, are not associated with an increased risk of epilepsy in young children, according to a new case-control study published this week in The Journal of Pediatrics. 
    • “The study, led by a team from the Marshfield Clinic Research Institute in Marshfield, Wisconsin, examined whether being up to date on recommended vaccines or having higher cumulative exposure to vaccine-related aluminum was linked to the development of epilepsy in children under age four. 
    • “Analyzing a decade of pediatric health data from the Vaccine Safety Datalink, which is a collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several health care sites that monitor vaccine safety, the team identified 2,089 children diagnosed as having epilepsy from age 1 year to less than 4 years and matched them with 20,139 children without epilepsy based on age, sex, and health care site. 
    • “Most participants were boys (54%) and between the ages of 1 year and 23 months (69%). White non-Hispanics composed the largest ethnicity group in the study (40%).”
  • STAT News tells us,
    • “The number of ongoing prescription drug shortages rose slightly in the last quarter of 2025, but remained significantly lower than the all-time high reached in the beginning of 2024. Moreover, the number of new shortages identified last year marked the lowest level in nearly 20 years, according to a new report from the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.
    • “As last year drew to a close, there were 216 prescription medicines in short supply in the U.S., which was slightly more than earlier in the year, but this was significantly less than the 323 prescription drug shortages recorded in the beginning of 2024, the report found.
    • “The number of new shortages identified last year was just 89, the lowest figure since 2006, and considerably less than 130 medicines that were in shortly supply in 2024. And notably, long-standing shortages are beginning to resolve; 75% of all the active shortages started in 2022 or later.”
  • Per MedPage Today,
    • “People with the lowest serum vitamin D levels were 33% more likely than those with the highest levels to be hospitalized for respiratory tract infections.
    • “Researchers found no evidence that the association between vitamin D status and respiratory tract infection risk differed by race or ethnicity.
    • “Obesity, being male, older age, statin use, and lower income were all linked to a greater risk of hospitalization for respiratory infections.”
  • and
    • “Arthritis can be disabling enough to prevent people from working, but the factors influencing employability in this population have not been well studied.
    • “This study used data from the long-running Health and Retirement Study to estimate “healthy working life expectancy” (HWLE) for people with arthritis, including major subgroups.
    • “HWLE was found to be markedly diminished for people with arthritis, and especially so for arthritis patients not finishing high school, those with obesity, and Black individuals.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Fierce Pharma reports,
    • “With just a few months to go before Eli Lilly expects to launch its own oral GLP-1 obesity drug, Novo Nordisk is making the most of its head start with the Wegovy pill.
    • “In the second week of oral Wegovy’s launch, which ended Jan. 16, the pill logged roughly 18,400 total prescriptions, according to IMS data cited in a Friday note from analysts at Jefferies. Other tracking data put the second week of Wegovy pill prescriptions closer to 20,000, the analyst team pointed out.
    • “The quick uptake of Novo’s new oral obesity offering is impressive and appears “numerically higher” than both injectable Wegovy (roughly 1,600 prescriptions) and its Lilly counterpart Zepbound (around 7,300 prescriptions) in the first two weeks of their respective launches, the Jefferies team said.”
  • The FEHBlog ran across this Health Care Cost Institute website which “shows average price data for bundles of health services to help you better understand the cost of care in your area.” Check it out.
  • Fierce Healthcare informs us,
    • “CommonSpirit Health and Altru Health System are considering a deal to transfer three North Dakota hospitals to the latter, the organizations announced Thursday.
    • “The pair’s signed letter of intent outlines plans to evaluate a potential deal for the facilities, a process they said would run “the next several months” before a potential definitive agreement might be struck.
    • “In the balance are CHI St. Alexius Health Bismarck, a multispecialty acute care medical center in the state’s capital, and two smaller critical access hospitals, CHI St. Alexius Health Turtle Lake and CHI St. Alexius Health Garrison. All three are Catholic facilities within CommonSpirit’s regional healthcare system CHI St. Alexius Health.”
  • Beckers Hospital Review notes,
    • “Newly released data from KFF show there were an average of 422 emergency room visits per 1,000 population nationally in 2024, the most recent year for which data are available. KFF used  data from the American Hospital Association’s annual survey of community hospitals  — which accounts for 85% of all U.S. hospitals — and population estimates from the Census Bureau to compile ED visits per 100,000 population for every state.
    • “ED utilization rose in many states compared to data from 2023. The latest figures offer a preview of where added strain from rising coverage losses and reduced access to preventive care may hit hardest. 
    • “[The article includes] a state-by-state breakdown of total emergency department visits per 1,000 population in 2024, including the District of Columbia, starting with states where rates are highest.” 
  • Beckers Health IT lets us know,
    • “Walmart is set to open four clinical research sites in spring 2026, including at its former healthcare centers.
    • “The Walmart Healthcare Research Institute is launching the facilities in collaboration with clinical research company Care Access at three ex-Walmart Health locations and a rural Walmart store. The sites will offer health screenings and explore study opportunities with patients.
    • “Clinical research should feel practical and approachable, not distant or intimidating, especially for communities that have had difficulty participating in opportunities for innovative treatments,” Walmart Chief Medical Officer Emily Aaronson, MD, said in a Jan. 22 news release.”

Thursday report

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, Congress, FDA, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Mental health care, OPM, Patient safety, U.S. Healthcare, Uncategorized–

From Washington, DC

  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “Republicans and Democrats in the House Budget Committee spent Wednesday blaming each other for the steep cost of healthcare, and arguing for diametrically opposed ideas to lower it. However, a few areas of bipartisan agreement emerged, including targeting healthcare consolidation — once an unheard-of view for members of the GOP.
    • “We got problems in Peoria with consolidation, with too much power and too many assets in too few market participants,” said Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, referring to a small community in Hill County. “You know how we feel about big government … but the most important thing here is, I think there’s common ground here.”
    • “We ought to huddle up at some point, probably not during a hearing, and figure out where we can deal with big medicine monopolies in pharma, hospital, insurance — the whole gambit. And I just want you to know I’m down with that,” Arrington continued.”
  • AHIP released two more healthcare cost articles today.
  • The Hill reports,
    • “Some of the nation’s top health insurance executives sought to deflect blame for the soaring cost of health care in the U.S., arguing that rising hospital and prescription drug prices were driving premiums higher and making health care less affordable for Americans.
    • “The CEOs of five major health insurers testified before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Thursday, the first in a series of back-to-back hearings focused on finding the root causes driving unaffordability in the health care system, including skyrocketing premiums.”
  • and
    • “The House passed its final four appropriations bills Thursday afternoon, bringing Congress one step closer to avoiding a partial shutdown at the end of the month.
    • “A minibus package passed with a convincing 341-88 vote, funding the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education and other related agencies. The House separately passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security with a 220-207 vote.”
  • The House of Representatives will be on recess next week while the Senate returns to Capitol Hill to tackle these appropriations bills.
  • Beckers Payer Issues raises three big questions about Trump’s healthcare policy plan.
  • On the bright side, Modern Healthcare relates,
    • “More than 40 hospitals have converted to rural emergency hospitals since 2023 [under a new federal program]. 
    • “The program has stabilized rural hospital finances but fewer hospitals converted last year.
    • “Hospitals have expanded services to their communities since joining the program.”
  • Federal News Network tells us,
    • “Agencies are getting more information on how to implement the recently finalized “rule of many.” The federal hiring strategy, several years in the making, aims to create broader pools of qualified job candidates while adding flexibility for federal hiring managers.
    • “A series of guidance documents the Office of Personnel Management published earlier this month outlined the steps agencies should take to begin using the “rule of many” when hiring. OPM’s new resources also detail how the “rule of many” intersects with other aspects of the federal hiring process, such as shared certificates, skills-based assessments and veterans’ preference.
    • “Under the “rule of many,” federal hiring managers score job candidates on their relevant job skills, then rank the candidates based on those scores. From there, hiring managers can choose one of several options — a cut-off number, score or percentage — to pare down the applicant pool and reach a list of qualified finalists to select from.”
  • Tammy Flanagan, writing in Govexec, answers “a litany of new questions on how to receive retirement benefits” coming from “an influx of federal retirees due to the Deferred Resignation Program and other separation programs.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • BioPharma Dive reports,
    • “Drugmakers developing experimental multiple myeloma drugs may have a quicker path to market under new guidance the Food and Drug Administration published this week.
    • “According to the new framework, the regulator may grant accelerated approvals in some settings based on a therapy’s ability to induce “minimal residual disease” or “complete responses,” both of which are achieved when drugs drastically reduce levels of dysfunctional blood cells in people with the disease.  
    • “The FDA has recently handed accelerated approvals to multiple myeloma drugs like Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli and Talvey based on the “objective response rate” — a measure of remissions determined by the presence of disease on a scan — observed in clinical testing.” 

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • The New York Times reports,
    • “Despite gains in treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly three in 10 fatalities — 916,000 — in 2023, according to a report published Wednesday by the American Heart Association.
    • “It outnumbers deaths from the second and third leading causes — cancer and accidental injuries — combined.
    • “The statistics are a sobering reminder that there is “a lot of work to do” when it comes to prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke, said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a professor of cardiology at Boston University and former president of the association, who was not involved in the new report.”
  • Cardiovascular Business adds,
    • “Cardiology has been shifting away from reactionary treatment strategies to a greater emphasis on prevention. With a shortage of heart failure specialists in the United States and hospitalization rates on the rise, reducing the number of advanced heart failure cases is a major target of such prevention efforts.
    • “A joint scientific statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) about prevention in heart failure was released online in 2025 and then published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure (JCF) to kick off 2026.[1] The goal of the statement is to raise awareness that prevention efforts to stop the advance of heart failure symptoms should start with primary care and general cardiologists before the symptoms of these patients becomes critical. This is part of a wider effort across cardiology and medicine to try and reduce heart failure hospitalizations.”
  • and
    • “Reducing the activity of a specific protein, RBM20, may provide significant relief for certain patients with heart failure, particularly those with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to a new analysis published in Cardiovascular Research.[1] 
    • “HFpEF is associated with stiff, rigid cardiac muscles. A team of researchers out of the University of Missouri School of Medicine believe they may be able to improve HFpEF symptoms by limiting RBM20’s influence in the heart and encouraging another protein, titin, to thrive. 
    • “Titin is a protein found in cardiac muscle cells and acts as a ‘spring,’ enabling the heart chamber to recoil and stretch sufficiently,” lead author Mei Methawasin, MD, PhD, said in a statement. “In HFpEF, it’s common for the titin to stiffen and no longer be as flexible. We learned that if we reduced the activity of a different protein, RBM20, it caused longer and more flexible filaments of titin and significantly improved heart filling in mice.”
    • “There are certain risks associated with too much RBM20 inhibition. Methawasin emphasized that it would be critical to find the “right balance” and not taking things too far.”
  • The Wall Street Journal relates,
    • “Colorectal cancer is on the rise among young people. Now it is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for those under 50, according to a new analysis. 
    • “More than 1.2 million people under age 50 died of cancer in the U.S. from 1990 through 2023, American Cancer Society researchers reported Thursday.
    • “Some 3,905 people ages 20 to 49 died of colorectal cancer in 2023, according to Cancer Society statistics, compared with 3,809 for breast cancer and 2,086 for brain and other nervous system cancers.
    • “This is absolutely disconcerting,” said Dr. Madappa Kundranda, division chief of cancer medicine at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Phoenix, who wasn’t involved in the research.” * * *
    • “As colorectal cancer among younger people has emerged as a bigger threat, medical groups have lowered the recommended age for colonoscopies that can detect the disease while there are good odds for effective treatment.
    • “Yet not enough people under 50 are getting the screenings, doctors said, prompting calls for a redoubling of efforts to educate doctors and nurses about the need to talk with patients.”
  • The New York Times points out,
    • “Is there a way to use the body’s way of fighting cancers to make a new drug?
    • “Perhaps, according to preliminary research studies.
    • “The idea is to exploit what is known about the growth of cancers. While many grow and spread and are deadly without treatment, some go away on their own or simply do not progress. They remain in the body, harmless and causing no symptoms. It’s contrary to conventional wisdom.
    • “But Dr. Edward Patz, who spent much of his career researching cancer at Duke, has long been intrigued by cancers that are harmless and has thought they might hold important clues for drug development.
    • “The result, after years of research, is an experimental drug, tested so far only in small numbers of lung cancer patients. The results are encouraging, but most promising experimental drugs fail after larger, more rigorous studies.
    • “That hasn’t stopped Dr. Patz from recently starting a company, Grid Therapeutics, hoping that the experimental drug will turn out to be a new type of cancer treatment.”
  • The Washington Post cautions,
    • Obesity in midlife may cause vascular dementia later in life by raising blood pressure over decades and quietly damaging brain vessels, according to new research released Thursday.
    • The danger could be significant. Having a higher body mass index increases the risk of vascular dementia by roughly 50 to 60 percent, according to the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. An association between obesity and dementia has long been the subject of study, and the new research strongly indicates there is indeed a link.
    • “We add a layer of evidence that suggests causality,” said Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, who was the study’s lead author and is a professor and chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet and the University of Copenhagen. “For public health, this is an important message.”
  • Beckers Clinical Leadership informs us,
    • “Even as patient acuity climbed over the last several years, hospitals posted notable gains in mortality and reductions in two major hospital-acquired infections, a new Vizient report found.
    • “The Jan. 22 report is based on an analysis of the Vizient Clinical Data Base, which includes data from more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide. It compares trends from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2025 across measures of acuity, mortality performance and select hospital-acquired infections.
    • “These improvements occurred during a period marked by workforce shortages, supply chain instability and rising case complexity, signaling that the system’s quality infrastructure is stronger, more adaptive and more scalable than often recognized,” the report said.”
  • Per MedPage Today,
    • “Ten-year follow-up results showed that 37.8% of patients who received antibiotics versus appendectomy had a true recurrence of appendicitis.
    • “Overall, cumulative complication rates at 10 years were significantly higher in the appendectomy group versus the antibiotic group.
    • “The analysis “reaffirms antibiotics as a safe and feasible alternative to appendectomy,” researchers said.”
  • Per Health Day,
    • “Even brief treatment with Ozempic can improve knee replacement outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes.
    • “Taking semaglutide for as little as two to three months improved a person’s odds of avoiding major surgery complications.
    • “Less than a month’s treatment lowered odds of minor complications.”
  • and
    • “Super agers are likely to have genetic advantages that protect their brain health.
    • “They are less likely to carry a gene linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
    • “They also are more likely to have a gene that appears to protect against Alzheimer’s. * * *
    • “Super agers” are people whose brain power at 80 or older compares to that of people 20 to 30 years younger, researchers said.”
  • Truveta adds,
    • “As of December 2025, GLP-1 RA prescriptions account for more than 7% of all prescriptions.
    • “Tirzepatide continues to be the most prescribed anti-diabetic (ADM) and anti-obesity (AOM) medication (sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, respectively) and showed the largest increase in total prescribing from September to December 2025.
    • “Overall prescribing rates (GLP-1 RA prescriptions per total prescriptions) increased slightly from September to December 2025 (+5.0%); however, first-time prescribing rates declined over the same period (-6.6%). These trends are consistent with first-time prescribing rates seen around the holidays in previous years.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Modern Healthcare reports,
    • “Insurance technology company Sidecar Health is offering health plans to employers in Texas.
    • “The company, which launched in 2018, covers employees in 48 states who work for businesses headquartered in Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Texas.
    • “Insurance technology company Sidecar Health is offering health plans to employers in Texas.
    • The company, which launched in 2018, covers employees in 48 states who work for businesses headquartered in Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Texas. 
    • “Sidecar touts an alternative model promising no prior authorizations, referrals or specific networks. For covered services, the plan will pay for up to a maximum allowable amount based on local market prices, according to the company. If a service is below the benefit amount, members can keep half the savings, Sidecar said in the release. If they receive care that costs more than the benefit amount, members are required to pay the difference.”
  • and
    • “A unique marketing campaign from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont lays out price variations between specific providers for certain services. 
    • “Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont unfavorably compares costs at the University of Vermont Medical Center to other hospitals.
    • “Industry watchers say it could represent a new era in contract negotiations between health insurance companies and providers.”
  • Beckers Health IT tells us,
    • Amazon’s One Medical and Cleveland Clinic have opened their second collaborative primary care office. 
    • The new office, located in Shaker Heights, Ohio, offers preventive care, chronic disease management and treatment for common illnesses such as colds and flu. Patients also have access to on-site lab services and same- or next-day appointments.
    • The office follows the October opening of the organizations’ first joint primary care site in Northeast Ohio, according to a Jan. 22 news release One Medical shared with Becker’s.
  • Fierce Pharma relates,
    • “As Sandoz looks to address the “biosimilar void” created by the scores of lucrative drugs going off patent in the next decade, the generic and biosim specialist sees a multibillion-dollar opportunity up for grabs. 
    • “The company detailed its outlook on the upcoming “‘golden decade’ of affordable medicines” at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last week. Tallying up expected losses of exclusivity across the industry over that period, the Swiss drugmaker sees a generic drug opportunity of up to $340 billion and a biosim opportunity totaling $322 billion.
    • “More than 50 biologic drugs are set to go off patent in the next seven years and have no biosimilars lined up to launch. This situation has created what’s been coined the “biosimilar void” among industry watchers.
    • “While fully dissipating the void will require participation from many biosim players, Sandoz is committed to the cause: The company boasts a plan to target some 60% of the total biosimilar opportunity in sight.
    • “Still, “we want to do more,” the company’s North American president, Keren Haruvi, told Fierce Pharma in an interview on the sidelines of JPM.”
  • MedTech Dive notes,
    • “Abbott’s fourth quarter sales came in below expectations, as the company navigated challenges in its nutrition and diagnostics businesses. Abbott also reported less growth than expected in its medical devices segment. 
    • “The company’s revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter fell short of analysts’ consensus of $11.8 billion, Leerink Partners analyst Mike Kratky wrote in a research note on Thursday.”

From the artificial intelligence front,

  • Healthcare Dive shares a mixed bag of reports,
    • “Amazon is launching a health-focused artificial intelligence chatbot for members of its One Medical primary care chain, the tech giant said Wednesday. 
    • “The Health AI assistant uses One Medical members’ medical record information to answer health questions and provide guidance on symptoms and potential treatments. Users can also chat with the assistant to book appointments, decide between care settings and renew prescriptions.
    • “The chatbot is built with “multiple patient safety guardrails,” including protocols that connect patients with a provider through messages or an in-person appointment when their clinical judgment is needed, an Amazon spokesperson said.”
  • and
    • “Healthcare workers are using artificial intelligence tools that haven’t been approved by their organizations — a potential patient safety and data privacy risk, according to a survey published Thursday by Wolters Kluwer Health. 
    • “More than 40% of medical workers and administrators said they were aware of colleagues using “shadow AI” products, while nearly 20% reported they have used an unauthorized AI tool themselves, according to the survey by the information services and software firm.
    • “Those unapproved tools might be useful to individual workers, but their health systems haven’t vetted the products’ risks or considered governance processes, according to Dr. Peter Bonis, chief medical officer at Wolters Kluwer. “The issue is, what is their safety? What is their efficacy, and what are the risks associated with that?” he said. “And are those adequately recognized by the users themselves?”
  • and
    • “Misuse of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots in healthcare has topped ECRI’s annual list of the top health technology hazards.
    • “The nonprofit ECRI, which shared its list Wednesday, said chatbots built on ChatGPT and other large language models can provide false or misleading information that could result in significant patient harm.
    • “ECRI put chatbot misuse ahead of sudden loss of access to electronic systems and the availability of substandard and falsified medical products on its list of the biggest hazards for this year.”

Midweek update

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, Congress, FDA, Medical / Rx research, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • The American Hospital Association News reports,
    • “The House Budget Committee hosted a hearing Jan. 21 on health care affordability titled, “Reverse the Curse: Skyrocketing Health Care Costs and America’s Fiscal Future.”
  • The health subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee has posted the prepared testimony of the health insurance executives who will be testifying at tomorrow morning’s hearing.
  • The Health Care Cost Institute released a one pager explaining why healthcare has become unaffordable.
  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “Healthcare fraud settlements under the False Claims Act totaled over $5.7 billion for the 2025 fiscal year ended Sept. 30, the highest amount ever and more than triple last year’s total, the Department of Justice said Friday.
    • “The FCA settlements fueled $6.8 billion in total judgments across industries, the highest amount in a single year.
    • “In healthcare, settlements involved federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare, the program for active and retired service members and their families. The Justice Department said it also expanded its enforcement in cases involving managed care, prescription drugs and medically unnecessary care.”
  • The AHA News informs us,
    • “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will host a webinar Feb. 11 at 2 p.m. ET on updated hospital price transparency requirements that were finalized in the hospital outpatient prospective payment system final rule for calendar year 2026. CMS will begin enforcement of the new and revised requirements April 1. During the webinar, the agency will review changes to the requirements, provide information on resources available to hospitals, and offer tips for ensuring that hospital machine-readable files conform to requirements finalized in the rule. Attendees with questions are advised to contact CMS at PriceTransparencyHospitalCharges@cms.hhs.gov.”
  • Healthexec observes,
    • “A study looking at healthcare pricing at Texas hospitals found that paying cash for services is typically a lot cheaper than the typical negotiated rate charged to insurance companies, calling into question the practicality of transparency regulations. 
    • “The research was conducted by market intelligence firm Trilliant Health, which based its analysis on reported rates coming from 327 hospitals in the state. Zooming in on 79 common procedures, the data revealed that four times out of five, the patients who paid cash received a discount larger than insurance companies were able to negotiate for reimbursement. 
    • “The federal government has pushed for transparency on service pricing. For example, a 2021 rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that required the prices of “shoppable” services be prominently displayed. A machine-readable file containing all prices for common services—including cash and negotiated prices—also must be available. 
    • “However, the law does not standardize prices. Trilliant noted that healthcare is at odds with all other industries, because prices are locked into brackets determined by a person’s ability to pay, not the services themselves. So for those who are insured by their employer, costs will always be fundamentally different when compared to those paying strictly out of pocket.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • Per an FDA news release,
    • “Today, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a Request for Information (RFI) regarding labeling and preventing cross-contact of gluten in packaged food. The FDA is taking this action as a first step to improve transparency in disclosures of ingredients that impact certain health conditions, such as gluten for those with celiac disease, and other established food allergens.”
  • STAT News reports,
    • “Bundling isn’t just for your streaming plans anymore. In radiology, new artificial intelligence tools are getting cleared by the Food and Drug Administration to check for multiple findings at once — sometimes more than a dozen in one go.
    • “On Wednesday, radiology AI company Aidoc announced the FDA has cleared a tool that can triage 14 critical findings in a single abdominal CT scan: liver injury, spleen injury, bowel obstruction, appendicitis, and more.” 

From the judicial front,

  • Modern Healthcare reports,
    • “Cigna may be on the verge of striking a deal with the Federal Trade Commission over allegations it artificially raised insulin prices.
    • “The FTC has suspended its administrative case against the Evernorth Health Services, Express Scripts and Ascent Health Services parent company while it considers a settlement, the FTC disclosed in a legal filing Tuesday.
    • “Attorneys for the agency and the company have “submitted a proposed consent agreement containing a proposed decision and order … that, if accepted by the commission, would resolve the claims against the [Cigna] respondents in their entirety,” FTC Secretary April Tabor wrote in the document.”

From the public health, medical and Rx research front,

  • Per a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention news release,
    • “Diabetes continues to affect millions of Americans and is among the major health threats facing the nation. New CDC data in the updated National Diabetes Statistics Report show:
      • “40.1 million people in the United States (12% of the population) have diabetes.
      • “11 million adults (more than 27% of adults with diabetes) are undiagnosed. 
      • “115.2 million adults (more than 43%) have prediabetes, and most don’t know they have it.
    • “The National Diabetes Statistics Report uses the latest technologies and methods to provide up-to-date data on the impact of diabetes and prediabetes. 
    • “It’s important that all people can take steps to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes and manage diabetes if they already have it.” 
  • Beckers Clinical Leadership points out,
    • “About a year after West Texas reported a large measles outbreak, South Carolina has the most measles cases of any U.S. state so far in 2026. 
    • “The state’s health department is counting 646 cases as of Jan. 20. Most cases are in Spartanburg County, a county in northwest South Carolina that is about 70 miles from Charlotte, N.C.
    • “This figure far surpasses the 145 cases reported in South Carolina by the CDC as of Jan. 13. Some jurisdictions report probable measles cases; however, the CDC only reports confirmed cases that jurisdictions have notified to CDC.” * * *
    • “South Carolina far exceeds other states, according to CDC data on confirmed measles cases. In 2026, eight other states have reported confirmed measles cases to the CDC: Utah with 14, Ohio (three), Florida (two), North Carolina (two), Oregon (two), Arizona (one), Georgia (one) and Virginia (one).” 
  • The AHA News notes,
    • “The American Red Cross Jan. 20 declared a severe blood shortage as the national blood supply fell approximately 35% within the last month. The organization is urging Americans to donate blood to alleviate the shortage. The current flu season and winter weather were cited as reasons for the decline.” 
  • Senior Living News relates,
    • “New research from Case Western Reserve University was recently heralded as a big step forward in the fight to not only slow but reverse the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease. Senior living memory care experts are encouraged by the results, but that there is still much left to be done to further that goal. 
    • “The study, published in December 2025 in Cell Reports Medicine, links Alzheimer’s progression to the brain’s inability to maintain healthy levels of NAD+, a molecule critical to cellular energy and resilience. In two studies, researchers restored NAD+ balances with an experimental compound that not only prevented further damage, but reversed disease characteristics.”
  • ‘The Washington Post offers “six daily habits to slow aging, from a Harvard brain expert. Harvard scientist Rudolph Tanzi shares his plan for brain health and aging well, including habits for sleep, stress and social interaction.” Check it out.
  • NBC News points out,
    • “Pregnant women’s exposure to wildfire smoke — particularly in the third trimester — may increase the risk of autism in their children, according to new research, which looked at hundreds of thousands of births in Southern California.
    • “The study, published Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, is the first to examine a potential link between prenatal wildfire smoke exposure and autism. Earlier research has suggested that pregnant women’s exposure to air pollution more broadly, including smog spewed by vehicles, smoke stacks and lead, may be linked to the developmental disorder.”
  • Per Healio,
    • “Home-based self-sampling for squamous cell carcinoma of the anus could be a cost-effective way to increase screening among high-risk individuals.
    • “An evaluation of the randomized phase 2 Prevent Anal Cancer (PAC) Self-Swab Study showed higher screening rates for participants who sampled at home compared with those who went to a clinic. Each additional screen had a societal cost of approximately $25 and health care cost of about $130.
    • “Home-based screening promises to be a cost-effective option to enhance anal cancer screening participation,” Haluk Damgacioglu, PhD, assistant professor in the department of public health sciences in the College of Medicine at Medical University of South Carolina, and colleagues wrote.
    • “In addition, the lower [incremental cost-effectiveness ratio] from the societal perspective underscores the economic value of home-based screening by capturing time, travel and productivity costs associated with clinic-based screening.”
  • Per MedPage Today,
    • “Among kids with obstructive sleep-disordered breathing in a randomized trial, 29.5% had resolution of symptoms with an initial 6-week course of intranasal saline.
    • “For those with persistent symptoms, another 6 weeks of intranasal saline was as effective as switching to intranasal steroids.
    • “The researchers proposed that intranasal saline be used for 3 months before assessing the need for specialist referral for polysomnography and potential surgery.”
  • and
    • “A Finnish cohort study probed the long-term mortality, morbidity, recovery, and recurrence of stroke after maternal ischemic stroke.
    • “There was a greater risk of mortality after pregnancy-related stroke, particularly in the first year.
    • “Affected patients were also more prone to subsequent morbidities, though functional outcomes seemed good in the short and long term.”
  • Per BioPharma Dive,
    • “A regimen involving Moderna’s personalized cancer vaccine intismeran autogene and Merck & Co.’s immunotherapy Keytruda cut the risk of relapse or death in half over five years in study participants with melanoma when compared with Keytruda alone, the companies said Tuesday. Moderna and Merck reported three years ago that the Phase 2 study, which evaluated the vaccine-immunotherapy regimen after surgery, had met its primary endpoint. The partners have continued following trial enrollees to assess its impact on long-term health outcomes, though, and at the latest data check found that the shot maintained the survival benefit seen in 2023. The result is a “signal of durable tumor control,” wrote William Blair analyst Myles Minter. Moderna and Merck, which first partnered on cancer vaccines nearly 10 years ago, could announce Phase 3 results later this year. Merck paid Moderna $250 million to license intismeran autogene in 2022.”

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

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Higher sales of drugs for cancer and autoimmune conditions more than offset the sales hit from a key drug patent loss and helped Johnson & Johnson JNJ -0.09%decrease; red down pointing trianglereport increased revenue and profit for the latest quarter.
    • “The New Brunswick, N.J., drug and medical-device maker also issued a forecast for the coming year that topped Wall Street expectations, despite the impact of tariffs and a recent deal with the Trump administration to cut some drug prices.
    • “J&J said Wednesday that net earnings rose 20.8% in the fourth quarter to $5.12 billion, or $2.10 a share, from $3.43 billion, or $1.41 a share, a year earlier. Adjusted to exclude certain items such as litigation costs, J&J earned $2.46 a share in the quarter, matching the mean estimate of analysts surveyed by Factset. 
    • “The company last year lost patent protection for one of its biggest-selling drugs, Stelara, a treatment for skin and gut conditions. Competitors introduced lower-cost versions of the drug, leading to sales declines for J&J’s. Stelara sales plunged nearly 48% for the fourth quarter.
    • “Yet strong sales growth for newer J&J drugs helped cushion the impact. Sales of Darzalex, a treatment for multiple myeloma, rose nearly 27% in the fourth quarter and sales of autoimmune drug Tremfya were up nearly 68%.”
  • Fierce Healthcare relates,
    • “In the past year, OpenEvidence, an AI-powered medical search engine, has seen breakneck growth, rapidly expanding its reach with doctors.
    • “OpenEvidence developed an AI-powered medical search engine and a generative AI chatbot exclusively for doctors that summarizes and simplifies evidence-based medical information.
    • “In December alone, the company claims it supported about 18 million clinical consultations from verified physicians in the U.S., up from about 3 million consultations per month a year ago. OpenEvidence is now actively used daily, on average, by more than 40% of physicians in the U.S., spanning more than 10,000 hospitals and medical centers nationwide, according to the company.” * * *
    • “The health tech company banked $250 million in series D funding to invest heavily in the R&D and compute costs associated with its multi-AI agentic architecture. OpenEvidence will also use the funding to continue to build out its content licensing partnerships.
    • “The lion’s share is training new models, training the next generation of digital intelligence, and compute costs,” Daniel Nadler, founder and CEO of OpenEvidence, told Fierce Healthcare.
    • “The series D round doubled its valuation to $12 billion, the company said.”
  • Kaufmann Hall offers five key takeaways from recent financial rating reports of hospitals.
    • “Hospital rating downgrades declined in 2025 while the number of upgrades increased, resulting in a lower ratio of downgrades to upgrades and tempering higher downgrade activity in recent years. Growing volumes, increased supplemental funding and better labor and expense management contributed to improved financial performance for many borrowers. Upgrades and downgrades included a wide swath of hospitals including academic medical centers, children’s hospitals and regional and national systems, as well as stand-alone hospitals. The overwhelming majority of ratings were affirmed, providing support for the rating agencies’ stable (Moody’s and S&P) and neutral (Fitch) outlooks for 2026.”
  • Healthcare Dive notes,
    • “Community Health Systems has agreed to sell an Alabama hospital for $450 million, the latest in a string of divestitures from the for-profit hospital operator as it looks to reduce its debt. 
    • “CHS said on Tuesday that a subsidiary has signed a definitive agreement to sell substantially all of the assets of its 180-bed Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville, Alabama to Huntsville Hospital Health System. The deal includes Crestwood’s network of outpatient centers and medical practices, according to CHS’ release.
    • “The companies expects the deal to close in the second quarter this year.”
  • Per MedTech Dive,
    • “Medtronic has agreed to buy up to $90 million worth of shares in Anteris Technologies Global, developer of a transcatheter aortic valve replacement device for patients with severe aortic stenosis.
    • “The purchase, in a private placement, is contingent on Anteris completing a proposed $200 million public stock offering, the company said Tuesday.
    • “Anteris said it will sell the shares to Medtronic at a price per share equal to the public offering price, subject to a minimum purchase of 16% of the number of common shares outstanding after the offering and a maximum purchase of 19.99%.”