Optum Rx, Caremark making ‘significant progress’ in settlement talks with FTC
Rebecca Pifer Parduhn / healthcaredive - It’s looking increasingly likely that the UnitedHealth and CVS drug middlemen will also make peace with federal regulators, after Cigna agreed to a sweeping settlement in the insulin lawsuit last month.
AI Summary: Federal regulators and two pharmacy benefit managers are reportedly making substantial progress toward resolving an FTC antitrust probe tied to insulin pricing and PBM practices. Negotiations aim to settle allegations without protracted litigation, potentially changing how PBMs operate and how insulin costs are managed for states and patients.
Moderna to Pay Up to $2.25B to Settle Patent Suit Over Covid-19 Vaccine Technology
Frank Vinluan / medcitynews - Under the settlement, Genevant Sciences and Arbutus Biopharma will grant Moderna a non-exclusive license to their lipid nanoparticle technology for mRNA delivery in infectious disease vaccines. If Moderna’s full financial payout to the companies is reache…
AI Summary: Moderna has agreed to settle long-running patent disputes over its COVID-19 vaccine technology for up to $2.25 billion, resolving litigation with several claimants. The deal provides Moderna with broad licensing rights and clears a major legal uncertainty, allowing the company to move forward without another courtroom cliffhanger.
Servier Boosts Presence in Rare Cancers With $2.5B Acquisition of Day One Biopharma
Frank Vinluan / medcitynews - Day One Biopharmaceuticals is Servier’s biggest acquisition yet, topping the $2.4 billion it paid to buy Shire’s cancer business in 2018. Day One markets Ojemda, approved for treating pediatric low-grade glioma, the most common type of brain cancer in chi…
AI Summary: Servier is buying Day One Biopharmaceuticals for about $2.5 billion to bolster its rare oncology portfolio, gaining access to promising targeted therapies. The deal expands Servier’s presence in specialty cancer medicines and aligns with its strategic push into rare tumors, with integration and regulatory steps expected to follow.
FDA vaccine chief to step down in April
Ella Jeffries / beckershospitalreview - Vinay Prasad, MD, the FDA’s top regulator of vaccines and cell and gene therapies, will step down at the end of April, an agency spokesperson confirmed to Becker’s. Dr. Prasad joined the agency in 2025 on a one-year sabbatical from the University of Calif…
AI Summary: Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s top regulator for vaccines and cell and gene therapies, will step down at the end of April amid mounting criticism over controversial decisions that reportedly overrode agency scientists and spooked stakeholders. His exit follows prolonged internal and external disputes about regulatory judgment and leadership style.
Hospitals urge regulators to halt drugmakers’ expanded 340B data policies
Emily Olsen / healthcaredive - The American Hospital Association argues new policies from Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk requiring providers to submit more claims data on dispensed 340B drugs is onerous and unlawful.
AI Summary: Hospitals and provider groups are urging federal regulators to halt new drugmaker policies that expand claims-data reporting tied to 340B discounts, calling the requirements unlawful and administratively burdensome. The dispute pits safety-net providers against manufacturers seeking program transparency — a classic tug-of-war with patients’ financial stakes caught in the middle.
GLP‑1 drugs may fight addiction across every major substance, according to a study of 600,000 people
medicalxpress - A patient of mine, a veteran who had tried to quit smoking for over a decade, told me that after he started a GLP-1 drug for his diabetes, he lost interest in cigarettes. He didn't use a patch. He didn't set a quit date. He simply lost interest. It happen…
AI Summary: A large observational analysis suggests GLP‑1 receptor agonists — the headline-grabbing diabetes and weight-loss drugs — are linked to reduced risk of developing and dying from substance use disorders across multiple substances. Researchers urge cautious optimism: signals are intriguing, but causality remains unproven and more controlled trials are needed before rewriting addiction treatment playbooks.
AI blood test finds silent liver disease years before symptoms
sciencedaily - Researchers created an AI-driven liquid biopsy that scans patterns in fragments of DNA circulating in the blood. The system detected early liver fibrosis and cirrhosis—conditions that often go unnoticed until serious damage occurs. By analyzing genome-wid…
AI Summary: Researchers unveiled an AI‑driven liquid biopsy that scans genome‑wide cell‑free DNA fragment patterns to flag liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and chronic liver disease well before symptoms appear. Early results indicate the test can identify disease signals years ahead of clinical diagnosis, offering a shot at much earlier intervention — if practice and payers cooperate.
Groundbreaking new drug shows promise for treating children with a devastating form of epilepsy
livescience - An experimental treatment reduces seizures and other symptoms in children with a type of epilepsy called Dravet syndrome.
AI Summary: An experimental treatment markedly cut seizures and eased symptoms in children with Dravet syndrome, offering families dramatic improvements where few options existed. Early clinical data show promising safety and efficacy signals, but researchers caution larger, longer trials and regulatory review are needed before this becomes a routine option.
Amazon launches Amazon Connect Health
Naomi Diaz / beckershospitalreview - Amazon Web Services has launched Amazon Connect Health, an artificial intelligence tool designed to automate administrative tasks for health systems and improve patient access to care. Here are six things to know about Amazon Connect Health: Amazon Connec…
AI Summary: Amazon Web Services rolled out a suite of agentic AI tools under the Amazon Connect Health name to take on the administrative drudgery of healthcare — scheduling, ambient note‑taking, coding and patient engagement. The platform promises to automate front‑office tasks, generate clinical summaries, and integrate with provider workflows, aiming to free clinicians from endless paperwork.
Adding Hormone Therapy to PORT Might Not Benefit Patients with Recurrent Prostate Cancer and PSA of 0.5 ng/mL or Less
esmo - Findings from the POSEIDON meta-analysis of the MARCAP consortium
AI Summary: A pooled POSEIDON meta-analysis from the MARCAP consortium found that adding androgen-deprivation therapy to post‑operative radiotherapy for recurrent prostate cancer with PSA ≤0.5 ng/mL does not improve outcomes meaningfully. In short: the extra hormonal punch may not be worth the side effects many patients will endure.
Novo Nordisk inks $2.1B oral obesity drug deal
Ella Jeffries / beckershospitalreview - Novo Nordisk has partnered with Vivtex Corp. to develop next-generation oral biologic medicines for obesity, diabetes and related conditions. Under the agreement, Vivtex will license its proprietary oral drug-delivery technologies to Novo Nordisk and is e…
AI Summary: Novo Nordisk has struck a multibillion‑dollar deal with Vivtex to develop next‑generation oral biologic therapies for obesity and related metabolic diseases. The partnership funnels major R&D resources into oral delivery technology, signaling the company’s bet that pills — not injections — will be the next commercial battleground in weight‑loss medicine.
RFK Jr. names 2 new members to CDC vaccine panel
Erica Cerutti / beckershospitalreview - HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed two new members to the CDC’s vaccine advisory committee Feb. 27, ahead of a rescheduled meeting in mid-March where members are expected to review COVID-19 vaccine recommendations. Mr. Kennedy said Sean Downing…
AI Summary: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appointed two clinicians to the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices just weeks before a rescheduled session, installing new voting members ahead of vaccine deliberations. The last‑minute nominations aim to ensure the panel is fully staffed for upcoming guidance discussions.
Parents of gravely ill child refused respite care
bbc - Birmingham Children's Trust refused respite help and suggested training grandparents to help.
AI Summary: Parents of a gravely ill child report being refused respite care, leaving caregivers exhausted and without relief while bureaucratic responses pivot to training relatives. The situation exposes gaps in social and health services for high‑need families and the human cost of systems designed for checkboxes, not real lives.
Antitumour Activity of Rezatapopt Provides Proof of Concept for p53 Reactivation in Patients with TP53 Y220C-mutated Solid Tumours
esmo - Findings from the PYNNACLE study
AI Summary: Clinical results from the PYNNACLE program demonstrate that rezatapopt, an oral small‑molecule p53 reactivator, produces antitumor activity in cancers driven by the TP53 Y220C mutation. Early data validate targeting a previously “undruggable” p53 variant, offering a concrete therapeutic strategy and sparking excitement — and a few warranted caveats — about broader applicability.
Novartis closes Avidity deal as rare heart disease spinout launches
Lei Lei Wu / endpoints - Atrium Therapeutics launched Friday morning as Novartis closed the $12 billion deal to buy Avidity Biosciences and its RNA muscle therapies. The spinout will take on Avidity’s early-stage programs for genetic cardiomyopathies — heart muscle diseases ...
AI Summary: Novartis completed its Avidity Biosciences transaction and backed the launch of Atrium Therapeutics, a newly funded spinout focused on RNA therapies for rare cardiac conditions. Atrium inherits delivery platforms and early programs with substantial capital, as Novartis reshuffles assets to accelerate its RNA strategy — because apparently doubling down on hot modalities never gets old.
Health Gorilla Calls Epic Lawsuit ‘Attack on Interoperability’ in Motion to Dismiss
Katie Adams / medcitynews - Health data company Health Gorilla filed a motion to dismiss a lawsuit from Epic and several healthcare providers alleging inappropriate access to nearly 300,000 patient records. The case highlights ongoing questions about governance and standards for nat…
AI Summary: Health Gorilla has asked a court to toss Epic’s lawsuit accusing the health‑data firm of improper access to electronic health records, calling the suit an “attack on interoperability.” The motion argues Epic and providers are using contract technicalities to stifle data exchange, while courts will decide whether access practices cross legal lines.
After 4-Week Strike, Kaiser Permanente Workers Score Tentative Win on Staffing & Pay
Katie Adams / medcitynews - About 31,000 Kaiser Permanente workers ended a four-week strike after reaching a tentative agreement that includes measures to address chronic understaffing and wage increases. The full contract has not yet been ratified.The post After 4-Week Strike, Kais…
AI Summary: After a four‑week strike, roughly 31,000 Kaiser Permanente workers reached a tentative agreement that includes commitments on staffing levels and compensation. The deal ends a major labor standoff that had disrupted services and put pressure on management to address long‑standing workforce concerns.
Merck Splits Oncology Business Unit as Keytruda Patent Expiry Nears
oncodaily - On February 23, 2026, Merck announced a reorganization of its Human Health structure into two business units: an Oncology Business Unit and a Specialty, Pharma & Infectious Diseases Business Unit. […]
AI Summary: Merck reorganized its Human Health structure to form a separate oncology business unit, positioning the company to defend and optimize its cancer franchise ahead of Keytruda patent pressures and to sharpen focus across therapeutic areas as part of a broader commercial realignment.
Teladoc Health reports slower growth, offers cautious 2026 outlook as it shifts telehealth model
fiercehealthcare - Teladoc Health reported better-than-expected fourth quarter financial results with both revenue and earnings exceeding analysts' expectations, driving a 15% jump in the company's stock Thursday.
AI Summary: Telehealth provider Teladoc reported slower growth and issued a cautious outlook as it shifts its telehealth model, warning of membership headwinds and potential declines in integrated‑care enrollment tied to market dynamics and policy changes. Management signaled strategic recalibration to stabilize long‑term performance.
CFO Mark Kaye to take the helm at Carelon in leadership shake-up at Elevance Health
fiercehealthcare - Elevance Health Chief Financial Officer Mark Kaye will grow his list of duties to include oversight of Carelon, the company announced Thursday.
AI Summary: Elevance Health elevated CFO Mark Kaye to take expanded responsibility overseeing Carelon as part of a broader C-suite reshuffle. The reorganization centralizes oversight of the company’s growth arm and signals a tighter alignment between payer operations and its care-management business amid strategic and operational realignments.