Pfizer's vitiligo pill succeeds; eczema drug lacks differentiation
Pfizer advances in two skin conditions: a pivotal vitiligo win for Litfulo and a mid-stage eczema result that analysts call competitive but not differentiated.
Medicine & Biotech
Clinical AI, drug discovery, devices, and regulatory approvals.
Independence Blue Cross to Pay $22.5M Over Medicare Advantage Upcoding
The settlement adds to a growing list of Medicare Advantage insurers accused of inflating risk scores to boost federal payments.
Parakeet Health Raises $10M for Conversational Agentic Platform
The Series A round, led by Canvas Ventures, will support the company's conversational agentic platform.
Ultralow-Dose Radiation Eases Myeloma Bone Pain, Sparing Marrow
A phase II trial found that 4 Gy of radiation, given in one or two fractions, produced durable pain relief in most myeloma patients while preserving bone marrow.
Unannounced Drills Reveal Gaps in Bird Flu Preparedness at Healthcare Facilities
A CDC-backed study using mystery patients found that most healthcare facilities missed target times for masking and isolating potential avian flu cases.
All of Us Data Gap Is an Engineering Problem, Not a Consent Problem
A conversion failure, not a consent failure, explains why more than 300,000 patient records are missing from the All of Us research program.
Blue Shield plans 2027 launch of Medicare-style chronic-care payment model
Blue Shield of California says it will adapt Medicare's ACCESS chronic-care payment model for commercial plans starting in 2027.
Lean MASLD Carries Similar Mortality Risk as Obese Form
A multinational study found that patients with lean metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease had similar risks of death and clinical events as those with overweight or obese disease, with fibrosis severity being the key predictor.
Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana Challenge Abortion Shield Laws at Supreme Court
Three Republican-led states ask the Supreme Court to let them enforce abortion bans against out-of-state providers protected by shield laws.
Privacy fears keep many US patients from using AI for care
A new survey finds most patients want human oversight of AI health tools, and fewer than a third use AI for tasks like finding providers or diet planning.
988 Lifeline Restores LGBTQ+ Youth Support Option
The 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has brought back the 'Press 3' option for LGBTQ+ youth after it was cut more than a year ago.
GoFundMe Shuts Down $700K Cancer Fundraiser Citing Misrepresentations
The platform's decision highlights the vulnerability of high-profile medical crowdfunding campaigns to factual disputes.
NIH to consolidate 700 websites into eight thematic hubs
The National Institutes of Health is launching a redesigned website that groups information into eight topic-based hubs, aiming to replace a sprawling network of more than 700 separate sites.
Poll: Most Americans Reject Vaccine-Autism Link, Half View Kennedy Unfavorably
A new Annenberg survey finds public belief in a vaccine-autism link remains low but has slipped since 2021, while Health Secretary Kennedy's unfavorable ratings deepen amid measles outbreaks.
Counties With More Medical Debt See More Late-Stage Cancers
A county-level study links higher medical debt burdens to more late-stage cancer diagnoses, with the strongest effect seen in lung cancer.
Podcast: CMS ACCESS Model Offers New Path for Value-Based Care
The Debunked podcast hosts discuss how the CMS ACCESS Model could address shortcomings of traditional value-based care arrangements.
Lilly ends Foghorn cancer pact; Wave FDA plans; Varda raises $251M
A BioPharma Dive roundup covers Lilly's Foghorn exit, Wave's FDA plans, Teva-Samsung Bioepis expansion, and Varda's $251M raise.
Behavioral Science Offers New Lens on Healthcare Culture
Applying data, behavioral insights, and experimentation to organizational culture could improve patient outcomes, clinician wellbeing, and performance.