Thursday report

Obesity

Thursday report

David Ermer–CDC, Electronic health records, FDA, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Mental health care, Obesity, Rx coverage, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • Federal News Network reports,
    • “The Postal Service is temporarily suspending payments to a governmentwide pension plan, after warning Congress that it’s less than a year away from running out of cash.
    • “USPS told the Office of Personnel Management on Thursday that it will hold off paying its contributions to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), a move that’s expected to conserve cash in the near term.
    • “The mail agency, which has posted billion-dollar net losses almost every year since 2007, has relied on these extraordinary measures before to conserve cash.”
  • and
    • “The Postal Service received approval to add a temporary surcharge to most of its standard package shipping options. The Postal Regulatory Commission approved an 8% across-the-board price increase for its core package and shipping services. The surcharge will go into effect on April 26 and will remain in place until Jan. 17, 2027. USPS said the surcharge is necessary to keep up with higher fuel and transportation costs. Before this, USPS only added a package surcharge during its busy holiday peak season, which runs from October through December.”
  • OPM Director Scott Kupor explains how to chart your HR career path in his latest Secrets of OPM blog post which is available on Substack.
  • Tammy Flanagan writing in Govexec discusses “How to ensure your federal retirement benefit is correct.”
    • “OPM processed more than 33,000 retirement claims in early 2026. Learn how your FERS benefit is calculated and how to verify your creditable service.”
  • Federal News Network adds,
    • “More than 55,000 federal retirement applications are still pending finalization at the Office of Personnel Management. That’s after OPM managed to shave off about 10,000 applications from its total case inventory last month. During March, OPM received close to 15,000 incoming retirement applications, but processed over 22,000. Roughly half of those claims were completed digitally through OPM’s new processing system, which OPM said can finalize retirements at about double the speed as the traditional system.”

From the census front,

  • Per a U.S. Census Bureau news release,
    • “The nation turns 250 this year and Americans’ median age — the age at which half of the population is younger and half is older — continues to rise, climbing from 39.2 in 2024 to 39.4 in 2025.
    • “We use population estimates released today to examine changes in the U.S. age structure by sex from 2001, when the median age was 35.6, to 2025.
    • “One striking shift is that while women continued to outnumber men at older ages, the gap between the sexes narrowed in the past 25 years.
    • “In 2001, there were 70.6 males for every 100 females age 65 and older. By 2025, the ratio had increased substantially to 81.6.
    • “The gap among those age 80 and older narrowed even more dramatically — from 50.9 males per 100 females in 2001 to 68.3 in 2025.
    • “Mortality rates for older men have been decreasing faster than for women and, as a result, men’s share of the older population has increased,” said Marc Perry, senior demographer in the U.S. Census Bureau’s Population Division. “But the mortality gap between men and women is still there. In fact, the current mortality rate for men age 65 and older is roughly where the equivalent rate for women was 50 years ago.”
  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “The nation’s fertility rates hit record lows in 2025 as childbearing continued to shift toward older women, according to new federal data released Thursday. For the sixth straight year, the number of children born in the U.S. remained at roughly 3.6 million.
    • “The number of births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44—the general fertility rate—reached a record low of 53.1 in 2025, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rate has mostly headed down since 2007, a prerecession peak when millennial women started to enter their prime childbearing years.
    • “One long-term trend driving the slide: a sharp decrease in birthrates for teens and women in their 20s. In 2025, birthrates for women in their late 30s exceeded those for women in their early 20s for the first time.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • STAT News reports,
    • “Despite a mandate from the Trump administration to remove barriers for health artificial intelligence companies, the Food and Drug Administration has denied a proposal that would have made it easier for large developers of AI-enabled medical devices to put their products on the market.”
  • Modern Healthcare reports,
    • “The Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to Medline Industries over reported issues with syringes used in cardiac procedures and the company could face regulatory action if the issues are not corrected.
    • “The company received the letter March 25 following a December inspection of its facility in Glen Falls, New York. The agency said the Namic angiographic control syringes, which are packaged into Medline’s cardiovascular procedure kits, were disconnecting from the hub that controls the flow of fluids. The letter was made public Tuesday.”
    • “In the warning letter, the agency said there were 221 complaints about the syringes and 177 medical device reports, including one involving air being injected into a patient and another exposing a clinician to a biohazard.”
  • MedTech Dive relates,
    • The Food and Drug Administration’s device center launched an innovation challenge Tuesday to give patients access to home medical devices to reduce hospital readmissions.
    • The Center for Devices and Radiological Health plans to select nine devices from different manufacturers by Dec. 4 for the challenge. Selected companies will have opportunities for early engagement with the FDA, including feedback to help refine device design and testing, and the chance to demonstrate their technology at FDA research facilities. 
    • The program, called the Reducing Readmissions through Device Innovation for the Home Innovation Challenge, is part of the device center’s Home as a Healthcare Hub initiative, which started in 2024. The initiative is intended to support innovation for medical devices used in the home, while considering diverse perspectives and people’s living environments.
  • and
    • “Philips sent an urgent field safety notice to customers in March instructing them to no longer use non-pneumatic nebulizers, including vibrating mesh nebulizers, with its Trilogy Evo ventilators.
    • “The Food and Drug Administration posted the action in its database last week as a Class I recall. It applies to Philips’ Trilogy Evo, Trilogy Evo O2, Trilogy Evo Universal and Trilogy EV300 ventilators.
    • “A Philips spokesperson wrote in an email to MedTech Dive that the ventilators may be used safely by following the revised instructions.”
  • Radiology Business tells us,
    • “Experts are sounding the alarm on a newly approved use of dermal filler in the décolleté area, citing concerns over its potential effect on breast cancer screening exams. 
    • “Radiesse, manufactured by Merz Aesthetics, is a subdermal filler used to smooth wrinkles and decrease the visibility of fine lines. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on April 8 approved its use for the décolleté area—the upper chest above the breasts—in adults 22 and older. 
    • “The filler contains hydroxylapatite microspheres, which may be visible on medical imaging. Given the location of the implant and its close proximity to imaged area, experts are concerned it could affect the visibility of breast tissue on mammograms, masking small lesions. Experts voiced these concerns to the FDA during an advisory meeting about the product last August. 
    • “As a breast imager, my focus is to find a cancer as small as possible,” Sandra Shuffett, MD, of Baptist Health Medical Group in Lexington, Kentucky, explained during the panel. “That is my concern, with the fillers potentially obscuring a cancer on a mammogram until it grows larger and then requires more serious treatment.” 
    • “Merz Aesthetics has refuted these claims, maintaining the safety and efficacy of the product. As a precautionary measure, however, the FDA is requesting that the company conduct a postmarket assessment of 30 individuals to determine whether the filler affects breast imaging. The study will require participants receiving the injections to undergo baseline breast imaging before completing three filler treatments six weeks apart; they will complete additional breast imaging one month after all the treatments have been administered.” 

From the public health, medical and Rx research front,

  • Per an Epic news release,
    • “Epic Research now monitors health conditions across the U.S. at the county level and publishes Health Alerts when elevated rates are detected. The alerts use statistical models applied to real-world medical records to detect when the rate of a health condition in a county is higher than expected. Each alert is reviewed by the Epic Research team before it is published.
    • “You can view active Health Alerts here. You can also subscribe to receive Health Alerts by email. Subscribers receive new alert notifications when an elevated rate is first detected in a state and weekly summaries of all active, new, and resolved alerts.”
  • NBC News reports,
    • “Regular exercise and about seven hours of sleep a night could protect brain health in the long term, a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS One found. Long bouts of sedentary behavior may increase dementia risk.
    • “It’s the latest data to show that people don’t need elaborate and expensive longevity hacks to stay mentally sharp as they age. Simple lifestyle changes could reduce a person’s risk of late-onset dementia by as much as 25%, according to the study. 
    • “About 1 in 9 people in the United States will develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, meaning a person’s overall risk is about 11%. With the suggested changes in lifestyle, the average person’s risk decreases to about 8%.
    • “The reduction is “fairly comparable to the effect sizes sometimes seen with medications for chronic diseases,” said Akinkunle Oye-Somefun, a researcher at York University in Toronto, who led the study. 
    • “Breaking up longer periods of sitting had the greatest effect, the study found.” 
  • MedPage Today adds,
    • “People who followed a high-quality plant-based diet had a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, while those with a low-quality plant-based diet had a higher risk, prospective data showed.
    • “At baseline, people who ate the most plant foods overall had a 12% lower risk of dementia over nearly 11 years of follow-up compared with those who ate the least (HR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.92), reported Song-Yi Park, PhD, of the University of Hawaii at Manoa in Honolulu, and co-authors.
    • “However, not all plant-based diets performed equally well. People with a high-quality plant-based diet at baseline had a lower dementia risk (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.89-0.97), while those with a low-quality plant-based diet had a higher dementia risk (HR 1.06, 95% CI 1.01-1.10), Park and colleagues wrote in Neurology.”
  • BioPharma Dive relates,
    • “Invivyd said Thursday it has discovered and is preparing for human testing an antibody drug for measles, infections of which have spiked as of late in the U.S. due in part to rising vaccine hesitancy.  
    • “The Connecticut-based biotechnology company also provided an update for its lead program, an antibody for COVID-19 prevention, alongside its plans for the new drug’s development. Invivyd sees the antibody, known as VMS063, as a possible treatment for the disease or a preventive option for those who can’t, or won’t, get vaccinated. 
    • “VMS063 uses a similar strategy as approved antibody drugs for respiratory syncytial virus, which work by latching onto a surface “fusion” protein and blocking entry into cells. Invivyd said VMS063 could be the “first precision therapy” for measles and address the “immunity gap” emerging due to lower vaccination rates.” 
  • Health Day notes,
    • “In pediatric patients, influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) varied across 2021 to 2024 seasons, but did help prevent influenza-associated hospitalizations and outpatient visits, according to a study published online April 6 in Pediatrics.” * * *
    • “Our study shows influenza VE ranged, but overall, was effective at preventing influenza-associated hospitalizations and outpatient visits in children aged 6 months to 17 years,” the authors write. “Higher pediatric influenza vaccine coverage could amplify the benefits of vaccination among children.”
  • Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News tells us,
    • “The biological connection between a pregnant woman and her developing baby—the human maternal–fetal interface—is a specialized, transient organ composed of uterine cells from the mother and fetal cells that acts as a barrier, supports fetal growth, and maintains the mother’s health. The cellular complexity of the maternal-fetal interface has limited scientists’ ability to study how healthy pregnancies develop and why complications arise. The underlying cellular, molecular, and spatial programs of the interface—which forms about a week after fertilization and lasts until birth—has remain incompletely defined.
    • “Now, the human maternal–fetal interface has been mapped in unprecedented detail by scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), revealing new cell types and providing insights into conditions such as preeclampsia, preterm birth, and miscarriage.
    • “By examining this tissue cell by cell across pregnancy, we can begin to understand both normal development and what may go wrong,” said Susan J. Fisher, PhD, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at UCSF.”
  • Endocrinology Advisor notes,
    • “Elevated BMI in infancy and early childhood has a nearly null effect on pubertal timing. In contrast, high BMI in mid-childhood (starting around 6 years of age) and late childhood shows a strong, direct association with earlier onset.”

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

  • STAT News reports,
    • “At first blush, it might seem like Charleston, W.Va., New York, N.Y., and Janesville, Wis., have little in common. 
    • “But those three metros were flagged in a new report as having some of the country’s highest per-person health care spending. And there are other surprises, too. Three metros in California — a state known for its high prices — are among the lowest spenders, and two in West Virginia are among the highest. 
    • “The Health Care Cost Institute, a nonprofit, independent research group, released the report today along with a new data tool called Health Cost Landscape, which allows users to search for specific U.S. metro areas and examine the factors behind health spending there.  
    • “The tool and accompanying report rely on 1.3 billion medical claims from 2018 to 2022 from employer-sponsored health plans, representing more than 38 million people with employer sponsored insurance each year. 
    • “The fact that there’s not a consistent theme among the 10 highest and lowest spending metros speaks to the “irrationality” of health care spending in the U.S., said Katie Martin, HCCI’s CEO. Spending will always be a combination of price and utilization, but figuring out why each region landed on the list requires drilling down into its specific characteristics.” 
  • KKaufman Hall released its National Hospital Flash Report for February 2026.
    • “Key Takeaways
      • “Cost pressures are driving a tenuous financial outlook. Hospital expenses are elevated in early 2026 compared to 2025, while revenues are pressured by an eroding payer mix and remain below sustainable levels.
      • “Hospital performance is bifurcating. There is significant variation in hospital performance by size, geography, and market position.
      • “Softer, uneven volumes reflect shifting care patterns. Patient days have softened in early 2026 while the average length of stay remains relatively steady, reflecting both demographic shifts and changes in where care is delivered.
      • “Outpatient revenue is rising in early 2026. Outpatient care offers significant benefits to both patients and health systems, though hospitals must manage both revenue dilution and a greater concentration of high-acuity patients as a result.”
  • Kaufman Hall also posted its “M&A quarterly activity report: Q1 2026.”
    • “The Q1 2026 trends reflect an industry undergoing transformation. Health systems are repositioning by withdrawing from underperforming or non-core markets, building capital to invest in new capabilities, proactively seeking partners to increase resilience or enhance access to care and services, and placing big bets on new combinations of resources and capabilities. A return to more robust levels of deal-making is a sign that organizations remain well aware of the need to seek combinations and partnerships to face the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead.”
  • Fierce Healthcare tells us,
    • “Advocate Health notched a strong 2025 with more revenue, patients, operating income and bottom line gains than the year prior. 
    • “The nation’s third-largest nonprofit health system reported Wednesday over $38.9 billion in total revenue during the year ended Dec. 31, 2025, a nearly 12% increase over the year before. 
    • “Total expenses rose a hair slower, by about 11%, to $37.4 billion, leaving the organization with more than $1.5 billion in operating income (4.0% operating margin). It had reported a $1.2 billion operating income (3.5% operating margin) in 2024.” 
  • Beckers Hospital Review points out four hospitals that closed in the first quarter of 2026.
  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Eli Lilly’s Foundayo weight-loss pill is now available in the U.S. following the Food and Drug Administration’s approval.
    • “The drug is available through Eli Lilly’s direct sales platform, telehealth providers, and is shipping to retail pharmacies.
    • “Foundayo’s starting dose costs $149 a month, matching the price of Novo Nordisk’s competing GLP-1 pill.”
  • Beckers Hospital Review adds,
    • “Novo Nordisk’s recently approved high-dose Wegovy formulation has entered the U.S. market and is available for $399 per month for self-paying patients, the drugmaker said April 7. 
    • “In March, the FDA approved Wegovy HD, a 7.2-mg injection of semaglutide, as a weight loss medication. Prior to the approval, the highest dose of injectable Wegovy was 2.4 milligrams. 
    • “Wegovy HD’s launch comes days after the FDA approved Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 pill, Foundayo, which is the second FDA-approved GLP-1 pill for weight loss — the first is Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill. 
    • “Novo Nordisk’s direct-to-consumer platform offers self-paying patients to fill injectable Wegovy prescriptions for $199 per month’s supply of the 0.25-, 0.5-, 1-, 1.7- or 2.4-mg dosages. Wegovy HD is offered for $399 per month’s supply.” 
  • Per Fierce Healthcare,
    • “Humana is teaming up with digital health company b.well Connected Health to make it easier for members to access their health data across multiple providers, health plans, pharmacies and digital health apps. 
    • “The partnership aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to give patients easier access to their health information.
    • “As part of the partnership with b.well, Humana will also be able to access its members’ data in real-time at the point of claims processing and securely respond to data requests from providers and other health plans, supporting care coordination and quality improvement, the insurer said in an April 9 press release.”
  • and
    • “Amazon is expanding its health conditions program with two recently announced partnerships focusing on nutrition therapy and sleep care. 
    • “The retail giant launched its Health Benefits Connector program in January 2024, which aims to help connect customers with virtual care benefits. Teladoc, Rula Health, Talkspace, Omada Health and Hinge Health are several of the organizations involved with the program.
    • “The most recent to join is virtual sleep clinic Dreem Health.
    • “Eligible customers can enroll in the care provider’s sleep services, which include sleep diagnostics using Sunrise Group’s FDA-approved home sleep test. Dreem Health will be the first sleep health provider on the platform, according to the April 9 announcement. 
    • “Artificial intelligence-driven nutrition therapy platform Berry Street also announced March 31 it would be joining Amazon’s program. The platform has a network of more than 1,500 registered dietitians providing nutrition therapy for weight loss, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and maternal health.”
  • MedTech Dive informs us,
    • “One year after President Donald Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration in a White House Rose Garden ceremony unleashed a tariff policy targeting top U.S. trading partners, medtech companies are still absorbing the shocks.
    • “Tariffs on imports from China, Mexico, Canada, the European Union and other key trade partners were meant to boost domestic manufacturing, but in the medtech sector, where integrated global supply chainsdesigned for efficiency can take years to establish, reshoring has not been the primary response. That’s in contrast to the pharmaceutical industry and certain other sectors, where companies are pouring billions of dollars into building new production facilities in the U.S.
    • “To manage the extra expenses brought by tariffs, medtech companies have tried to avoid raising prices for hospitals and health systems or cutting R&D budgets, according to industry advisers and analysts. Instead, they are accelerating efforts to drive down costs across their organizations.
    • “They have to find levers elsewhere,” said Glenn Hunzinger, PwC’s U.S. health industries leader. “They’re not passing the prices on to customers. They’re just bearing the brunt of it and trying to find efficiency, which was always the focus.”

Midweek report

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, COVID-19, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Mental health care, NIH, Obesity, OPM, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • Govexec writes about OPM’s March 31 call letter for 2027 FEHB and PSHB benefit and rate proposals.
    • “John Hatton, staff vice president for policy and programs at the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association, said it’s not unusual for administrations to promote their health policy priorities—or to seek cost savings—via FEHBP. While the letter likely won’t lead to huge shifts in how insurers cover federal workers—or how doctors approach their patients—it does mark a noteworthy shift away from traditional medical interventions.
    • “There isn’t one thing that really stands out by itself as noteworthy, but combined the letter reflects a trend toward alternative treatments and expanding and encouraging the treatment of underlying causes rather than symptoms,” he said. “But it’s not like providers don’t already try to do that to begin with. This is a MAHA set of policies . . . but if you were expecting them to say ‘we’re banning vaccines,’ the letter is not doing that. But it does change the incentives.”
  • FEHBlog observation — What’s typical, and is occurring again, is that the new Administration’s initiatives build on top of prior Administration initiatives. As a result, carriers are caught in a spider web of federal and OPM mandates which makes it difficult to lower costs.
  • KFF Health News shares public comments on OPM’s health claims data warehouse initiative.
    • FEHBlog observation: The most secure approach would be for OPM to make aggregated data requests to FEHB plan and PSHB plan “edge servers.” This is how CMS gets health information from qualified health plans in the federal exchange.
  • Federal News Network tells us,
    • “Department of Homeland Security employees who have gone unpaid through nearly two months of a partial government shutdown will start receiving paychecks this week.
    • “In a message to all DHS employees on Monday, the office of the under secretary for management said furloughed and excepted employees would receive full salaries covering the start of the shutdown on Feb. 14 through April 4, the end of the last full pay period.
    • “Employees should start receiving paychecks as early as April 10 and no later than April 16, depending on their financial institution, according to the message.
    • “The update comes after President Donald Trump’s directive to pay all DHS employees last week.”
  • Per an HHS news release,
    • “U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. traveled to Arizona this week as part of his “Take Back Your Health” tour, meeting with leaders across health care, independent living, and recovery to drive a prevention-focused agenda.
    • “Arizona is putting prevention at the center of American health care,” said Secretary Kennedy. “By prioritizing recovery, nutrition, physical fitness, and personal empowerment, providers across this state are driving a shift from a reactive sick-care system to a true health care system that delivers better outcomes for the American people.”
  • Fierce Pharma informs us,
    • “After more than a decade in charge of the most influential organization representing the U.S. pharmaceutical industry, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), Steve Ubl will step down as its CEO at the end of the year.
    • “PhRMA’s board of directors announced the departure of Ubl on Wednesday and said it will begin a search for his successor. To ensure a smooth transition, Ubl will remain on board until a new CEO is identified, PhRMA said.
    • “Ubl is leaving during a turbulent time for the industry as President Donald Trump pursues several initiatives related to drug pricing and domestic manufacturing, and as leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services and the FDA have embraced certain controversial policies and decisions.”

From the judicial front,

  • Yesterday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed a federal district court ruling that ERISA, which governs private sector employer sponsored health plans, preempts Tennessee’s any willing pharmacy law. This outcome supports FEHB Act preemption of the same state law.
    • FEHBlog observation — If OPM wants to lower FEHB and PSHB costs, the agency should inform state governments about FEHB Act preemption in these situations.
  • Beckers Hospital Review reports,
    • “A federal judge has declined to block the mailing of mifepristone prescriptions nationwide while directing the FDA to complete its ongoing review of the drug.
    • “U.S. District Judge David Joseph denied a request from Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill to pause 2023 FDA rules allowing the drug to be dispensed by mail. He instead granted a request to temporarily pause the case and said the agency must provide an update on its review within six months.
    • “The ruling allows current access to continue as legal challenges proceed, though the judge said he could revisit the issue depending on the FDA’s findings.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Some people, frustratingly, don’t lose as much weight as others on popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy. A new study suggests the answer may be in their genes.
    • “Researchers from consumer gene-testing service 23andMe, which has one of the world’s biggest DNA databases derived from saliva samples, analyzed genetic data from 27,885 customers who have taken drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound to see if any genes or variants were correlated with how much weight people lost or how bad their side effects were.
    • “The findings, published online Wednesday by the journal Nature, showed people with a common gene variant lost more weight on GLP-1 weight-loss drugs than those without it. Researchers also found people with specific genetic variants were more likely to have side effects like nausea and vomiting from the drugs.
    • “This warrants further study,” said Dr. Noura Abul-Husn, chief medical officer at the 23andMe Research Institute. “Right now the alternative is really nothing to guide any type of personalization around how to manage expectations around GLP-1 use.”
    • “23andMe filed for bankruptcy protection last year after struggling to find a profitable business model. Testing for predictive genes could be a way for the company to salvage its business.”
  • Per a National Institutes of Health news release,
    • “A clinical trial funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that a scalable, team-based intervention strategy in federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) was able to significantly reduce systolic blood pressure for low-income participants. Scientists deployed team-based care, which included intensive blood-pressure management, blood pressure tracking and feedback to providers, health coaching on lifestyle changes and medication adherence, and home blood-pressure monitoring.  
    • “Uncontrolled high blood pressure, known as hypertension, is a major preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only 1 in 4 adults with high blood pressure has their blood pressure under control. 37 million U.S. adults with uncontrolled high blood pressure have a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Lower income Americans experience high prevalence of hypertension and low control rates, contributing to an increased disease burden. 
    •  “Evidence-based strategies to treat uncontrolled hypertension among low-income Americans are severely lacking, even though we know this condition is a huge risk factor for more serious heart complications,” said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D. “This study shows us that we can deploy an affordable, tested program to help reduce the burden of heart disease in this population.” 
  • Healio relates,
    • “People who had severe COVID-19 infections exhibited a 24% higher risk for lung cancer, retrospective data showed.
    • ‘The risk persisted throughout the 4-year follow-up period.” * * *
    • “The findings — derived from work in murine models and retrospective analyses of data from humans — underscore the importance of increased lung cancer surveillance among high-risk individuals, researchers concluded.”
  • MedPage Today points out,
    • The number of U.S. individuals on long-term opioid therapy fell from 5.6 million in 2015 to 4.2 million in 2023.
    • Co-prescribing opioids with gabapentinoids increased, however, reaching 58.7% in 2023.
    • Meanwhile, the mean age of long-term opioid therapy patients rose from 52.5 years in 2015 to 60.5 in 2023. * * *
    • “Our main finding is that while long-term opioid therapy has declined, it remains common among Americans. Also, co-prescribing with gabapentinoids rose between 2015 and 2023,” Thuy Nguyen, PhD, of the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, told MedPage Today. “This is concerning because the FDA warns that concurrent gabapentin and opioid use may lead to respiratory depression.”
  • and
    • “High-flow nasal oxygen therapy has been increasingly used for noninvasive respiratory support after cardiac surgery.
    • “In the large randomized NOTACS trial, high-flow nasal oxygen therapy didn’t improve survival with maintenance of functional independence after cardiac surgery in high-pulmonary-risk patients as compared with standard oxygen.
    • “The findings suggest no need for routine provision of high-flow oxygen in this setting, although use for selected patients was not ruled out.”
  • and
    • “A national analysis of claims data found that only 1.6% of at-risk youth filled a prescription for HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) from 2018 to 2022.
    • “Minors, young women, and those living in the South faced larger disparities.
    • “Tailored and more effective interventions are needed to improve PrEP access and use in this population, the researchers argued.”
  • The American Journal of Managed Care notes,
    • “A Pediatrics review found no serious adverse events attributable to neonatal hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination and no evidence supporting delayed initiation of the series. 
    • “ACIP/CDC now permit optional birth dosing for infants of HBsAg-negative mothers, while maintaining mandatory vaccine plus HBIG within 12 hours for positive/unknown status. 
      • ‘Perinatal infection carries ~90% chronicity in the first year of life; timely birth dosing prevents transmission and full-series completion yields ~98% durable immunity. 
      • ‘Population-level impacts include a 99% reduction in pediatric HBV infections, with modeled reversals likely if universal birth-dose norms erode and coverage declines permanently. 
    • “Pharmacists can mitigate implementation risk by reinforcing prenatal test limitations, countering misinformation, streamlining same-day vaccination, documenting immunizations, and driving series completion follow-up.”
  • Per Fierce Pharma,
    • “For the second time in a span of four months, Insmed’s Brinsupri has come up short in a mid-stage trial designed to expand its use into a new indication. 
    • “The New Jersey biotech revealed that a phase 2b study of Brinsupri in adults with moderate to severe hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) has failed to achieve its primary or secondary endpoints for either of its 10 mg or 40 mg once-daily treatment arms. With the result, the company will terminate the program. 
    • “The flop comes after Insmed reported the misfire of another Brinsupri trial, testing the first-in-class dipeptidyl peptidase 1 (DPP1) inhibitor in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis without nasal polyps (CRSsNP).”
  • Per BioPharma Dive,
    • “An experimental, dual-acting drug from Sanofi succeeded in two studies in different respiratory conditions but missed its mark in an eczema trial, the French drugmaker said Tuesday.
    • “Known as lunsekimig, the therapy met its main and key secondary goals in Phase 2 studies evaluating the treatment in moderate-to-severe asthma and chronic rhinitis with nasal polyps. In asthma, treatment led to a “statistically significant and clinically meaningful” reduction in symptom flare-ups and helped improve lung function. Lunsekimig reduced the size and severity of nasal polyps, as well as related congestion, in the other trial, Sanofi said.
    • “Lunsekimig didn’t meet its main objective in a separate trial in atopic dermatitis, failing to meet a certain threshold of skin clearance compared to a placebo. The drug was “generally well tolerated” across the trials, with serious adverse events and discontinuation rates comparable between treatment and placebo recipients. Two Phase 3 trials are underway in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, another lung condition.” 

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

  • Paragon Health Institute offers an interesting analysis of the Medicare cost shift.
    • “Although the usual narrative of cost shift is a myth, it is true that government can and does artificially increase costs for private payers.”
  • Fierce Healthcare delves into the Worthy healthcare reform project initiated by Ascendiun CEO Paul Markovich and tells us,
    • “Despite artificial intelligence becoming an increasing source of health information, 85% of U.S. adults still get information from providers “at least sometimes,” a new survey finds.
    • “Researchers at the Pew Research Center surveyed 5,111 U.S. adults from Oct. 20 to Oct. 26 for the report. Aside from providers, researchers identified six other main sources of health information:
      • “People with similar health issues: 66% 
      • “Major health information websites: 60% 
      • “News organizations: 46%
      • “Government health agencies: 45%
      • “Social media: 36%
      • “AI chatbots: 22%
  • Beckers Hospital Review lets us know,
    • “The availability and affordability of healthcare tops the list of American’s concerns about key issues, according to a March 31 Gallup article.
    • “The findings are based on telephone interviews conducted March 2-18 with 1,000 U.S. adults.”
  • Health Day reports,
    • “More pregnant women have to drive long distances to get the maternity care they need, a new study says.
    • “U.S. counties that lost all hospital-based obstetric services have been hardest hit, researchers recently reported in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
    • “In those counties, the number of women of childbearing age who live within a half-hour drive of obstetric care fell from more than 90% in 2010 to about 60% in 2021, researchers siad.
    • “Access to maternity care is critical for the health of both the birthing person and babies,” said lead investigator Brittany Ranchoff, a research fellow at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute in Boston.” * * *
    • “The National Rural Health Association has more on rural access to obstetric services.”
  • Modern Healthcare adds,
    • “Health systems struggling to fill gaps in mental healthcare are hiring staff and redeploying capital to try to keep pace with rising demand.
    • “Systems including Hartford Healthcare, Sentara Health and Northern Light Health are expanding their mental health networks and ramping up care coordination teams. Still, health system leaders fear they will not be able to move quickly enough to patch an eroding safety net for mental health patients.
    • “Nearly 23% of Americans 12 and older received mental health treatment in 2024, up from 20.6% in 2023, according to the latest national data from the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Meanwhile, 137 million people lived in areas last year where there was a shortage of mental health professionals, up 12% from 122 million in 2024, Health Resources and Services Administration data show.
    • “Avoidable behavioral health inpatient admissions are often made because there is no place to discharge to,” said Tracey Izzard-Everett, vice president of behavioral health at Norfolk, Virginia-based Sentara Health. “That leads to repeat emergency department visits.”
  • Fierce Healthcare informs us,
    • “Orlando Health is acquiring Northeast Alabama’s RMC Health System, further fleshing out the Florida-based provider’s push into its neighboring state. 
    • “Unveiled Tuesday, the deal brings five years of “significant” investment into RMC’s facilities, equipment and technology, the organizations said in their announcements. These are expected to improve patients’ access to care, including specialty services, and boost physician recruitment. 
    • “The City of Anniston, Alabama, which owns RMC, said that the transaction has been approved by its city council and the system’s board of directors. It is expected to be completed this fall, pending regulatory approvals. Financial terms were not disclosed.”
  • Per Beckers Hospital Review,
    • “New York City-based NYC Health + Hospitals has opened a 104-bed Outposted Therapeutic Housing Unit at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.
    • “The unit is designed to treat people in custody with complex medical needs by relocating clinically vulnerable detainees from Rikers Island prison to a therapeutic setting with greater access to specialty care. It marks the first of three planned units across the city, according to an April 7 news release from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office. 
    • “At Bellevue, patients will have access to speciality care, including oncology, cardiology and neurology, according to the release. Correctional Health Services will deliver care on site, while the city’s Department of Correction will oversee security and custody management.”
  • and
    • “Searcy, Ark.-based Unity Health on April 15 will permanently close the emergency department and medical unit at its acute care hospital in Jacksonville, Ark., a spokesperson for the health system confirmed to Becker’s. 
    • “The closure comes just three years after the hospital opened in March 2023. Unity Health plans to convert the facility into a freestanding psychiatric hospital.
    • “Unity Health-Jacksonville currently operates a 13-bed emergency department and 24-bed behavioral health unit, and provides a range of services including inpatient and observation care, imaging and inpatient cardiopulmonary services.”
  • Per BioPharma Dive,
    • “Gilead Sciences was an industry pioneer in infectious disease, bringing to market treatments that have helped turn HIV into a manageable condition and effectively cure hepatitis C. But it has struggled to branch out elsewhere — a foray into heart disease didn’t turn out well, for instance, and a long-running push into cancer hasn’t yet yielded the kind of dividends the company had hoped.
    • “Those struggles haven’t discouraged Gilead from using deals to bolster other parts of its portfolio. The company’s pipeline now includes more experimental medicines for cancer and inflammatory conditions than infectious diseases. And three acquisitions struck in quick succession in early 2026 have shown the company remains committed to growing beyond its roots in HIV. 
    • “On a conference call with analysts Tuesday, Gilead CEO Dan O’Day claimed these dealmaking moves have made the company’s portfolio the “most robust and diverse” it’s ever been.” 
  • Per Beckers Payer Issues,
    • “Thirty-six percent of providers believe payers reliably deliver on promises, according to an inaugural Aetna provider survey released April 8.
    • “The survey will run quarterly, polling representatives of U.S. healthcare providers. This round fielded responses from 827 hospital system executives, physicians, nurses, pharmacists and health IT leaders over the first quarter of 2026. Global decision intelligence company Morning Consult conducted the survey.”

Weekend update

David Ermer–CMS, Congress, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, Mental health care, Obesity, OPM, U.S. Healthcare–

Happy Easter!

From Washington, DC,

  • Congress remains on a State/District work break this week. Both Houses of Congress return to Capitol Hill on April 13.
  • Govexec reports,
    • “President Trump’s fiscal 2027 budget proposal, released Friday morning, would freeze federal civilian employees’ pay in 2027, all while granting a sizeable raise for members of the armed services.
    • “An Office of Management and Budget spokesperson told Government Executive that under Trump’s budget, civilian workers would receive no pay increase next January. But under the plan, members of the military would receive between a 5% and 7% pay increase, with the highest raises going to the lowest ranked personnel.”
  • The U.S. Office of Personnel Management has released its Fiscal Year 2027 Congressional Budget Justification.
    • Worth noting on page 84
      • The FEHB Protection Act of 2025 (FPA) requires OPM to strengthen eligibility verification and oversight of the FEHB Program. OPM is directed to issue regulations and implement verification processes by July 4, 2026, conduct a comprehensive family member eligibility audit between July 4, 2026 – July 4, 2029, and establish a process for removal of ineligible individuals (completed in December, 2025 per statutory deadline).
    • FEHBlog observation — Any improvement in eligibility verification should begin with adding the HIPAA 820 electronic enrollment roster transaction to OPM’s enrollment system. That transaction would allow carriers to reconcile premium payments to individual enrollments. What is the sense of performing this family member audit if carriers don’t know if the individual with self and family or self and family coverage (or half of the enrollment with self only coverage) is paying the correct premium?
  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “Antitrust regulators are warning Tennessee not to terminate an agreement giving its health department oversight of Ballad Health, a hospital monopoly in the state.
    • “The Tennessee legislature is considering bills that would allow Ballad’s certificate of public advantage, or COPA, to expire in 2028. Balled was formed in 2018 under the COPA, a controversial mechanism that allows potentially anticompetitive hospital mergers to go through in exchange for increased state oversight for a period of time.
    • “Without the COPA, all state supervision of Ballad’s care quality, availability and access, along with population health initiatives, would end.
    • “That could have steep consequences for Tennessee patients, including higher healthcare costs and poorer quality of care, the Federal Trade Commission said in the letter sent Wednesday.”
  • MedTech Dive relates,
    • “The Trump administration is adjusting how Section 232 tariffs on steel, aluminum and copper imports and derivative products are calculated, according to a proclamation President Donald Trump signed Thursday. 
    • “Under the new rules, which go into effect April 6, goods made almost entirely of aluminum, steel or copper, including steel coils and aluminum sheets, will face a 50% tariff for the value of the item. 
    • “However, derivative articles “substantially made” of steel, aluminum or copper will incur a 25% levy, per a White House fact sheet. Such goods include steel cooking appliances, silverware, diesel-engine trains and semi-trailer hauling trucks, according to a list provided by the White House.” 

From the public health, medical / Rx research front,

  • The Washington Post reports,
    • “Uri Alon was long puzzled by a textbook statistic: longevity, the thinking went, was about 20 percent in our genes.>” * * *
    • “The original studies that were used to estimate how much of lifespan was inherited were studies of Scandinavian twins from the tail-end of the 19th century.
    • “During that era, “extrinsic” mortality was high — deaths that aren’t related to the deterioration of aging, such as accidents, violence or deaths from infections that are now uncommon because of better nutrition, therapies and hygiene.
    • “His team examined a database of Swedish twins born later, between 1900 and 1935, and found that these extrinsic deaths were masking the inherited component of lifespan. When they applied their model, designed to remove extrinsic deaths, to databases of Scandinavian twins and the siblings of centenarians who lived to at least 100, the heritability of lifespan markedly increased — to about half.” * * *
    • “Thomas Perls, a longevity researcher at Boston University and the founding director of the New England Centenarian Study, agrees that genetics play a major role in lifespan, but that it depends on what age you are talking about.
    • “At the very extremes of old age — people who live to 105 or even 110 — genetics play a major role in lifespan. But Perls points to a 2018 study in the journal Circulation that suggests that even without winning the genetic lottery, an average person can probably get to about 88 years old as a man, and 93 years old as a woman. That depends on embracing good health-related behaviors. He also notes that socioeconomic advantages contribute — access to health care, education, healthy food.”
  • and
    • “Joseph Buxbaum was initially unconvinced. When early hints of a connection between autism and Alzheimer’s began to appear in the medical literature a few years ago, they struck him as implausible — one a condition of early brain development, the other driving decline in old age.
    • “But the signals kept accumulating, and over time, his skepticism gave way to a new line of inquiry that could transform scientists’ understanding of the two diseases.
    • “I came to this kicking and screaming. I didn’t want to believe it,” Buxbaum, a professor of psychiatry, neuroscience, and genetics/genomic sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said.” * * *
    • “The idea that two conditions at opposite ends of life might be biologically linked is beginning to upend long-standing assumptions in brain science, blurring a divide that has shaped the field for decades. Now, some researchers have begun to see the two as intertwined: that understanding Alzheimer’s may require looking back to how the brain develops, and that insights into autism might, in turn, reshape how we understand Alzheimer’s itself.”
  • Medscape tells us,
    • “For decades, clinical dietetics has been based on standardized nutritional recommendations for the general population: food pyramids, and Italy’s nutrient reference values, and dietary indications applied uniformly for conditions such as hypercholesterolemia or hypertension.
    • “In routine practice, however, physicians have increasingly observed that patients with the same caloric intake and physical activity can show different outcomes in terms of weight change, glycemic control, or lipid profile.
    • “This interindividual variability, once considered a clinical anomaly, is now supported by scientific literature. Response to diet does not depend exclusively on energy balance but also on a series of individual biological characteristics that influence nutrient metabolism and the interaction between diet and the body’s physiology.”
    • “Precision nutrition frames diet from a simple quantitative tool of nutrients to a personalized metabolic intervention.
    • “Applications of precision nutrition extend beyond body weight management. It has potential relevance in numerous clinical conditions, including gastrointestinal disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, food intolerances, kidney stones, and various cardiometabolic conditions.”
  • and
    • “Analysis of real-world pharmacovigilance data shows that GLP-1s demonstrate distinct adverse event patterns across indications, primarily related to metabolic, nutritional, gastrointestinal, and psychiatric disorders, with different profiles observed across treatments.” * * *
    • “As millions of patients are taking GLP-1s for weight control and obesity treatment worldwide, clinicians should be vigilant in monitoring for unanticipated long-term adverse effects,” the authors of the study wrote.”
    • “The study was led by David Stone, Departments of Oncological Sciences and Biomedical Informatics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City. It was published online in Obesity.”

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

  • Beckers Payer Issues reports,
    • “The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association submitted a wide-ranging letter to CMS on March 30 in response to the agency’s information request on its Comprehensive Regulations to Uncover Suspicious Healthcare, or CRUSH, initiative. 
    • [Three of] Seven BCBSA Recommendations
      • “1. CMS should notify Medicare Advantage plans in real time when it suspends payments to a provider over suspected fraud because bad actors are exploiting the current information gap by shifting billing from original Medicare to MA after CMS acted on suspected fraud in fee-for-service.
      • “2. CMS should remove any contractual or policy language that requires MA plans to continue paying claims when fraud is suspected, regardless of whether CMS has paid its portion. The association also recommends that suspect claims be tagged with a unique code or priced at zero member liability at the time of a CMS payment suspension, so MA plans can identify those claims before payment.” * * *
      • “6. Overall, the association says the independent dispute resolution process under the No Surprises Act is broken and needs structural fixes. BCBSA recommends CMS launch the IDR Gateway as soon as possible, implement baseline eligibility screening before payment or review, establish an upfront eligibility fee to deter bad-faith submissions, and create performance metrics.”
  • The Health Care Cost Institute relates,
    • “The prevalence of depression and anxiety has increased steadily since 2019. Previous research, including a report from HCCI,  has identified a concurrent steady increase in the use of antidepressant and anxiolytic medications. Previous studies have found that most people receive prescriptions for psychotropic medications from their primary care providers. This finding describes national prescribing patterns, but few analyses have examined sub-national patterns and whether there is variation at a state level.” * * *
    • “Nationally, approximately three quarters of antidepressant and anxiolytic prescription fills are prescribed by a primary care provider. The remaining quarter of fills are prescribed by psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs, and a small fraction (<1%) are prescribed by other mental health professionals.” * * *
    • “At the state level, there is variation in the proportion of antidepressant and anxiolytic fills prescribed by each provider type. The proportion of fills prescribed by a PCP range from 55% in Washington, D.C. to nearly 86% in West Virginia.  Likewise, Washington D.C. has the highest proportion of fills prescribed by a psychiatrist or psychiatric NP (44%) while West Virginia has the lowest (14%).  The proportion of prescriptions from other mental health providers is highest in Rhode Island (5%) and lowest in Mississippi (0.2%).”
    • “At a national level, the proportion of antidepressant and anxiolytics prescribed by a psychiatrist or psychiatric NP increased by about 2 percentage points from 2018-2022.”
    • “More research is needed to understand the implications of high levels of PCP prescribing. One study found that patients who are treated by PCPs were less likely to be adherent to antidepressant treatment than patients who are treated by psychiatrists, and that patients treated by multiple providers had lower odds of nonadherence than patients treated by a single provider. Future studies should investigate why patients are receiving antidepressant and anxiolytic prescriptions from PCPs. This phenomenon could be related to mental health provider shortages or could indicate integration of mental health care into primary care, which is an objective of collaborative care models. Additional areas of research should include the role of other mental health providers, including allied health professionals, in prescribing medication, and outcomes associated with these prescribing provider types. Understanding how and why people are prescribed medications to treat mental health conditions is foundational for making informed decisions and effective policy to promote mental health care access.”
  • “The Wall Street Journal explains how a consumer can obtain healthcare advice from a AI tool.  The journalist does so in consultation with a human doctor.”

Friday report

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, Obesity, OPM, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • Per an OPM news release,
    • “The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released its Plan Year 2027 Carrier Call Letter for the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Programs, outlining a clear shift toward prevention, wellness, and long-term health outcomes.
    • “The guidance calls on FEHB and PSHB carriers to help advance a healthcare approach that prioritizes prevention, improves health outcomes, and supports long-term affordability.
    • “The Plan Year 2027 priorities emphasize empowering individuals to take a more active role in their health while encouraging carriers to expand access to non-pharmaceutical interventions and digital therapeutics, promote cost-effective sites of care, and reduce unnecessary or low-value services. Over time, these changes are expected to prevent chronic conditions and drive meaningful cost savings.
    • “This year’s carrier letter reflects this administration’s commitment to WellCare and prioritizing the health and longevity of federal workers,” OPM Associate Director for Healthcare and Insurance Shane Stevens said. “Today’s health decisions shape outcomes for years to come.  By focusing on prevention and giving individuals the tools to take ownership of their health our participants have enhanced opportunities to improve their health while ensuring a more sustainable program for federal employees, retirees, and taxpayers.”
    • “OPM will continue working with carriers to implement these changes and strengthen a healthcare system centered on wellness and prevention. Read the letter to carriers here.”
  • FEHBlog Observation — While the call letter does include a boatload of new mandates, those mandates sit on topic of ideas from the Obama and Biden administrations because OPM rarely looks back. It’s high time to offset new spending by cleaning house on earlier mandates.
  • The American Hospital Association reports,
    • “President Trump April 3 submitted to Congress his budget request for fiscal year 2027. The top-line request proposes a 10% decrease ($73 billion) in non-defense discretionary spending. The budget requests $111.1 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of Health and Human Services, a 12.5% ($15.8 billion) reduction from FY 2026 enacted. The HHS proposal does not include any new mandatory spending proposals. While this proposal is not binding, it serves as a preliminary framework for both Congress and the administration as they determine federal funding levels and shape health care policy this year.”  
  • STAT News relates,
    • “The Trump administration is slashing the number of quality and care measures that Medicare Advantage plans will be graded on, a move that will funnel an extra $18.6 billion toward health insurers over the next decade.
    • “The final regulation, released Thursday by President Trump’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is significantly more beneficial for the insurance industry than originally expected. CMS previously estimated these changes to star ratings would cost $13.2 billion between 2028 and 2036 when the rule was proposed in November.
    • “The extra funding from star ratings provides a sizable buffer for Medicare Advantage insurers, which are awaiting final payment rates for 2027 and experiencing higher medical claims. Insurers have lobbied Trump officials for more money in their baseline payments, and to scale back changes in how they record the sicknesses of their members. The government is supposed to release that regulation no later than April 6.”
  • Bloomberg Law adds,
    • “President Donald Trump’s plan to cover weight-loss medications for some people in the Medicare program for the elderly would cost the health insurers billions in its first year, a new analysis found. 
    • “The Trump administration has argued that the lower prices it negotiated with drugmakers last year would offset the cost of adding coverage for millions of new patients. The plan will “expand access and lower prices for obesity GLP-1 medication without passing the bill to taxpayers,” Mehmet Oz, director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a video promoting the plan. 
    • “But a new analysis undercuts that claim. Savings of more than $900 million during the program’s first year would only cover the costs for an estimated 4.4% of the patients who would become newly eligible for the drugs, according to researchers led by Vanderbilt University Professor of Health Policy Stacie Dusetzina.
    • “The findings published in the Journal of the American Medical Association come ahead of a crucial April 20 deadline for health insurers to decide whether they will join the optional program next year. The Trump administration has said it won’t proceed with the plan unless insurers covering 80% of the Medicare population join.
    • “All of the major insurers participating in Medicare’s drug benefit program would need to opt-in to hit that threshold. Dusetzina said she doesn’t see any clear path for the plans to increase access without a significant financial hit.”
  • FEHBlog Observation: This Medicare program would benefit the FEHB and PSHBP which currently covers these GLP-1 drug expenses for federal and Postal annuitants over age 65.
  • Fierce Pharma notes,
    • “The U.K. can officially declare itself free of tariffs on drug exports to the U.S. after its government signed off on the landmark U.S.- U.K. pharmaceutical partnership that first came to be in December. 
    • “In exchange for the tariff reprieve, the U.K. will boost the net price its National Health Service (NHS) pays for novel treatments by 25%. The arrangement lasts at least three years and makes the U.K. the first in the world to secure 0% tariffs on U.S. pharma exports, U.K. officials said in a Thursday press release. 
    • “First announced in December, the partnership protects a UK pharmaceutical industry that added £28.5 billion to the UK economy in 2025, employs over 50,000 people in highly skilled, well-paid jobs, and exported almost £21 billion in pharmaceutical products worldwide last year,” the government explained.” 

From the public health, medical and Rx research front,

  • The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP reports,
    • “US flu activity keeps trending downward, according to the latest FluView report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
    • “Flu cases are declining across most of the country, the CDC said, with influenza A viruses waning and influenza B viruses showing varying levels of activity. That trend follows the typical seasonal flu virus patterns. The proportion of tests that were positive for flu fell to 9.8%, down from 11.5% the previous week, and the proportion of outpatient visits for flu remained below the national baseline for the second straight week, falling from 2.8% to 2.6%.
    • “For the season overall, influenza A viruses have been the most frequently reported. Of the influenza A viruses collected so far, 92.7% have belonged subclade K, which contains mutations that developed after this season’s flu vaccine strains were selected.
    • “Weekly hospital admissions for flu also declined, dropping from 5,640 the previous week to 3,050 this week. But an additional four pediatric deaths were reported this week, bringing the total for the season to 127. Although the CDC has classified the current flu season as moderate for adults, for children it’s been a high severity season.
    • “The CDC estimates there have been 30 million illnesses, 370,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths from flu so far this season.”
    • “Overall, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing Americans to seek health care is low, the CDC said in its respiratory illness update. But respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity picked up later than normal this year and is currently at elevated levels, though it appears to have peaked in most regions, and the virus isn’t making people sicker than in previous seasons. Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for RSV are highest among children aged 4 and under.
    • “COVID-19 levels are low across most of the country.
    • “The CDC also noted that human metapneumovirus (HMPV) activity is rising across the country, which is typical for this time of year. Symptoms of HMPV include cough, fever, nasal congestion, and shortness of breath.“
  • Beckers Clinicial Leadership adds,
    • “The new “Cicada” variant identified in more than half of U.S. states may be more likely to infect children than adults, CNN reported April 2.
    • “The variant, BA.3.2, earned its nickname because it has largely remained undetected or “underground” — like its insect namesake — since first discovered in a five-year-old boy in South Africa in November 2024.” 
  • The American Hospital Association relates,
    • “Cases in the Utah measles outbreak have increased to 559, the state’s Department of Health and Human Services reported March 31. The agency said 362 cases have been diagnosed so far this year during the outbreak, which began in June 2025. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today that there are 1,671 measles cases nationwide across 33 jurisdictions. There have been 17 outbreaks reported this year, with 94% of confirmed cases being outbreak-associated. The vaccination status of 92% of cases is unvaccinated or unknown.” 
  • KFF Health News points out,
    • “This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year. Scientists with knowledge of the operation expect the agency to post heaps more in weeks to come, revealing whether the U.S. has lost its hard-won measles elimination status.” * * *
    • “The CDC did not answer queries from KFF Health News on its timeline for publishing measles data or analyses. However, once all the data is public, researchers can run quick initial analyses that will signal whether outbreaks across the U.S. last year resulted from the continuous spread of the disease between states, rather than separate introductions from abroad.
    • “If there was continuous transmission for a year, that means the U.S. has lost its status as a country that has eliminated measles. That status, which the U.S. has held since 2000, reflects a country’s vaccination rates: Two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine prevent most infections and so stop outbreaks from growing.
    • “More careful analyses take weeks.”
  • Reuters tells us,
    • “Medetomidine, which is also known as ‘rhino tranq,’ or ‘dex’, is ​not approved for human use but is approved for sedation ​and analgesia in dogs.
    • “The agencies said it has increasingly been detected in law enforcement drug seizures, drug product and paraphernalia samples and wastewater samples, ​with the highest concentrations in the Northeast region.
    • “The CDC said ​stopping medetomidine after regular use can trigger severe withdrawal, with symptoms including hypertension, ‌anxiety, ⁠nausea, vomiting and fluctuating alertness, which may require emergency or intensive care. It can also cause profound sedation, slow heart rate and hypotension.
    • “Because fentanyl is involved in most overdoses involving medetomidine, opioid ​overdose reversal medications ​like naloxone ⁠should be administered to restore normal breathing, the agencies said.”
  • Health Day tells us,
    • “A new rapid urine test could lead to more targeted and effective treatment of urinary tract infections (UTI), researchers say.
    • “It currently takes labs two to three days to determine which antibiotic would work best against an individual’s UTI.
    • “But the new test can turn around results in just under six hours, creating the potential for same-day antibiotic prescriptions for a UTI, researchers reported in this month’s issue of the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy.”
  • Medscape informs us,
    • “A group of diabetes professionals is proposing a change from the term prediabetes to the use of a three-stage classification of type 2 diabetes (T2D), with the aim of promoting earlier treatment and risk reduction.
    • “When is it too early to start to intervene in the process of diabetes?” said Moshe Phillip, MD, director of the Institute for Endocrinology and Diabetes, National Center for Childhood Diabetes, Schneider Children’s Medical Center, Petah Tikva, Israel, co-author of a comment paper on the topic published earlier this year in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
    • “One of the mistakes that “we as a community have done in the past” is to label people as having prediabetes “because ‘prediabetes’ means that you are healthy,” he told Medscape Medical News.
    • “Actually, many of those that are defined as having prediabetes have a higher risk for all complications, mainly cardiovascular, he explained.” * * *
    • “Yet there is no drug approval process for prediabetes, despite the evidence that agents such as metformin, pioglitazone, and GLP-1 drugs can prevent progression to T2D and reduce cardiovascular risk.”

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

  • Modern Healthcare reports
    • “Elevance Health will apply its policy deducting pay from hospitals that refer some members to out-of-network providers to facilities in New York.
    • “Starting July 1, Elevance Health’s Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield subsidiary may reduce New York hospitals’ pay by 7.5% or terminate facilities from its network if hospitals refer commercial members to inpatient or outpatient providers without a contract.
    • “Hospitals cannot pass the monetary penalty onto patients, according to an April 1 notice sent to providers.
    • “Rural, critical access and safety-net hospitals are exempt. Hospitals will also not be penalized for referring patients to emergency services or an out-of-network pre-approved provider. Additionally, the penalty will not apply when no in-network providers are available to provide the same care within the same geographic area.”
  • Healthcare Dive offers a commentary from Dr. Catherine Gaffigan is the president of health solutions at Elevance Health in which Dr. Gaffigan explains how this practice holds down health care costs.
  • Medical Economics relates,
    • “Medical Economics spoke with Shannon Sims, M.D., Ph.D., FAMIA, chief product officer at Vizient, and Matthew Bates, M.P.H., managing director at Kaufman Hall, about Vizient’s 2026 State of the Industry Report and what it describes as a reset moment for U.S. health care. When asked what changes physicians will feel first, both pointed to the same two shifts: artificial intelligence (AI) moving into everyday workflow and advanced practice providers (APPs) taking on a larger share of clinical care.
    • “Bates framed the AI transition as a move out of the hype cycle and into practical use. Ambient listening — tools that generate clinical notes from recorded patient encounters — is the clearest example. “It is moving from a niche to really changing the way we practice, particularly in clinic and office settings,” Bates said.
    • “Sims explained that, “what most physicians will see day to day is the use of AI tools to automate or reduce the burdens they feel,” pointing specifically to documentation, billing, medication refills and patient access as areas where meaningful improvement is already within reach. Now, he says the window for sitting it out is closing. “If [physicians] do not [embrace these tools], they risk falling behind and losing some of the relevance and ability to practice in the way they would like to.”
    • “On APPs, Bates was equally blunt. The physician shortage is real, it isn’t resolving quickly, and APPs are filling the gap. How health systems build effective, high-quality teams around that reality, rather than just plugging holes, is one of the central operational questions of the moment.”
  • Radiology Business adds,
    • “A Harvard University economist claims that imaging volumes are falling in the U.S., blunting the need for more radiologists. 
    • “David M. Cutler, PhD, a noted researcher and professor, shared the thought in an editorial published Thursday by JAMA Health Forum. He cited research including 2019 study published by the Radiological Society of North America showing that imaging use stabilized or declined between 2010 and 2016.
    • “Dipping utilization combined with lower reimbursement per procedure has led to a “sustained slowdown in imaging spending growth,” Cutler wrote. 
    • “In addition to helping with cost concerns, the reduction in imaging use has helped to minimize a potential shortage of radiologists,” he wrote April 2. “For some time, economists were worried about a looming radiologist shortage. The decrease in imaging has allowed the U.S. to meet the need for imaging without an increase in radiologists.”
    • “The claims appear to contradict both anecdotal and numerous published academic reports stating the contrary. Another RSNA-published study last year found that emergency departments’ use of CT imaging has increased substantially since 2013. Another JACR study published in January estimated that radiology exam caseloads climbed 31% since 2018. A third shared by Health Affairs in 2024 said overall spending on radiology services leapt almost 36% between 2010 and 2021.”  

Notable Death

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “By the time patients seek therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder, many have spent years suppressing their worst memories and avoiding the places and situations they associate with the most difficult moments of their lives. 
    • “Edna Foa asked them to get closer to those moments.
    • “She asked women who had survived rape to recount what happened, and encouraged soldiers to explain what they had seen in war. It wasn’t an easy ask, but patients had been avoiding so many things for so long that their worlds had gotten smaller and many were willing to try something, even if it felt drastic. 
    • “At first, revisiting memories and places that they feared could be distressing. Over time—typically eight to 15 sessions—the prolonged exposure therapy could make the memories of the traumatic events approachable and turn them into something they could emotionally process and ultimately take power over.
    • “Foa, a clinical psychologist who died March 24 at the age of 88, didn’t just pioneer prolonged exposure therapy, one of the most effective, evidence-based therapies used for treating PTSD in the U.S.; she also created an ecosystem to get it into practice. She trained thousands of healthcare professionals on how to treat patients, and trained others how to do the training. She also wrote books, manuals and patient workbooks to make sure that the training was implemented correctly.”
  • RIP

Monday report

David Ermer–ACA, CDC, CMS, Congress, COVID-19, FDA, Generative AI, Medical / Rx research, NIH, Obesity, OPM, Rx coverage, U.S. Healthcare–
  • Happy National Doctors’ Day!
    • “National Doctors’ Day is a nationwide observance dedicated to honoring physicians for their expertise, responsibility, and continued commitment to patient care. Observed annually on March 30, it creates a natural point of recognition for the role doctors play in the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities, often during critical and life-changing moments.”

From Washington, DC.

  • Roll Call reports,
    • “President Donald Trump wants Congress to nix a two-week recess and return to the Capitol to address the ongoing Department of Homeland Security shutdown, his top spokesperson said Monday.
    • “The president is also encouraging Congress to come back to Washington to permanently fix this problem and to fund and reopen the Department of Homeland Security entirely,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters.”
  • Govexec adds,
    • “Most Transportation Security Administration officers received a paycheck Monday covering four weeks of back wages that were held up by the funding lapse at the Homeland Security Department, a TSA spokesperson said, [due to an Executive Order].
  • Per an OPM news release,
    • “The US Office of Personnel Management (OPM), in partnership with the White House, today announced the launch of a new Early Career Talent Network designed to connect emerging professionals with full-time career opportunities across the federal government.
    • “The new network, available at EarlyCareers.gov, will help build a stronger pipeline of talent into critical mission roles across government, including finance, human resources, engineering, project management, and procurement. The initiative supports broader administration efforts to modernize federal hiring and strengthen the next generation of public servants.
    •  “Building a strong pipeline of early-career talent is essential to the future of the federal workforce,” OPM Director Scott Kupor said. “We are making it easier for talented individuals to connect with meaningful careers in public service while helping agencies efficiently identify the talent they need to deliver results for the American people.”
  • OPM Director Scott Kupor made another management-oriented post to his Secrets of OPM blog now available on Substack. The post discusses the Earlycareers.gov initiative.
  • The American Hospital Association News tells us,
    • “Average out-of-pocket premiums for Health Insurance Marketplace enrollees increased $65 per month in 2026 compared to 2025, going from $113 to $178, according to a report released March 27 by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. The figures represent costs after accounting for the enhanced premium tax credits, which expired at the end of 2025. CMS also found that 40% of 2026 enrollees selected bronze plans, up from 30% in 2025. Silver plan selection dropped from 56% to 43%, while gold plan selection increased from 13% to 17%. Additionally, CMS said 23.1 million consumers selected or re-enrolled in Marketplace coverage for 2026, marking a 5% decrease from 2025.” 
  • Per National Institutes of Health news releases,
    • “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) today has chosen 15 scientific teams from across the nation as cash prize winners for their submissions to a national crowdsourcing challenge designed to generate innovative ideas that integrate diet and nutrition into autoimmune disease research. Winning submissions investigated the effectiveness of dietary interventions; microbiome, immune system and multi-omic approaches; personalized and data-driven predictive nutrition; and community and patient-center research frameworks. 
    • “Autoimmune diseases affect more than 8% of the U.S. population, impacting between 23 and 50 million Americans. Despite the prevalence and significant economic burden of autoimmune diseases, the role of diet and nutrition in this area remains largely underexplored. NIH invited researchers, clinicians, patients, caregivers, advocacy groups, and interdisciplinary teams to submit feasible, scalable approaches to better understand how dietary interventions may influence autoimmune disease onset, progression, flares, and symptom management. 
    • “The challenge, known as the Nutrition for Our Immune System Health (NOURISH): Autoimmunity Challenge and led by NIH’s Office of Autoimmune Disease Research, yielded many highly competitive submissions, and resulted in 15 prize awards, totaling $10,000 to each team. The winners showed thoughtful planning and designs that, with further development, could result in innovative solutions to benefit Americans affected by autoimmune diseases. Each winning entry contributed innovative, scientifically rigorous, and patient-centered ideas to advance the science of autoimmune disease research and care in one of four thematic areas.”
  • and
    • “The National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that Elisabeth Armstrong, DBe, has been named chief of staff in the NIH Office of the Director.  As chief of staff, Dr. Armstrong will oversee the Office of the Director. She will provide strategic counsel to the NIH Director and other key leaders within NIH, in addition to managing process, operations, and information flows.    
    • “Dr. Armstrong is an outstanding addition to NIH’s leadership team. Her unique background and range of public and private sector experience will help drive positive action and innovation at NIH,” said NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, M.D., Ph.D.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • BioPharma Dive points out five FDA decisions to watch in the second quarter of 2026, which starts on Wednesday.
  • Per Fierce Pharma,
    • “With a second phase 3 win for Tyvaso in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), United Therapeutics is padding the case for an expansion and putting more color on its filing plans with the FDA. 
    • “In the wake of the “overwhelmingly positive” pair of late-stage readouts, multiple analysts are sharing in United’s optimism that Tyvaso (treprostinil) could change the treatment landscape in the lung scarring disease, which is estimated to affect more than 100,000 people in the U.S.” 
  • MedTech Dive reports,
    • “Medtronic has received 510(k) clearance for its Stealth AXiS surgical system for cranial and ear, nose and throat procedures.
    • “The clearances, which Medtronic disclosed Friday, expand the label of a system that combines surgical planning, navigation and robotics to improve surgeons’ workflows.
    • “Medtronic said cranial surgeons can use the system to create patient-specific brain maps, while the benefits for ENT teams include visualization tailored to the sinuses and skull base.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • USA Today reports,
    • “A “highly mutated” COVID variant that flew under the radar for years has been detected in a growing number of U.S. states, health officials said this week.
    • “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a March 19 report that it was tracking variant BA.3.2, nicknamed “Cicada,” after routine surveillance noted an increase in U.S. cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) likewise listed the strain on its “variants of monitoring” record, as it has been detected in at least 23 countries.
    • “Cicada still accounts for only a small number of cases in the United States, but has ballooned to represent up to 30% in some European countries. Still, the CDC said its monitoring of the spread “provides valuable information about the potential for this new SARS-CoV-2 lineage to evade immunity from a previous infection or vaccination.” * * *
    • “The CDC’s latest data from Feb. 11 used wastewater collected by its National Wastewater Surveillance System and Stanford University’s WastewaterSCAN Dashboard. A pathogen’s existence and prominence can be measured by testing wastewater samples collected from sources such as sewage, industrial waste and stormwater runoff.
    • “The testing tracked the presence of BA.3.2 in 25 states, including: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.”
  • Stony Brook (NY) Medicine adds,
    • “The Cicada variant (BA.3.2) is a newer Omicron-related subvariant identified through global and U.S. monitoring systems. Like other recent strains, it has evolved with mutations that may influence how easily it spreads and how the immune system responds.” * * *
    • “Overall, while the Cicada variant may contribute to seasonal increases in cases, it does not currently appear to dramatically change the risk landscape.
    • “Health experts say that the BA.3.2 “Cicada” variant doesn’t seem to cause any new or unusual symptoms compared to other Omicron COVID‑19 variants. Right now, health organizations are mostly tracking how the virus spreads and changes, rather than listing new symptoms.”
  • The Wall Street Journal relates,
    • “Measuring cholesterol levels has long been the main way doctors assess the risk of heart disease. Increasingly, people are opting, too, for a simple, relatively affordable test: a coronary artery calcium scan, or CAC.
    • “The tests recently got a boost from influential clinical guidelines issued earlier this month by leading cardiology groups. These guidelines also included, for the first time, recommended levels of LDL—known as low-density lipoprotein or “bad” cholesterol—based on calcium scores from the scans.
    • “Why does this matter to you? The more calcium you have in your heart, the lower your LDL cholesterol should be to help reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. So the scans give doctors and patients a more precise picture of your risk and whether you need to take action.”
  • The American Medical Association lets us know “what doctors wish patients knew about the deadly risk of stroke.”
    • “Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke, which is a medical emergency that demands swift action. Meanwhile, every three minutes and 14 seconds, someone dies of stroke in this country. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and a major cause of long-term disability for adults, but it is preventable and treatable. That is why patients and families need to know more about preventing and identifying stroke. 
    • “More than 795,000 people in the U.S. have a stroke every year. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. Meanwhile, nearly 25% of strokes are in people who have had a previous stroke. And about 87% are ischemic strokes in which blood flow to the brain is blocked, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).”
  • Health Day tells us,
    • “For parents of a child with obesity, a normal lab report from the pediatrician may suggest that their weight isn’t yet a problem.
    • “But even if the child’s blood pressure is steady and their sugar levels are fine, those encouraging results — called metabolically healthy obesity or MHO — might be a deceptive snapshot of a much riskier future.
    • ‘Researchers at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden followed more than 7,200 children aged 7 to 17 who were in treatment for obesity. They were followed until age 30. 
    • “Over that period, researchers compared those with metabolically healthy test results to those with early warning signs, and to a control group of more than 35,000 from the general population.
    • ‘The study published March 23 in JAMA Pediatrics found that even kids with MHO — meaning they had normal blood pressure, liver values and blood fats — were at a disadvantage compared to their peers over the long term.”
  • CNN informs us,
    • “Calls to poison centers in the United States about the widely available herb kratom increased more than 1,200% between 2015 and 2025, new research has found.
    • “This data reflects a concerning trend,” study coauthor Dr. Christopher Holstege , director of the Blue Ridge Poison Center at the University of Virginia, said in a news release.
    • “The research was published Thursday in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
    • “Kratom is an herb from the leaves of the tropical tree Mitragyna speciosa native to Southeast Asia. It has both stimulant and sedative effects and carries a risk of addiction due to how it interacts with the brain, Dr. Oliver Grundmann , a leading kratom researcher and clinical professor in the department of medicinal chemistry at the University of Florida, told CNN in an August story.
    • “The psychoactive herb isn’t federally regulated and thus isn’t “lawfully marketed in the U.S. as a drug product, a dietary supplement, or a food additive in conventional food,” according to the US Food and Drug Administration. But in states that haven’t banned kratom, it’s sold at gas stations, smoke shops and convenience, grocery and health food stores in various forms, including powders, loose-leaf teas, capsules, tablets and concentrates. Some states allow people of any age to buy it.”
  • Neurology Advisor notes,
    • “Among multiple healthy dietary patterns, higher adherence to the DASH diet was associated with the greatest reduction in risk for subjective cognitive decline, supporting diet quality as a modifiable factor for cognitive health.”
  • Per Fierce Pharma,
    • “After notching a phase 2 trial win, Idorsia’s insomnia med Quviviq (daridorexant) is one step closer to potentially becoming a first-in-class treatment for children.
    • “The drug, a dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA), was studied in children with insomnia between the ages of 10 and 17 years old, including those with neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 
    • “As measured through a two-week polysomnography sleep study, 165 patients who received a 10-, 25- or 50-mg dose of Quviviq experienced dose-dependent improvements in total sleep time from baseline, Idorsia reported on Monday.”
  • Per MedTech Dive,
    • “Boston Scientific’s Watchman FLX left atrial appendage closure device worked as effectively as blood thinners to lower stroke risk and death at three years in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation, study data unveiled Saturday showed.
    • “The study also demonstrated a 45% relative reduction in non-procedural bleeding risk in patients who received the Watchman FLX implant. The findings of the closely watched CHAMPION-AF clinical trial were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
    • “The 3,000-patient study met all of its safety and efficacy endpoints. Boston Scientific said it will seek to expand the indication and Medicare coverage for the device as a first-line stroke risk reduction option based on the results.

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

  • Beckers Hospital Review reports,
    • “Cigna’s Express Scripts continued its lead in the U.S. pharmacy benefit manager market for the second year in a row, processing nearly one-third of all prescription claims, according to a March 30 report from the Drug Channels Institute.
    • “The PBM handled 31% of total equivalent prescription claims last year, up from 30% in 2024. CVS Caremark, which dominated the sector until 2024, saw its share fall to 26% amid volume losses tied to major client transitions. Optum Rx, a subsidiary of UnitedHealth Group, maintained a 23% share for the second straight year.
    • “Despite ongoing scrutiny from regulators and rising competition from smaller firms, the same three PBMs as last year still control 80% of the market.
    • “The rankings are based on Drug Channels Institute’s analysis of total equivalent prescription claims processed across the industry.”
  • and
    • “CVS Pharmacy will open its first pharmacy-only location in Chicago on March 30.
    • “The store, located at 2628 W. Pershing Road in the city’s West End, is part of a planned rollout of nearly 20 pharmacy-only, apothecary-style CVS Pharmacy locations expected to launch in select communities in 2026, according to a March 24 statement from CVS shared with Becker’s. The format reflects CVS’ shift toward smaller, pharmacy-focused stores amid declining retail sales.
    • “CVS is in the early stages of launching the new model, the first locations under which will average less than 5,000 square feet — about half the size of a traditional CVS store. The sites will stock health-related products but exclude general consumer goods like greeting cards and groceries.
    • “The launch comes as CVS repositions its pharmacy footprint. The company closed 270 locations in 2025 but plans to open nearly 100 new sites, including more than 60 acquired from Rite-Aid. According to CVS Health’s October 2025 “Rx Report,” 80% of patients prefer in-person pharmacy care and 84% view pharmacies as credible sources of healthcare. The small-format stores aim to meet these expectations while expanding access in underserved areas.”
  • BioPharma Dive relates,
    • “Obesity drugmaker Kailera Therapeutics plans to test investor appetites for another biotechnology initial public offering, according to a Friday securities filing.
    • “If successful, the company, which has several experimental weight loss medicines in testing, could join a short list of newly public biotechs that have raised more than $1.7 billion in proceeds so far this year.
    • “Kailera’s most advanced prospect, ribupatide, is a weekly GLP-1/GIP agonist in late-stage testing. So far, Kailera and its partner Hengrui Pharma have published data from a 48-week Phase 3 trial in Chinashowing that ribupatide helped people with obesity, on average, lose 18% of their body weight.
    • “The drugmaker expects to publish data from an earlier study of an increased dose next year, and findings from its global Phase 3 study in 2028.”
  • A MedCity News opinion piece explains why
    • “AI Can Expand Access to Healthcare — But Only With Human Action
    • “Health systems can turn insights into action, ensuring that preventive care actually happens by combining accurate risk prediction with human outreach and careful planning.”
  • Per an ICER news release,
    • “The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) announced today that it will assess the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of lorundrostat (Mineralys Therapeutics, Inc.) and baxdrostat (AstraZeneca) for hypertension.
    • “The assessment will be publicly discussed during a meeting of the Midwest Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (CEPAC) in October 2026, where the independent evidence review panel will deliberate and vote on evidence presented in ICER’s report.
    • “ICER’s website provides timelines of key posting dates and public comment periods for this assessment.
    • “Consistent with ICER’s process for announcing new assessments, we have spent the past five weeks conducting outreach and engaging with targeted stakeholders, including relevant patient groups, the manufacturers, and clinical experts. Based on this preliminary cross-stakeholder engagement, today ICER has posted a Draft Scoping Document outlining how we plan to conduct this assessment.  
    • “All interested stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments and suggested refinements to the scope to ensure all perspectives are adequately considered. Comments can be submitted by email to publiccomments@icer.org and must be received by 5 PM ET on April 17, 2026.”

Weekend update

David Ermer–Congress, Federal employment benefits, Generative AI, Medical / Rx research, Obesity, OPM, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC,

  • Congress left town late last week on two weeklong recess which wraps around the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays.
  • Beckers Payer Issues reports,
    • “Healthcare took center stage in governors’ 2026 “State of the State” addresses.
    • “The National Governors Association compiled excerpts from across the country that focused on healthcare, ranging from technology use to the Rural Health Transformation Program to insurance reforms.”
  • The FEHBlog expects that OPM’s call letter for 2026 FEHB and PSHB benefit and rate proposals will be released this week, and the sooner the better.

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

  • ABC News reports on how online gambling has become a public health crisis for our Nation’s youth.
    • “[T]he link between gambling early and gambling addiction has become increasingly clear. While only 1% of adults who gamble report addictions, the Journal of Behavioral Addictions reports that between 2% and 7% of young people who place bets report gambling addictions. 
    • “Young people’s brains are particularly susceptible to this because … the parts of their brains that respond to these rewards develop more quickly,” said Dr. Nasir Naqvi, the director of Columbia University’s gambling disorders clinic. “So they become sensitive to these awards and to that dopamine release before the part of their brain that helps them to control these behaviors.” 
    • “Naqvi says he now routinely hears about children as young as 13 seeking support for possible addictions to gambling. 
    • “I don’t want to overstate the problem. But yes … it’s a looming public health crisis,” Naqvi told ABC News. “In fact, it’s already here.” 
  • Medscape reports,
    • “Going into 2026, widespread shortages of most major diabetes medications had largely stabilized: The shortages of Humulin and lispro insulin vials, and therefore medications, that dogged Indianapolis-based Eli Lilly in spring and summer 2024 have resolved, and it, like other manufacturers, has largely caught up with much of the demand for its GLP-1 products as well. 
    • “However, experts from the advocacy group T1D Strong say that shortages of GLP-1 receptor agonists, basal and rapid-acting insulin analogues, and several frontline oral agents are expected to persist into 2026 as the supply chain remains unstable, and especially in certain geographic pockets. 
    • “When shortages occur, it often falls to primary care clinicians to improvise substitutions and bridge strategies, while hospitalists see the downstream effects of shortages in real time in patients who show up with conditions like dehydration, medication errors, and avoidable admissions. The challenge has shifted from simply locating medication to building structured, risk-based strategies that prevent treatment gaps and protect the most vulnerable patients.” “
  • and
    • “Repeating the same meals and keeping calorie intake steady produced more weight loss than eating a more varied diet among individuals living with overweight or obesity, a short-term trial showed.
    • “Conventional wisdom around dieting says you should incorporate a lot of different foods to avoid getting bored and that you should splurge on the weekends or special occasions so you don’t feel as deprived,” lead author Charlotte Hagerman, PhD, of the Oregon Research Institute, Springfield, Oregon, told Medscape Medical News. “This contradicts research showing that consistency makes your behavior more habitual, that is, more automatic or effortless.
    • “We wanted to formally test these competing ideas in a group of people trying to lose weight,” she explained. “Maintaining a healthy diet in today’s food environment requires constant effort and self-control. Creating routines around eating may reduce that burden and make healthy choices feel more automatic.”

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

  • Modern Healthcare reports,
    • “Insurers and providers are locked in more messy contract disputes than in previous years
    • “A convergence of economic pressures across nearly all business lines has raised the stakes.
    • “Reimbursement disagreements are just one factor as providers object to insurance company practices.
    • “Both sides are equipped with unprecedented access to price transparency data.”
  • STAT News reports,
    • “Alex Zhavoronkov, CEO of Insilico Medicine, can’t stop complimenting Eli Lilly. “Lilly is better in AI than Insilico, and no other company is better in AI than us … except for these guys,” he said. 
    • “He insisted he wasn’t saying nice things about Lilly just because the pharma giant has signed a new deal with Insilico that’s worth $115 million up front and approximately $2.75 billion in biobucks, which are contingent on achieving regulatory and commercial milestones. After calling Lilly’s tirzepatide, which he is on, “the best drug ever invented by humans,” he said he’s been consistently singing Lilly’s praises for a year. “Mounjaro makes me so happy every day. I want to develop the next one.
    • “It looks like Zhavoronkov might have the opportunity to do just that — his AI drug development company’s new deal with Lilly, announced on Sunday, includes rights for the Mounjaro and Zepbound manufacturer to develop, manufacture, and commercialize some of Insilico’s preclinical AI-discovered candidates for oral therapeutics. Though he declined to say which assets Lilly licensed, he said that the company is the “absolutely best partner” for the candidates and that “nobody is better than them” in these disease areas. Insilico’s pipeline webpage recently was updated to note that a candidate targeting GLP-1 has been out-licensed to an undisclosed partner.” 
  • Beckers Hospital Review relates,
    • “Hospitals and health systems have continued to close maternity units, citing ongoing financial challenges, workforce shortages and declining birth rates. However, in rural Kansas, AdventHealth Ottawa — part of Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth — recently restored labor and delivery services to Franklin County.
    • “The AdventHealth Ottawa Family Birth Place temporarily closed in 2023 and reopened in September 2025 with a fully staffed labor and delivery team. As of August 2025, the hospital had hired 11 full-time staff for the unit, with additional providers joining in 2026.
    • “Maternity care challenges remain significant. A report reflecting data stretching into 2026 from the Center for Healthcare Quality and Payment Reform found that fewer than half of U.S. rural hospitals still offer labor and delivery services. In a dozen states, fewer than one-third do.
    • “Becker’s has reported similar trends, including 29 maternity service closures in 2025 and seven in 2026. Against that backdrop, AdventHealth Ottawa’s reopening stands out.
    • “What’s unique about Ottawa is that we’re an OB desert that does not sit in a population desert, so there’s a lot of population around us that doesn’t have OB services,” AdventHealth Ottawa President and CEO Brendan Johnson said in a hospital video. “But within a large circumference, there’s about 400 to 500 births a year that didn’t have a place to go.”
  • and
    • “Defining return on investment for healthcare technology has never been more consequential — or more contested. As health systems face mounting financial pressure, workforce strain and the rapid proliferation of AI-driven tools, the question of what truly constitutes a return on a technology investment has grown more complex than a simple cost-benefit calculation. The old metrics — uptime, deployment speed, license cost — no longer tell the full story. 
    • ‘”Across the industry, a new framework is emerging, one that measures ROI not just in dollars saved or revenue gained but in time restored to clinicians, cognitive burden lifted, outcomes improved, and trust strengthened between technology and the people who use it. From community hospitals to academic medical centers, health system leaders are redefining what it means for technology to deliver value. Becker’s asked 50 healthcare leaders how they define ROI for a technology they invest in.” [The answers are found in the article.]

Friday report

David Ermer–CDC, Congress, COVID-19, FDA, HSA, Medical / Rx research, Mental health care, Obesity, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “President Trump directed federal officials to pay Transportation Security Administration workers, bypassing a gridlocked Congress after the latest proposal to fund the broader Department of Homeland Security ran aground Friday.
    • “The move, which Trump had previewed a day earlier, came as House Republican leaders rejected a Senate-passed bill that would fund most of DHS, including the TSA. A standoff in Congress over immigration enforcement and funding has led to missed paychecks for airport-security workers and long lines for travelers.
    • “The executive action instructs the Homeland Security secretary and the White House budget director to use federal funds that have a “reasonable and logical nexus to TSA operations” to pay the TSA workers. The memo, signed Friday afternoon by Trump, described the situation at the airports as an “unprecedented emergency.”
    • “TSA officers should begin getting paychecks as early as Monday, DHS said.”
  • STAT News tells us,
    • “The White House has drafted legislative text for its drug pricing policy, and officials are in the process of sharing it with more than a dozen major pharmaceutical companies, according to people familiar with the meetings.
    • “The legislative text, according to a White House official, closely follows the outlines of the voluntary deals the administration made with pharma companies. The draft includes a policy that would allow drugs purchased in cash to count toward a patient’s deductible.
    • “The Trump administration’s push for drug price legislation is part of a larger effortto get health reforms signed into law. The president’s focus on his affordability agenda in an election year has heightened the profile of the effort.
    • “Still, despite the White House digging in to get Congress to pass its plan, lawmakers have little appetite for major changes — and there’s no clear path to passage.”
  • The AP relates,
    • “Vice President JD Vance on Friday held the inaugural meeting of a new anti-fraud task force he’s leading as the Trump administration seeks to show it’s cracking down on potential misuse of social programs.
    • “Vance, speaking Friday before the task force held a closed-door meeting, said that the federal government, for decades, had not taken the issue of fraud seriously and that it needed to be tackled with “a whole-government approach.”
    • “This is not just the theft of the American people’s money,” Vance said. “It is also the theft of critical services that the American people rely on.” * * *
    • “Joining the task force was Colin McDonald, a top aide to the Justice Department’s second in command. He was recently confirmed as the assistant attorney general overseeing the department’s new division focused on prosecuting fraud.”
  • The American Hospital Association News informs us,
    • “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has released an advisory examining innovative solutions to close gaps in behavioral health care deserts. It highlights how more than 60% of rural Americans live in designated behavioral health shortage areas. The advisory details how integrating additional community health workers and peer support specialists can enhance care. It also explains the strengths of both and includes strategies for recruitment and retention.” 

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • STAT News reports,
    • “Food and Drug Administration officials briefed senators on the agency’s plans for food policy for 2026, according to a person familiar with the meeting.
    • “The agency plans to focus on infant formula safety, updating food labels, defining ultra-processed foods, expanding inspections of food processing plants, and bolstering seafood safety programs, according to a document shared with lawmakers, obtained by STAT.
    • “The meeting comes amid a shift in the administration’s health agenda toward food issues and away from vaccine policy. In recent polls, food reforms have been more popular than the vaccine agenda, catching the attention of administration officials looking to sharpen their message for the midterms.”
  • Fierce Pharma relates,
    • “The FDA signed off on a new insulin from Novo Nordisk, marking the U.S.’s first once-weekly basil insulin for adults with Type 2 diabetes. 
    • “Novo’s Awiqli offers a new long-acting option compared to standard daily basil insulin injections, representing an “important advancement that meets a real need,” the company’s VP of clinical development, medical and regulatory affairs, Anna Windle, Ph.D., commented in a release. 
    • “The FDA based its decision on Novo’s Onwards Type 2 diabetes phase 3a clinical trial program, which consisted of four randomized, active-controlled, treat-to-target trials that enrolled 2,680 adults with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes. The studies showed that once-weekly Awiqli achieved efficacy in reducing A1C over daily basal insulin, with a safety profile consistent with the daily basal insulin class. 
    • “Awiqli is administered using Novo’s FlexTouch pen and will be available across the country in “the coming months,” the company said.”
  • MedTech Dive tells us,
    • “Philips said Thursday it has received 510(k) clearance for a heart procedure visualization tool it developed with Edwards Lifesciences.
    • “The system, called EchoNavigator R5.0 with DeviceGuide, uses artificial intelligence to enable surgeons to track and visualize mitral valve repair devices during minimally invasive heart procedures. 
    • “Philips said the system is intended for use with Edwards’ Pascal Ace mitral valve repair system, which competes with Abbott’s MitraClip for the transcatheter edge-to-edge repair market.”
  • MedPage Today informs us,
    • “The FDA on Thursday granted accelerated approval to marnetegragene autotemcel (Kresladi) as the first gene therapy for treating kids with severe leukocyte adhesion deficiency type I (LAD-I), an ultra-rare inherited immune deficiency.
    • “Approval stipulates use in LAD-I cases caused by biallelic variants in the ITGB2 gene and in which no human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched sibling donor is available for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant.
    • “LAD-I has an estimated incidence of 1 per 100,000-200,000 live births, and the disorder brings substantial morbidity and mortality in a child’s first decade of life. Roughly two-thirds of patients have the severe form of the disease, which is characterized by recurrent, life-threatening infections that don’t respond well to antimicrobials and time spent in and out of hospitals.”

From the public health and medical/Rx research front,

  • The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP reports,
    • “After a tough flu season, today’s respiratory virus update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers a bit of good news: Doctors are seeing fewer people with influenza.
    • “Cases of flu are declining in most of the country. While influenza A is on its way out, rates of influenza B—which tends to peak later in flu season—vary by region. Levels of influenza A in wastewater are low. Influenza B is not monitored in wastewater.
    • “Most flu viruses reported this week were influenza A(H3N2) and influenza B. Nearly 93% of influenza A(H3N2) viruses since late September belong to subclade K, a new strain that was not included in this year’s flu shots.
    • “About 5,640 people were admitted to the hospital for flu in the past week, nearly 2,000 fewer than the previous week, according to the CDC’s FluView report. Eight additional flu deaths were reported in children, bringing the total number for this season to 123. Among children who were eligible for a flu shot and whose vaccination status is known, 85% of children who died from flu were not fully vaccinated.
    • “The CDC estimates that there have been at least 29 million illnesses, 360,000 hospitalizations, and 23,000 deaths from flu so far this season.
    • “Although respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) levels remain high, the country seems to have gotten past the worst of RSV season, which has peaked in many regions of the nation. Levels of RSV in wastewater are low.
    • “The number of COVID-19 infections is low, with low levels in wastewater. Although COVID-related emergency room visits remain low across the country, they are likely increasing in Florida and Massachusetts. According to the CDC, 2.3% of tests for COVID-19 were positive, along with 7.5% for RSV and 11.5% for the flu.”
  • The American Hospital Association News relates,
    • “A measles outbreak in Utah is now at 486 cases, with 107 reported in the last three weeks, according to datafrom the state’s Department of Health and Human Services. The outbreak began in June 2025. Nationally, 1,575 measles cases have been reported so far this year to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A South Carolina measles outbreak, which began in October 2025, remains at 997 cases, the state’s Department of Public Health reported today. No new cases have been reported by the state since March 17.” 
  • and
    • “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention March 26 released a report on U.S. child vaccination coverage by age 2. The report found that coverage among children born from 2021-2022 was similar to those born in 2019-2020 but noted decreases for five vaccines. The CDC found declines in vaccinations for the flu (7.4 percentage points), the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine (1.8 percentage points), rotavirus (1.7 percentage points), the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (1.5 percentage points) and the primary series of the Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (1 percentage point). The report also found that coverage varied by race and ethnicity, poverty status, urbanicity and jurisdiction. 
    • “Vaccines have substantially reduced severe illness, hospitalization, and death and have saved approximately $2.7 trillion in societal costs,” the CDC wrote. “Although national vaccination coverage remained stable for most vaccines, lower coverage among certain population subgroups and in some jurisdictions is creating an increased risk for outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.” 
  • The Washington Post identifies “13 surprising ways GLP-1s may benefit the body, according to science.”
  • Beckers Hospital Review points out four ways GLP-1s are changing care patterns, patient behavior
  • Medscape adds,
    • “When individuals with overweight or obesity discontinue GLP-1 receptor agonists (RAs), they regain approximately 60% of their weight within 1 year following GLP-1 RA discontinuation.
    • “Approximately 25% of the weight loss achieved with these medications appears to persist with long-term findings, with significant implications for how clinicians counsel patients at the point of discontinuation.
    • “These are the two central findings of a meta-analysis of 48 studies, including 36 randomized controlled trials, conducted by British researchers led by medical students Brajan Budini and Steven Luo from the School of Clinical Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. The results were published in eClinical Medicine, which is a part of The Lancet Discovery Science.
  • MedPage Today tells us,
    • “While mammography use did not significantly decline overall from 2002 to 2022, there was a significant drop in certain subgroups.
    • “Declines were significant among young women without health insurance, current smokers, unmarried women, and white women.
    • “The prevalence of mammography use among women ages 40-49 fell by almost 10 percentage points from 2010 to 2022 following guideline changes.”
  • Helio informs us,
    • “Global early-onset cancer incidence has risen slightly since 1990, but mortality has decreased significantly.
    • “Deaths related to obesity have gone up substantially in the past 3 decades.”
  • Per BioPharma Dive,
    • “AstraZeneca said Friday its experimental antibody drug tozorakimab met its main goal in two Phase 3 trials in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, helping reduce flare-ups in a broad range of people with the condition.
    • “The data could help AstraZeneca’s drug reach more patients than the currently available biologics for COPD, Dupixent and Nucala, both of which are limited to those with high levels of white blood cells called eosinophils. The U.K.-based drugmaker said the trials “included former and current smokers, and patients across all blood eosinophil counts and all stages of lung function severity.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

  • Beckers Hospital Review reports,
    • “One or two health systems controlled the entire inpatient hospital care market in 47% of metropolitan areas in 2024, a March 27 KFF Health News report found.”
  • Fierce Healthcare relates,
    • “A new oral GLP-1 therapy and the first preventive option for COVID-19 are among the pipeline drugs that payers and plan sponsors should be watching this spring, according to a new report.
    • “The pipeline surveillance team at Optum Rx has released its latest report on notable drugs that are set for an imminent Food and Drug Administration review. The spring edition includes:
    • Icotyde, or icotrokinra, an oral therapy for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis that secured FDA approval in March.
      • “Orforglipron, the second oral GLP-1 treatment, which is set for an April review.
      • “Ensitrelvir, or Xocova, a preventative therapy for COVID-19 exposure, with an FDA decision expected in June.
    • “Icotyde and orforglipron both fit within high-priority areas for many insurers: psoriasis and obesity. In the latter case, it would follow an oral Wegovy to market, but orflorglipron is the first oral GLP-1 that does not have meal-time restrictions.”
  • Lively shares its 2026 healthcare savings account spend report.
    • Healthcare is changing — and HSA spending tells the story.
    • In 2025, where and how people use their health savings accounts (HSAs) reveals a clear shift.
    • Consumers are no longer relying solely on hospitals and traditional providers. They are increasingly turning to retail brands, digital platforms, direct-to-consumer healthcare companies, and connected health technology.
    • HSAs are evolving from long-term savings tools into active, everyday healthcare wallets.
  • Fierce Pharma tells us,
    • “New drug manufacturer Neion Bio has emerged from stealth after incubating a novel way to cook up biologic drugs. After its founding two years ago, the company is cracking open a multi-product commercial biosimilar partnership with an unnamed drugmaker.
    • “Using its Raptor platform to produce recombinant biologics in eggs, the company is teaming up with an unnamed pharma company to co-develop and supply up to three monoclonal antibodies in a deal that includes upfront and milestone payments, plus profit sharing upon potential commercialization. 
    • “Neion Bio’s platform removes the capital intensity and process constraints of traditional biomanufacturing, enabling highly scalable and resilient production while materially lowering the cost of development and supply,” CEO and co-founder Dimi Kellari said in a company release.”
  • BioPharma Dive informs us,
    • “One of the largest drug companies in Japan is looking to, through a $700 million buyout, take control of an experimental medicine that could be useful for treating post-traumatic stress disorder and other psychiatric conditions.
    • “On Friday, Otsuka Pharmaceutical announced that its American subsidiary plans to acquire privately held, New York-based Transcend Therapeutics. In addition to the upfront payment, Otsuka offered up to $525 million more if Transcend’s assets ultimately hit certain sales milestones. The companies expect to complete their deal sometime between April and the end of June.
    • “If finalized, the acquisition would hand Otsuka a drug meant to rapidly restore and improve “neuroplasticity,” or the brain’s ability to rewire and adjust the connections between neurons. Neuroplasticity impairment is a fundamental component of many psychiatric conditions — including PTSD, where chronic stress and trauma can keep brain cell networks stuck in a fear-based survival mode.
    • “The active ingredient in Transcend’s “TSND-201” is methylone, an analog of MDMA that was first synthesized three decades ago and widely used as a “designer drug.”  TSND-201 engages with certain transporter proteins that regulate neurotransmitters like serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine, which, according to Transcend, results in “rapid and sustained enhancement of neuroplasticity.”
  • and
    • “Novartis will acquire Excellergy, a young allergy drugmaker, to gain access to an experimental therapy that could improve upon the widely used medication Xolair. 
    • “The deal announced Friday could be worth as much as $2 billion overall when including the unspecified upfront payment as well as future payouts. It’s expected to close in the second half of the year, the companies said in a statement.
    • “At the heart of the acquisition is a drug called Exl-111, which targets the antibody immunoglobulin E, or IgE. In certain cases, IgE can mistakenly react to substances — like food, pollen or pet dander — that wouldn’t otherwise be harmful. The antibody then binds to cells, triggering the release of histamines and in turn, an allergic reaction.” * * *
    • “It’s the holy grail of what people are trying to accomplish,” Geoff Harris, Excellergy’s chief scientific officer, told BioPharma Dive in October. “If you can turn off this access to the immune system, you can completely control a wide swath of different allergy-driven diseases.”

Thursday report

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, Congress, COVID-19, Federal employment benefits, Medical / Rx research, Mental health care, Obesity, OPM, U.S. Healthcare, Uncategorized–

From Washington, DC,

  • Roll Call reports,
    • “President Donald Trump announced Thursday night he would immediately begin paying Transportation Security Administration workers through an emergency executive order.
    • “The order promised to end long delays at the nation’s airports and allow TSA workers to get paychecks they have been denied during a partial shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security that has persisted for more than 40 days. 
    • “It also offered a partial reprieve for Congress, which has been locked in a bitter partisan standoff over immigration enforcement policies that has kept the department unfunded for weeks. Long lines at airport checkpoints and complaints from TSA workers had become critical pressure points in a search for an end to the shutdown.”
  • Per a White House fact sheet,
    • Today, President Donald J. Trump signed an Executive Order eliminating racially discriminatory “diversity, equity, and inclusion” (DEI) practices by Federal contractors and their subcontractors, ensuring merit-based and efficient contracting and employment.
      • The Order requires that all Federal contracts that are subject to the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act include a clause prohibiting contractors and their subcontractors from engaging in racially discriminatory DEI activities.
      • The Order directs the Office of Management and Budget to issue guidance to contracting agencies to ensure compliance and identify economic sectors that pose a particular risk of engaging in racially discriminatory DEI activities.
      • The Order authorizes contracting agencies to cancel, terminate, or suspend contracts — and to suspend or debar contractors — for failure to comply.
      • The Order directs the Attorney General to prioritize potential claims under the False Claims Act against contractors or subcontractors that are in violation of the contractual terms prohibiting racially discriminatory DEI activities, and ensure the prompt review of related civil actions brought by private persons.
      • The Order directs the Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council to amend Federal Acquisition Regulations to include this clause and remove any conflicting provisions.  
  • Per a CMS news release,
    • “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the members of the Healthcare Advisory Committee, a new federal advisory body comprised of leaders from across the healthcare system to provide expert advice on improving, strengthening and modernizing U.S. healthcare.
    • “The Committee will advise HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz on ways to improve how care is financed and delivered across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Health Insurance Marketplace.
    • “This Administration is bringing leaders together to tackle the challenges facing American patients and the health care system, putting prevention front and center,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “This committee will help us shift from a sick care system to a true health care system by delivering practical solutions that drive real change.”
    • “We received an overwhelming response from highly qualified candidates across the country,” said CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz. “These members bring deep expertise across care delivery, financing, innovation, and patient engagement. Their insights will help us advance higher-quality care, reduce administrative burden, and strengthen the sustainability of our programs, while supporting efforts to transform our healthcare system and restore a stronger focus on patients.” * * *
    • “The Committee will convene its first meeting later this year. Additional information, including meeting notices and opportunities for public engagement, will be published in the Federal Register and on the CMS website.
    • “For more information, visit: www.cms.gov/priorities/healthcare-advisory-committee/overview“
  • Federal News Network tells us,
    • “Thrift Savings Plan participation is at an all-time high — and nearly 90% of Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) participants are contributing enough to receive a full match from the government. The TSP board is also reporting that participant satisfaction with the agency’s customer service center is at nearly 94%. Satisfaction scores have remained at that level, now for more than a year. (Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board – TSP monthly report, March 2026)”

From the judicial front,

  • Bloomberg Law reports,
    • “The government can lawfully limit federal health carriers from covering certain gender transition procedures, the EEOC said in a new ruling.
    • “The Republican-controlled commission on Thursday rejected claims from a group of transgender current and former federal employees that the Office of Personnel Management’s health coverage policy violated anti-discrimination laws. 
    • “The ruling in Sam T. v. Kupor adds to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s efforts under the Trump administration to chip away at transgender rights in the private and federal sectors.”
  • An OPM news release adds,
    • “The EEOC’s landmark ruling reinforces OPM’s duty to manage the FEHB Program responsibly and protect taxpayer-funded benefits for federal employees and retirees,” Associate Director for Healthcare and Insurance Shane Stevens said. “Federal health benefits must be administered in a way that is fiscally responsible, legally sound, delivers high-quality care, and works toward improved health outcomes.”
  • The next step for this lawsuit is federal district court.
  • The Wall Street Journal relates,
    • “The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit against the prominent hospital system NewYork-Presbyterian, alleging that it used restrictions in its contracts with insurers to limit price competition and block lower-cost healthcare options.
    • “The suit, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It is the latest development in a broader Justice Department effort focused on whether hospital systems use hidden contracts to protect their market position and maintain high prices.”

From the public health and medical / Rx research front.

  • The American Hospital Association News reports,
    • “An American Heart Association study published March 25 found that children born to mothers with premature placental separation could be at higher risk of heart disease by age 28. They also are nearly three times more likely to be hospitalized for heart-related complications, such as heart failure, ischemic heart disease, heart attack, blocked arteries or general cardiovascular disease. The study examined nearly three million pregnancies and found that approximately 1% were impacted by placental abruption. Although limited in scope and not focused on interventions, the study highlights the importance of postpartum and postnatal monitoring for maternal and infant complications.” 
  • The Washington Post points out “five things you need to know about meningitis.”
    • “Two people died in an outbreak of bacterial meningitis in England. The infection, which is rare, requires prompt medical treatment to avoid severe complications.”
  • MedPage Today tells us,
    • “After peaking at over 185,000 courses in 2015, prescriptions for direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) for hepatitis C virus infections dropped 63% by 2025.
    • “While those older than 61 years accounted for over 40% of DAA-treated patients in 2015, that percentage shrank to roughly 25% by 2025.
    • “Specialists wrote two-thirds of DAA prescriptions in 2015, but their share fell to 28% by 2025.” * * *
    • “These are “sobering numbers” that reflect the need for a national HCV elimination plan such as the Cure Hepatitis C Act of 2025, Debika Bhattacharya, MD, of the University of California Los Angeles, told MedPage Today. “We must expand access to DAAs.”
  • and
    • “Patients with a history of depression or anxiety were less likely to see their mental health decline while on GLP-1 medications.
    • “The link between GLP-1 drug use and lower risk of psychiatric decline was more pronounced for semaglutide than for other agents.
    • “The data may allay prior concerns about suicidality, which prompted an FDA investigation in 2023.”
  • and
    • “Alzheimer’s can be detected early with p-tau blood biomarkers, but some tests can lead to overdiagnosis.
    • “Combining p-tau217 and eMTBR-tau243 may refine diagnostic accuracy and reduce false-positives.
    • “Plasma eMTBR-tau243 also could help identify people with high tau burden.”
  • NPR adds,
    • “Babies under 6 months old still have one of the highest rates of hospitalization from COVID-19 infections compared to other age groups, but no COVID vaccine is available for these infants.
    • “That’s one reason the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, or ACOG, recommends COVID vaccination during pregnancy.
    • “There are a number of studies that show one of the benefits of COVID vaccination during pregnancy is the passage of antibodies to the newborn, and then that protects the newborn against COVID,” says Dr. Kevin Ault, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Western Michigan University Homer Stryker M.D. School of Medicine in Kalamazoo, Mich.”

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

  • MedCity News reports,
    • “Affordability is top of mind for executives at AHIP as Americans battle skyrocketing healthcare costs.
    • “We are laser-focused on affordability at AHIP,” said Mike Tuffin, president and CEO of AHIP. “That’s, of course, the issue at every kitchen table. … We see the cost of hospital care, certainly the cost of brand prescription drugs, specialty care, imaging, down the line, just continuing to rise faster than wages, faster than inflation. That’s driving up premiums across all markets. Premiums directly reflect the underlying cost of medical care.”
    • “Tuffin made these comments during a press briefing on Tuesday at the AHIP Medicare, Medicaid, Duals & Commercial Markets Forum in Washington, D.C. AHIP is an advocacy organization for health insurers.
    • “As for what’s leading to the rising cost of care, Tuffin pointed the finger at hospital consolidation, as well as actions by drug manufacturers like patent thickets (in which there is a dense web of multiple patents around one medication). 
    • “Tuffin added that AHIP is focused on improving affordability across four zones:
      • “More competition, especially for prescription drugs, and addressing hospital consolidation
      • “Site of service reforms, and increasingly using the home as a site of service. According to Tuffin, too much care is delivered at the costliest sites of care, like the emergency room
      • “Tackling administrative burden, as the healthcare system is still “far too dependent on fax machines”
      • “Aligning incentives around patient care outcomes and driving value across the system.”
  • The Wall Street Journal assesses the “Weight Loss Drug Frenzy: What’s Here and What’s Likely Coming Next.”
    • “The market for weight loss drugs is exploding and patients may have several new options in coming years.”
  • Beckers Payer Issues relates,
    • “Centene has named Kate Casso senior vice president of finance operations and innovation and Theodore Pienkos corporate controller and chief accounting officer.
    • “Ms. Casso has been with Centene for more than two decades and has served as the company’s corporate controller and chief accounting officer since April 2021, according to a March 24 regulatory filing. 
    • “Ms. Casso will focus in part on enterprise and finance innovation while continuing to lead data analytics, medical economics, payment integrity, finance shared services and financial planning and analysis. 
    • “Mr. Pienkos has been with Centene since 2011 and has served as the company’s deputy corporate controller since August 2024. He previously served as vice president of finance and accounting.
    • “Both appointments were effective March 18.”
  • BioPharma Dive informs us,
    • “Merck’s deal for Terns [mentioned in yesterday’s FEHBlog post] sparks debate over a possible biotech bidding war
    • “Some analysts argue the $6.7 billion offer undervalues biotech’s lead cancer drug, although investors may be happy with one-year returns.”
  • and
    • “Shares of Maze Therapeutics, a San Francisco-area biotechnology company, fell over 30% Wednesday despite positive clinical trial results for a progressive kidney disease drug that could potentially compete with a rival therapy from Vertex Pharmaceuticals.
    • “Maze said that, in a mid-stage trial, treatment with its experimental drug, “MZE829,” led to a “clinically meaningful” reduction of protein levels in urine by an average of almost 36% in people with a kidney disease caused by mutations in a gene called APOL1. Maze said it will continue enrollment for its Phase 2 trial and plans to meet with regulators to advance MZE829 into pivotal testing for AMKD, or APOL1-mediated kidney disease.
    • “Full results from the Phase 2 trial will be presented at a future medical conference, Maze added.”
  • Beckers Payer Issues informs us that “UnitedHealthcare has launched Avery, a generative AI companion that helps members navigate healthcare services.”
  • Health Exec adds,
    • “U.S. patients wait an average 31 days to see a doctor, so it’s no wonder 65% of surveyed consumers have consulted AI specifically because it’s faster and easier.
    • “Meanwhile 77% of clinicians appreciate the technology’s contributions to healthcare—yet 1 in 5 patients have tried to hide their use of AI from their doctors. 
    • “Most who admit to the secrecy chalk it up to a fear of being judged. 
    • “The findings are from a survey report released March 24 by Zocdoc, a digital appointment-booking service that has markedly increased its use of AI.”
  • Fierce Healthcare notes,
    • “OpenEvidence released an artificial intelligence-powered medical coding feature embedded in its clinical AI assistant.
    • “The new feature, called Coding Intelligence, provides automatic Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) code suggestions, evaluation and management (E/M) level recommendations with supporting medical decision-making rationale written directly into the note and ICD-10 diagnoses, according to the company.
    • “The tool, available in OpenEvidence Visits, provides coding derived from the clinical documentation and it automatically applies at the end of every doctor-patient visit, executives said.
    • “Without any extra work, OpenEvidence is able to generate concise rationale for their CPT + E/M suggestions. It truly captures the complexity of the encounter and saves me hours when I’m at the ER,” said Ania Bilski, M.D., vice president of clinical AI at OpenEvidence.”

Tuesday report

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

From Washington, DC,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt on Tuesday selected Alan Armstrong, an energy executive, to fill the seat being vacated by Sen. Markwayne Mullinuntil a new election takes place in November.
    • “The announcement came a day after Mullin was confirmed Monday by the Senate as secretary of the Department of Homeland Security. The appointment of Armstrong as a temporary seat holder keeps the Senate’s GOP majority at 53-47.
    • “Armstrong, the chairman of Williams Companies, focused in remarks Tuesday morning on permitting reform, the cost of energy and infrastructure.” * * *
    • “President Trump has endorsed Oklahoma Rep. Kevin Hern for the Senate seat in the coming election, calling him a “true friend of MAGA.” The Republican primary in the deep-red state is scheduled for June 16.
    • “Armstrong said he had a positive meeting with Trump before his selection. Oklahoma state law prohibits Senate appointees from running for the seat in a subsequent election.” 
  • and
    • “Senate Republicans offered Tuesday to fund all of the Department of Homeland Security except for the unit that carries out immigrant arrests and deportations, moving to end a nearly six-week funding standoff that has caused security snarls at airports nationwide. 
    • “Democrats reacted coolly to the proposal, which didn’t include the new restrictions on immigration enforcement practices they have demanded, but said that they were engaged in negotiations. President Trump indicated he wasn’t pleased with the direction of the talks, muddying the prospects of a quick resolution.”
  • The Hill adds,
    • “House Republicans are pushing back stiffly against the idea of splitting up legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), despite the White House and Senate Republicans saying President Trump is open to doing just that.”
  • Roll Call notes,
    • “As a deadline arrives this week to nominate a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, some Republicans are skeptical the administration will find someone who can check all the boxes necessary for confirmation.
    • “The candidate will need the “Make America Healthy Again” mindset of Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Health and Human Services Department, while also appeasing a set of stick-to-science senators increasingly unhappy with Kennedy’s direction.” * * *
    • “HHS senior adviser Chris Klomp, in an interview last week with Stat News, said the agency has interviewed “dozens” of potential candidates. Though there is a structured process to name top candidates, Kennedy will ultimately make the final decision.
    • “Klomp also said that if the White House hasn’t named a nominee Wednesday, HHS would shift to delegate responsibilities, but getting a qualified nominee “is a top priority.”
  • The Washington Post points out,
    • “The nascent Make America Healthy Again movement got one of its biggest wins last spring: Casey Means was selected to be the nation’s top doctor.
    • :But more than 10 months later, the controversial surgeon general pickhas yet to assume the position advising Americans on how to improve their health. Her nomination has stalled as some Republicans question her stance on vaccines, her medical credentials and her pushes against the medical establishment.
    • “Means probably cannot afford to lose the support of a single Republican on the Senate health committee, which has yet to schedule a vote to advance her nomination to the full Senate. The panel’s chairman, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), repeatedly pressed Means on her views on immunizations during a late February hearing — questions she largely dodged — and Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) afterward publicly said they still have questions.”
  • The New York Times relates,
    • “Dr. Robert Malone, vice chair of the federal committee that recommends vaccines to Americans, angrily resigned his position on Tuesday.
    • “The panel, called the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, is currently in judicial limbo. A federal judge ruled last week that the advisers, appointed by Health Secretary “Robert F. Kennedy Jr., did not have the expertise needed to make vaccine recommendations and prevented them from meeting as planned this month.
    • “The judge also blocked all of the committee’s actions to date, including decisions to rescind recommendations for some childhood vaccines.
    • “The Department of Health and Human Services has indicated that it will appeal the ruling but has not said when. Dr. Malone indicated that he would not rejoin the committee even if the ruling were to be overturned or if Mr. Kennedy announced a new slate of advisers.”
  • FedManager observes,
    • “With the cancellation of the Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS) for 2025, the Partnership for Public Service conducted its own version of FEVS. The goal: check the pulse of the workforce in a year of major workforce changes, including deferred resignations, returns to office, the cancellation of union contracts, and other changes. 
    • “The revamped survey was modeled after FEVS but was developed and deployed by the Partnership. While it’s not directly comparable, it contained similar questions. The survey was conducted on a smaller scale with 11,000 feds responding, compared to the 500,000 or so who respond to the official FEVS. Responses were collected in November and December 2025.
    • As for the results, employee engagement and satisfaction governmentwide was measured at a score of 32 out of 100, with 58 percent of respondents saying engagement has gotten worse since 2024. 
    • “We have every red light blinking across the federal government,” said Partnership President and CEO Max Stier. “Morale is as low as imaginable.”
  • Govexec informs us,
    • “As the U.S. Postal Service contemplates service cuts due to the prospect of running out of money as soon as fall 2026, President Donald Trump recently nominated three additional individuals to the postal agency’s Board of Governors. Several unions and other stakeholders, however, reported that they are largely unfamiliar with his picks. 
    • “[The National Association of Letter Carriers] is closely monitoring these unknown nominees and will actively work to ensure they have the best interests of the employees and the network before they are confirmed,” the union said in a press release responding to the nominations announcement. 
    • “The postal board nominees are: Robert Steffens of Texas, Jeffrey Brodsky and William Gallo, both of Florida.” * * *
    • “There are currently four governors on the USPS board — two Democrats, one Republican, one independent — leaving five vacancies. No more than five of them can be from the same political party. 
    • “NALC noted that the Senate has traditionally advanced postal nominees in bipartisan pairs, but all of Trump’s picks, so far, have been Republicans. The president has attempted to remove Democratic members of several bipartisan agency boards, prompting legal challenges that have reached the Supreme Court.” 
  • Modern Healthcare lets us know,
    • “The Accelerating State Pediatric Innovation Readiness and Effectiveness, or ASPIRE, Model is designed for children and young adults with complex physical and behavioral health needs.
    • “The demonstration will test wraparound Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program payments to promote care coordination.
    • “CMS will distribute $125 million to up to five states over 10 years.”
  • KFF analyzes the BALANCE Model for GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid.
    • “GLP-1s, a class of drugs used to treat type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, and other conditions, have exploded in popularity in recent years due to their demonstrated effectiveness, but are often not covered by insurance, particularly for the treatment of obesity. According to KFF polling, about half (56%) of GLP-1 users say these drugs were difficult to afford, including one in four who say they were “very difficult” to afford.
    • “The Trump administration is pursuing various approaches to lowering the cost and expanding coverage of these medications. These approaches include striking “most-favored nation” deals with GLP-1 manufacturers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, providing access to discounted prices for GLP-1s through TrumpRx, and implementing a new demonstration program called the BALANCE (Better Approaches to Lifestyle and Nutrition for Comprehensive hEalth) Model to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage of GLPs for obesity, which is currently subject to statutory limitations (prohibited in Medicare, permissible but not required in Medicaid). In addition, the GLP-1 drug semaglutide (branded as Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus) was selected for Medicare drug price negotiation in 2025, with a negotiated price set to take effect in 2027.
    • “This brief describes current coverage of GLP-1s in Medicare and Medicaid, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) efforts to expand access and lower costs for GLP-1s through temporary demonstration programs including the BALANCE Model, and potential impacts on beneficiaries and program budgets.”
  • The American Hospital Association tells us,
    • “The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response March 24 announced an investment to expand the domestic manufacturing of propofol and metoprolol. Propofol is a sedative used for anesthesia and intensive care unit sedation, while metoprolol is a medication used to treat cardiovascular conditions such as arrhythmias and hypertension, and can also reduce lung inflammation in ICU settings. ASPR said the API Innovation Center, based in St. Louis, was awarded $8.3 million to produce both ingredients. The investment is the latest in a series of projects by ASPR and the Department of Health and Human Services to reduce reliance on foreign resources and increase the domestic production of essential medications and their active pharmaceutical ingredients.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • MedTech Dive reports,
    • “GE HealthCare has received 510(k) clearance for its spectral photon-counting CT technology, the company said Monday.
    • “The Food and Drug Administration clearance positions GE HealthCare to compete with Siemens Healthineers’ Naeotom Alpha, the first photon-counting CT machine to reach the U.S. market.
    • “Citi Research analysts said in a note to investors that GE HealthCare’s Photonova Spectra is differentiated by its use of a detector designed to produce high-contrast spectral images with detailed visualization.”
  • Cardiovascular Business adds,
    • “Medtronic has received an expanded U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for its OmniaSecure defibrillation lead. 
    • “The lead was originally approved for placement in the right ventricle in April 2025. This expanded indication covers the left bundle branch (LBB) area, meaning it can now be used for conduction system pacing and even LBB optimized cardiac resynchronization therapy (LOT-CRT). This is the first time the FDA has approved a defibrillation lead for placement in the LBB area.
    • “Conduction system pacing is a rapidly growing therapy for patients who need a pacemaker,” Trevor Cook, vice president and general manager of Medtronic’s defibrillation solutions business, said in a statement. “Now, patients who require a defibrillator and pacing have an option that can safely deliver life-saving defibrillation therapy and activate the heart’s natural electrical system to enable a more synchronous, physiologic pattern. This approval underscores the versatility of the OmniaSecure defibrillation lead and supports its use across a variety of implant approaches to best serve a broad range of patients.”

From the judicial front,

  • Healthcare Dive reports,
    • “CVS Health has reached a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission in the agency’s sweeping case against major pharmacy benefit managers for allegedly inflating the cost of U.S. insulin.
    • “The proposed consent agreement was disclosed Monday in a joint motion from the FTC and CVS for the company’s subsidiaries, PBM Caremark and group purchasing organization Zinc, to withdraw from the case while antitrust regulators consider the deal.
    • “The filing did not include the terms of the potential settlement, but analysts expect it would be similar to the deal the FTC secured with Cigna’s PBM Express Scripts earlier this year. If CVS reaches a settlement, that would leave UnitedHealth as the lone holdout in the high-profile suit.”

From the public health, medical research and Rx research front,

  • The AP reports,
    • “Whether they’re using weekly shots or daily pills, more Americans than ever are turning to anti-obesity drugs to lose weight and boost health.
    • “About 1 in 8 U.S. adults say they are taking a GLP-1 drug, according to a recent surveyby the health research group KFF.
    • “Just since January, more than 600,000 prescriptions have been written for Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy pill, the company said. Early analysis suggests that more than a third of users are new to the drugs, according to Truveta, a health care data company. 
    • “But medication alone isn’t the answer, experts caution. It also takes lifestyle changes — healthy diet, exercise, adequate sleep and stress management — to reap the biggest benefits from the drugs known as GLP-1s.
    • “The biggest mistake people make with GLP-1 medications is thinking the prescription is the treatment,” said Dr. Katherine Saunders, an obesity medicine expert at Weill Cornell Medicine and co-founder of FlyteHealth, a weight-loss treatment company.
    • “GLP-1s can spur weight loss and health benefits on their own, but the effects are larger and last longer when the drugs are combined with lifestyle changes, a recent review of nearly three dozen studies found.”
  • Beckers Clinical Leadership relates,
    • “The CDC is tracking a new SARS-CoV-2 variant — BA.3.2 — that has been identified in 23 countries, including the U.S.
    • “Here are [four] things to know:
      • “1. The variant was first identified in South Africa in November 2024. Detections began increasing in September 2025, with the highest number reported during the week of Dec. 7, 2025.
      • “2. BA.3.2 was first detected in the U.S. in June 2025 at San Francisco International Airport through traveler-based surveillance. As of mid-February, it had been found in clinical samples from five patients across four states and 132 wastewater samples from 25 states. Prevalence among sequenced specimens remains low at 0.19%. Two of the five patients were hospitalized older adults with comorbidities, and all five survived.
      • “3. BA.3.2 carries about 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein compared to JN.1 and its descendant LP.8.1, the antigens used in the most current COVID-19 vaccine. Lab studies show BA.3.2 evades antibodies more effectively than other circulating variants. The 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated the lowest antibody neutralization against BA.3.2 among seven variants tested. The CDC said real-world vaccine effectiveness data is still needed and that current vaccines continue to protect against the predominant circulating strains.
      • “4. Data from several European countries show BA.3.2 has not rapidly overtaken other strains. Instead, the strain has cocirculated with other JN.1 descendent lineages at 10% to 40% prevalence. Two lab studies also found BA.3.2 had reduced lung cell entry compared with other variants, potentially limiting its ability to become dominant. However, further evolution or seasonal transmission increases could enable broader circulation, the CDC noted.”
  • The American Journal of Managed Care tells us,
    • “AMD [Age related macular degeneration] affected more men than women and was higher in White vs Black individuals; Rhode Island reached ~7214 per 100,000. 
    • “Diabetic retinopathy clustered in Black and Hispanic populations and in southern states, with Mississippi ~3607 per 100,000 and marked male predominance. 
    • “DME [diabetic macular edema] prevalence remained low overall yet disproportionately higher in Black individuals (712 per 100,000) than Hispanic (578) and White (155), supporting targeted screening within diabetes care. 
    • “RVO [retinal vein occlusion] was least prevalent but showed higher rates in White individuals and in Rhode Island; analyses assumed age-related increases, potentially influencing estimates. 
    • “Specialist access and costs were substantial: California had 918 retina specialists vs 3 in Wyoming; annual payer costs were ~$13.4B AMD, $6.2B DR, $4.4B DME, $6.4B RVO.”
  • Cardiovascular Business informs us,
    • “Exercise and using medications to reduce a patient’s cardiovascular risk factors are not associated with significant improvements in cognitive function, according to new findings published in JAMA Neurology. The study’s authors focused on older patients with a family history of dementia and/or self-reported signs of possible cognitive decline. 
    • “Exercise combined with pharmacological management of cardiovascular risk factors is the evidence-based strategy for maintaining cardiovascular health,” wrote first author Rong Zhang, PhD, a researcher with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, and colleagues. “However, its effects on cognitive function remain unknown.”
  • “Today’s issue of Research Matters from the National Institutes of Health discusses Treating addiction.”
    • “Alcohol and drug addiction can cause many harms. This Research in Context feature looks at research into the causes of addiction and new ways to treat it.”
  • Per Health Day,
    • “Higher combined consumption of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and potatoes may reduce the risk for Crohn disease (CD), according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology.
    • “Antoine Meyer, M.D., Ph.D., from Université Paris-Saclay in France, and colleagues assessed the risk for developing CD and ulcerative colitis (UC) based on intake of individual fruits, vegetables, legumes, and potatoes. The analysis included 341,519 individuals completing food frequency questionnaires who were followed for a median 13.4 years.”

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

  • Plan Advisor reports,
    • “Rising health care costs are reshaping how employees choose workplace benefits, even when those selections expose workers to significant future financial risk.
    • “Nearly two-thirds of employees reported cost as their top priority during open enrollment, according to Securian Financial’s annual workplace benefits study, “The Affordability Trap: Why Cheaper Choices Cost Employees More.” The focus on cost leads many employees to choose lower-premium plans with higher deductibles; skip supplemental coverage; or scale back voluntary benefits, a pattern identified by the report as an “affordability trap.”
    • “While these decisions may reduce payroll deductions in the short term, the study found they often leave employees vulnerable to sizable out-of-pocket expenses when medical events occur.”
  • Per Healthcare Dive,
    • “Cencora has agreed to acquire EyeSouth Partners’ retina business for $1.1 billion as the drug distributor continues to expand its specialty medical arm.
    • “Once the transaction closes, EyeSouth’s physicians will join Cencora’s management services organization Retina Consultants of America, according to the Monday announcement.
    • “Cencora expects the deal to close after the company’s fiscal year ends on Sept. 30 and be slightly accretive to Cencora’s earnings.”
  • Fierce Healthcare relates,
    • “Highmark posted a $175 million net loss in 2025 as its insurance arm weathered cost pressures that strained the industry nationwide.
    • “The company said Tuesday morning that full-year revenue $32.4 billion, up 11%. Revenues were up across business units, with Highmark Health Plans posting a 12% increase, Allegheny Health Network reporting an 11% increase in revenue and the diversified business unit—which includes United Concordia Dental and its stop-loss business, HM Insurance Group—seeing revenue up 7%.
    • “The insurance division posted a $609 million operating loss in 2025, and executives told reporters during a briefing that the performance of other businesses helped to offset some of that downturn. Allegheny Health Network, the company’s provider arm, posted $90 million in operating income, up from $237 million in 2024.”
    • “We are not immune to the strong headwinds experienced across the entire insurance industry,” Carl Daley, Highmark’s chief financial officer, said during the briefing. “About half of the industry has had credit ratings or outlooks downgraded, including some of the largest players.”
  • BioPharma Dive tells us,
    • “Gilead Sciences will acquire autoimmune drugmaker Ouro Medicines, the companies said Monday afternoon, spending nearly $1.7 billion on the young startup and a T cell engager it licensed from a Chinese biotechnology firm.
    • “Ouro launched in early 2025, backed by GSK and Monograph Capital. Its bispecific antibody, called OM336 or gamgertamig, is designed to bind to a pair of immune cell proteins, BCMA and CD3, that have been popular targets for drugmakers.
    • “Many bispecific antibodies have been approved for cancers, but over the past decade, a flurry of research has shown these treatments hold promise in autoimmune diseases as well. The multipronged drugs eliminate B cells much like cell therapies, but cost less to manufacture, don’t require harsh chemotherapy conditioning and can be dosed multiple times.”
  • Fierce Pharma informs us,
    • “UCB plans to build a $2 billion manufacturing facility near its U.S. headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. It will become the first plant in the U.S. for the Belgium-based company and will produce biologics.  
    • “The 460,000-square-foot factory will sit on a 79-acre plot of land in the Rowen innovation district, a mixed-use development designed to attract corporate investment. The project is modeled after North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park (RTP). 
    • “Officials from Gwinnett County signed off on UCB’s application on Tuesday afternoon. It becomes the largest investment a company has made in county history, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The site is near Dacula, Georgia, which is 35 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta. UCB’s U.S. headquarters is in Smyrna, which is in Atlanta’s northwest suburbs, about 45 minutes away.”
  • The Wall Street Journal lets us know,
    • “Finance chiefs once questioned the returns on investing in artificial intelligence. Those days are gone.
    • “Speaking at The Wall Street Journal’s CFO Council Summit in Palo Alto, Calif., finance chiefs from the tech, retail and financial services sectors said their companies are seeing big gains in efficiency and productivity—in some cases worth millions of dollars—from their investments in generative AI. Nudging employees to embrace AI also has yielded new ideas about how to accomplish time-consuming tasks, CFOs said.
    • “Finance chiefs say they are playing a leading role in their company’s AI transformation efforts, evaluating performance, pushing for productivity gains and clearly articulating the value to reluctant employees.”

Thursday report

David Ermer–CDC, CMS, Congress, Medical / Rx research, Medicare, Obesity, Rx coverage, SDOH, U.S. Healthcare–

From Washington, DC

  • Fierce Healthcare reports,
    • “Leading Senate Democrats are outlining their own healthcare policy priorities as they look to develop plans that could counter changes proposed by the Trump administration and included in the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act.
    • “In a letter (PDF) led by Finance Committee Ranking Member Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, the 12 senators establish three goals that will define their policymaking endeavors: reversing Republican policies that may drive up costs, simplifying the healthcare experience and taking on corporate profiteering.”
  • and
    • “Insurers and hospitals have come together to rebuke a Trump administration proposal to roll back limits of plan designs that may be listed on the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) exchanges. 
    • “In February, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) included in its Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2027 Proposed Rule a plan to allow some non-network plans to obtain qualified health plan (QHP) status, which is necessary to be listed. 
    • “Non-network plans refer to offerings that do not have contracts in place with providers outlining specific services and rates, or conditions outlining different benefits for enrollees based on whether a provider is in network. CMS proposed that such plans could still obtain QHP status for plan year 2027 if they can ensure access to multiple providers who accept the non-network plan’s benefit amount as full payment.” * * *
    • “The plan does not appear to have landed with industry groups. In a rare move, groups representing health plans (AHIP, Association for Community Affiliated Plans and Alliance of Community Health Plans) as well as hospitals (Federation of American Hospitals and America’s Essential Hospitals) crossed the aisle to submit a joint comment letter to CMS calling on the administration to rethink its approach.”
  • Insurance NewsNet tells us,
    • “A new National Association of Insurance Commissioners working group aims to identify policy solutions to rising health care costs and insurance premiums, intending to produce a practical guide for state policymakers by the end of the year.
    • “The Health Care Affordability and Mitigation Working Group met for the first time last week. Members discussed a 2026 work plan, outlining a fast-paced schedule to develop affordability recommendations for regulators and lawmakers.
    • “The initiative will focus on examining factors that drive health care costs and insurance premiums, including expenses within the health system that ultimately flow into insurance pricing.”
  • STAT News relates,
    • “Chris Klomp, a top official at the federal health department, offered a reality check on President Trump’s drug discount platform, TrumpRx, while speaking at a STAT event on Thursday. 
    • “Even as Trump has spoken about the platform in grandiose terms, calling it “transformative” and promising the “largest reduction in prescription drug prices in history,” Klomp offered a more measured perspective on stage at STAT’s Breakthrough Summit East event in New York. He said it was never meant to be used by Americans with health insurance — which is the vast majority — and rejected the suggestion that Trump’s drug policies amount to price caps. 
    • “The goal was not actually some massive reach,” Klomp said, adding that “170 million Americans are commercially insured, 68 million Americans are on Medicare, the balance are on Medicaid and CHIP largely. TrumpRx is not for most of them, it’s cash pay.” 
    • “That said, the platform has shown lower prices for GLP-1s and fertility drugs, which often aren’t covered by health insurance, Klomp said. “But for many, your insurance benefit, where you already have insurance coverage, can be just as good so you may as well go there,” he said.” 
  • Per a CMS news release,
    • “The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is leading the historic $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program, partnering with states to strengthen rural health systems, expand access to care, and tackle chronic disease. To advance that work, on March 18, 2026, CMS convened leaders from all 50 states for the first Rural Health Transformation Summit, bringing together state officials and experts to accelerate implementation of the program.
    • “State leaders highlighted practical approaches to strengthening local care delivery — including mobile care units, remote patient monitoring, community-based partnerships, and regional data-sharing platforms designed to improve coordination and expand access close to home. The summit also fostered cross-state dialogue, allowing participants to exchange best practices and build relationships that will support continued collaboration beyond the meeting itself.
    • “Participants emphasized that long-term success would depend on embedding these initiatives into durable financing and workforce structures, including alignment with Medicaid and Medicare payment models  and expansion of rural residency and training programs.”
  • Tammy Flanagan, writing in Govexec, reminds us “how federal retirement benefits have changed over the years.”
    • “From FERS to TSP to recent legislation, decades of policy shifts have reshaped how federal employees earn, save for and receive retirement benefits.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

  • The Wall Street Journal reports,
    • “Novo Nordisk NOVO.B said the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a higher dosage of its Wegovy weight-loss medication, a boost for the Danish drugmaker as it faces growing competition in the obesity market.
    • “The group said Thursday that the FDA had expedited approval of the Wegovy injection with a higher dose based on results from a trial that showed 20.7% mean weight loss for participants with obesity.
    • “The company said its higher dosage Wegovy medication contains 7.2 milligrams of semaglutide, injected once weekly, and it complements Wegovy’s medication containing 2.4 mg semaglutide. The group expects to offer Wegovy HD in a single-dose pen in the U.S. next month.”
  • The New York Times adds,
    • “The blockbuster weight loss drug sold as Ozempic and Wegovy will soon go generic in countries that are home to 40 percent of the world’s population, significantly lowering the price of a costly medicine that had been largely unaffordable to nearly all but the wealthiest people.
    • “On Saturday, Novo Nordisk, the company that until now has had a monopoly on selling the drug, will lose patent protection in several of the world’s most populous countries. The first generic versions are expected to arrive in India as soon as this weekend. In the coming months, the generics are also expected to become available in China, Canada, Brazil, Turkey and South Africa.
    • “The availability of these drugs, which have been restricted to high-income countries to very wealthy people, will now be democratized by the generics,” said Leena Menghaney, an activist in New Delhi focused on treatment access.”
  • Beckers Hospital Review tells us,
    • “The FDA has launched a nationwide recall of children’s ibuprofen affecting nearly 90,000 bottles due to contamination concerns.
      “The recall involves children’s ibuprofen oral suspension, USP, 100 milligrams per 5 milliters, 4-fluid ounce or 120-milliter bottles manufactured for Taro Pharmaceuticals U.S.A., according to a March 16 FDA enforcement report.
    • “Strides Pharma recalled 89,592 bottles after receiving complaints of a gel-like mass and black particles in the product. The affected lots are 7261973A and 7261974A, with an expiration date of Jan. 31, 2027.
    • “The recall was initiated March 2 and remains ongoing, with products distributed nationwide.
      The FDA designated the event as a Class II recall, meaning exposure may cause temporary or medically reversible adverse health consequences with a low risk of serious harm.”
  • and
    • “The number of active drug shortages has declined sharply since June, according to the FDA’s database.
    • “As of March 19, 76 drugs are in shortage, down from 194 in mid-June.”
    • The article identifies eight recent drug shortages.

From the public health and medical research front,

  • USA Today reports,
    • “People who quit taking popular GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic might not only gain back lost weight. They also might be jeopardizing their heart health, according to a new report.
    • “A study of Veterans Affairs patients published March 18 found those who quit the weight-loss medication reversed health gains from weight loss and had a higher risk for heart attack, stroke or death.
    • “Researchers tracked more than 330,000 VA patients with Type 2 diabetes over three years who took either a GLP-1 drug or another diabetes medication, sulfonylureas.
    • “Those who steadily took the GLP-1 medications over three years saw an 18% reduction in risk for heart attacks or strokes. Those who quit the medications for six months saw slightly higher risk. Those who halted the weight loss drugs for two years saw their risk rise 22%, according to a study published March 18 in the medical journal BMJ Medicine.”
  • BioPharma Dive adds,
    • “An experimental, triple-acting metabolic drug from Eli Lilly met the main goals of a Phase 3 study in people with Type 2 diabetes, helping treatment recipients significantly cut blood sugar levels and body weight compared to those who got a placebo. 
    • “Lilly said Thursday that the 40-week trial of retatrutide, which targets three gut hormones, showed the two highest doses lowered blood sugar an average of 1.9 percentage points from a baseline average of 7.9%. Those in the placebo arm, by comparison, had a 0.8 percentage point reduction from the study’s start. 
    • “The results are the first from a late-stage study of retatrutide in diabetes. In December, the company disclosed that retatrutide succeeded in a trial in people with obesity and arthritis-related knee pain, findings that were seen by Wall Street analysts as the most striking of any weight loss medication to date. Large studies in obesity are ongoing.” 
  • The American Hospital Association News relates,
    • “A JAMA study published March 18 found that women who experience premature menopause have a 40% higher lifetime risk of coronary heart disease. Approximately 15% of Black women in the study experienced premature menopause compared to about 5% of white women. The study found that Black women had a 41% higher risk of coronary heart disease compared to 39% for white women.” 
  • Medscape tells us,
    • “The American Headache Society (AHS) is recommending annual screening for migraine as part of routine preventive care for girls and women — from adolescence through menopause 
    • “Despite its high prevalence — especially among girls and women — and substantial negative impacts, migraine is “under diagnosed and under treated. Diagnostic screening for migraine enables more patients to receive timely, appropriate, and effective management,” said the guideline authors, led by Todd Schwedt, MD, with the Department of Neurology, Mayo Clinic, Phoenix. 
    • ‘The position statement was published in the February issue of Headache.” 
  • Health Day informs us,
    • “Want to figure out your heart health risk?
    • Look at your belly fat, not your body mass index, a new study says.
    • “Excess fat stored around the waist is more strongly associated with heart failure risk than BMI, an estimate of body fat based on height and weight, researchers will report at a meeting of the American Heart Association.
    • “This research helps us understand why some people develop heart failure despite having a body weight that seems healthy,” lead researcher Szu-Han Chen, a medical student at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, said in a news release.
    • “By monitoring waist size and inflammation, clinicians may be able to identify people with higher risk earlier and focus on prevention strategies that could reduce the chance of heart failure before symptoms begin,” Chen said.”
  • and
    • “Wastewater-based epidemiology is feasible as a community-level and population-level surveillance tool for colorectal cancer (CRC), according to a study published online March 17 in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.” * * *
    • “This basic proof-of-concept for a novel wastewater surveillance application to track potential cancer burden demonstrates that CDH1, which is associated with CRC, is detectable in wastewater and may accelerate the field’s development for epidemiological studies,” the authors write. “The finding that CDH1 is detected is promising and needs an expanded research agenda and larger sample size for statistical power to enable more definitive findings.”
  • Medical Economics points out,
    • “Evidence links ZIP code–level poverty to higher utilization, costs, and striking life-expectancy gaps, reframing equity as a clinical and fiscal imperative. 
    • “Effective implementation requires health systems to pair screening with dependable community resources; absent housing, food, or transport supports, identifying needs rarely changes outcomes. 
    • “Grant-funded pilots show scalable models, such as food-pantry cardiometabolic screening clinics that expanded to multiple sites and revealed high rates of prediabetes and diabetes among food-insecure participants. 
    • “Clinicians can start by building trust and asking about social risk with empathy and respect, supporting referrals while recognizing SDOH work as integral to workforce sustainability.”
  • Per Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News,
    • “The Trillion Gene Atlas, an initiative to generate and model biological data at the trillion-gene scale, has been launched by Basecamp Research in collaboration with Anthropic, Ultima Genomics, and PacBio. Powered by NVIDIA AI infrastructure, the Trillion Gene Atlas aims to expand known evolutionary genetic diversity 100-fold by collecting genomic data from more than 100 million species across thousands of sites worldwide. The initiative, which was unveiled during the Health Track at SXSW and the NVIDIA GTC conference in San Jose, is made possible by Basecamp’s growing network of global biodiversity partners.
    • “The initiative is built on three pillars: large-scale DNA sequencing, global data supply partnerships, and advanced computing. Together with AI systems capable of reasoning across complex data, these foundations can help turn vast datasets into therapeutic discoveries. By increasing the evolutionary data available to AI by another 100x, Basecamp Research aims to make drug design faster and more systematic.”

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

  • Kaufmann Hall reports,
    • “Hospital financial performance is challenged in early 2026 as rising bad debt and continued increases in expenses create ongoing pressure. Navigating this uncertain economic climate requires hospitals to be strategic about where to allocate resources.
    • “The recent issue of the National Hospital Flash Report covers these and other key performance metrics.
    • “Key Takeaways
      • “Patient volume in January declined across inpatient and outpatient services. This decline could be due to postponing of elective procedures around the holidays, as well as a change in payer mix.
      • “Bad debt continues to increase. Carrying over from 2025, bad debt and charity care continue to go up.
      • “Expenses continue to put pressure on hospitals. In addition to the persistent increases in drugs and supplies, there was a big increase in labor expenses in January.
  • Radiology Business relates,
    • “GE HealthCare has officially completed its acquisition of imaging software provider Intelerad. 
    • “The health technology giant announced on Wednesday that the $2.3 billion purchase (base price) had been completed. GE previously said that the acquisition was a reflection of its “continued commitment to cloud-enabled and AI-powered solutions.” 
    • “In Wednesday’s announcement, Roland Rott, GE HealthCare’s president and CEO of imaging, shared his enthusiasm for how the move can further advance the company’s mission to improve radiology and data sharing workflows. 
    • “Intelerad’s cloud-enabled software will support GE HealthCare’s imaging technologies and AI capabilities by simplifying complex workflows, and providing patients and customers with more precise, connected care across the continuum,” Rott said. 
    • “Intelerad enhances our ability to deliver a cloud-first enterprise imaging platform at scale,” added Scott Miller, GE HealthCare’s CEO of solutions for enterprise imaging. “Together, we are connecting imaging across care settings with interoperable, AI-enabled solutions that simplify operations, improve clinical insight, and help our customers deliver more precise, personalized care.” 
  • and
    • “Radiologists spot significantly more suspicious lung nodules with the help of artificial intelligence support, a new study suggests. 
    • “New data shared in the American Journal of Roentgenology detail a comparison of interpretation times and detection rates of radiologists both with and without the help of AI. Though the study of AI in lung cancer screening is not new, prior retrospective research has made it challenging for to determine the real-world impact of such tools. This latest study addresses this shortcoming by offering prospective insight into how an AI-based lung nodule detection tool performs in clinical practice for asymptomatic patients undergoing lung cancer screening.” 
  • Modern Healthcare tells us,
    • “Perplexity is making its debut on the consumer health market. 
    • “The artificial intelligence-enabled search engine announced the launch of Perplexity Health, which looks to provide users with personalized responses to health questions.
    • “The AI tool relies on medical literature and user-provided patient records to answer health-related inquiries. It also offers an individualized dashboard with insight on users’ behavioral patterns such as their sleep and activity levels.
    • “Through a partnership with data network b.well Connected Heath, users can give Perplexity Health access to electronic health records from more than 1.7 million providers, the company said in a Thursday news release. Users can additionally integrate data from sources such as Apple Health and Fitbit.
    • “Perplexity Health is available to users of the company’s paid tiers, a spokesperson said in an email.”
  • Per a Google news release,
    • “Last year, we introduced the vision of a personal health coach built with Gemini to move beyond basic metrics and provide truly personalized guidance. Today at The Check Up, our annual health event, we’re taking the next step. We’re introducing significant updates to help you understand and improve your sleep, sharing how we’re advancing health through new research, and integrating clinical history to provide a more comprehensive view of your well-being.
    • We’re launching our most significant update yet, delivering an additional 15% increase in sleep staging accuracy for Public Preview users.
    • Trained on diverse, inclusive datasets, our models now better distinguish between when you are aiming to sleep and when you are asleep. These improvements more accurately capture interruptions, naps and transitions between stages, aligning with clinical gold-standard measurements.” * * *
    • “Starting next month for Public Preview users in the U.S., you’ll be able to link your medical records to the Fitbit app for a fuller picture of your health including your lab results, medications and visit history, all in one place and under your control.
    • “To make this possible, we’re collaborating with partners like b. well and CLEAR. You can search for your healthcare provider and then link to their portal, or simply verify your identity with CLEAR and we will search for records on your behalf. By using IAL2-certified standards — requiring only a selfie and a valid ID — this enhanced security allows the app to automatically locate and sync your records across different providers (availability varies per provider).”