healthcare49.205 min read
Jury Awards $49 Million in Medical Malpractice Case Over Missed HPV Monitoring
14 hours ago•Source: Patch
Healthcare News
The latest healthcare stories, summarized by AI
Featured Healthcare Stories
View original source
3.705 min•3 days ago
Orange County Man Pleads Guilty in $270 Million Medi-Cal Fraud Scheme Tied to Monte Vista Pharmacy
An Orange County man pleaded guilty to leading a scheme that billed Medi-Cal from May 2022 to April 2023 for expensive, often unnecessary drugs via Monte Vista Pharmacy, totaling nearly $270 million with about $178 million paid; funds were laundered and kickbacks were used, and he faces a statutory maximum of 30 years in prison at sentencing on August 3.
More Top Stories
2
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval for KRESLADI to Treat Pediatric LAD-I
Business Wire•14 days ago
3
J&J’s new psoriasis pill could reshape the treatment landscape
statnews.com•24 days ago
More Healthcare Stories
First-ever oral IL-23 blocker ICOTYDE wins FDA approval for plaque psoriasis
The FDA approved ICOTYDE (icotrokinra), the first oral peptide that selectively blocks the IL-23 receptor, for adults and adolescents 12+ weighing at least 40 kg with moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy. In Phase 3 ICONIC trials, about 70% achieved IGA 0/1 and 55% reached PASI-90 by Week 16, with adverse events similar to placebo through Week 16 and no new safety signals through Week 52, suggesting a convenient once-daily option that could shift systemic treatment patterns. Johnson & Johnson notes patient support via ICOTYDE withMe and collaboration with Protagonist Therapeutics.
Nonprofit health systems plot cross-region merger to accelerate AI-powered care
Sutter Health and Allina Health have signed a Letter of Intent to merge into a single nonprofit system spanning Northern California, Minnesota and Wisconsin, with Allina becoming the Upper Midwest Division of Sutter Health. The plan aims to expand access and affordability, reduce administrative burdens via AI and digital tools, accelerate physician recruitment, advance research, and invest over $2 billion to grow ambulatory and specialty care sites, improve scheduling, and enhance patient and caregiver experiences. The combined network would include 39 hospitals, 400+ care sites, 18,000 physicians, 88,000 employees, serving more than 5 million patients, with a closing target by the end of 2026 pending regulatory approval.
Smartwatch data plus routine labs power scalable insulin-resistance screening
The WEAR-ME study (n=1,165) shows that combining wearable time-series data with demographics and routine blood biomarkers can predict insulin resistance (HOMA-IR ≥2.9) with AUROC around 0.80. Using a wearable foundation model to derive richer representations further improves performance, achieving AUROC ~0.82 in cross-validation, and up to ~0.88 when fasting glucose and a lipid/metabolic panel are included. An independent validation cohort confirms gains with wearable data, and an LLM-based insulin-resistance literacy agent is demonstrated to contextualize results and provide personalized guidance. The work proposes a scalable, noninvasive screening approach to identify at-risk individuals for early lifestyle interventions to prevent type 2 diabetes, while noting limitations in data missingness, generalizability, and the need for longitudinal validation.
Aetna Pays $117.7 Million to Resolve Medicare Advantage Coding Allegations
Aetna will pay $117.7 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that it submitted or failed to withdraw inaccurate diagnosis codes to inflate Medicare Advantage payments, including morbid obesity codes for 2018–2023, and related issues from a 2015 chart-review program; a whistleblower, a former Aetna risk-adjustment coder, will receive about $2.01 million. The case was pursued by the DOJ Civil Division, Fraud Section, and HHS-OIG with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
Vertex’s IgA nephropathy drug halves a key kidney biomarker in Phase 3
Vertex reported Phase 3 data showing its IgA nephropathy drug reduced a key kidney-disease biomarker by about 50%, in a three-way race with Otsuka and Vera Therapeutics and signaling potential multi-billion-dollar annual sales.
Roche's oral SERD giredestrant misses first-line breast cancer target
Roche’s phase 3 persevERA trial of the oral SERD giredestrant in first-line ER-positive, HER2-negative locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer did not meet its primary endpoint, showing no statistically significant progression-free survival benefit versus letrozole plus Ibrance (though a numerical improvement was noted). Adverse events were manageable, and Roche plans to pursue FDA filing based on second-line and adjuvant data while continuing the pionERA trial in endocrine-resistant disease. The setback adds cautiousness to the outlook for oral SERDs in first-line settings and prompts analysts to temper earlier multi-billion-dollar sales expectations.
West Virginia Tops U.S. Diabetes Map, Highlighting Regional Health Gaps
A Visual Capitalist map (CDC data) shows West Virginia has the highest U.S. diabetes prevalence at 15% (2023), while Vermont is the lowest at 7.7% and the national average is 10.3%. Southern states like Mississippi (14.7%) and Louisiana (14.5%) are among the highest, with many states clustering near the average. The pattern is linked to obesity, physical activity, and socioeconomic disparities, underscoring the need for prevention, screening, and lifestyle interventions across the country.
TrumpRx Promises Grand Savings, Delivers Narrow Drug List After One Month
One month after its launch, TrumpRx has only a small catalog of drugs (44 listed) despite lofty promises of broad discounts, with many items already available as generics and no clear usage data released. Private deals with drugmakers remain in flux, limiting impact on prices, while administration officials trumpet progress amid bipartisan scrutiny and questions about affordability gains for most patients.
FDA undecided on UniQure Huntington’s therapy; no proven benefit blocks marketing filing
An FDA official indicated UniQure’s Huntington’s disease therapy showed no demonstrated benefit based on current data, preventing a marketing application; the company disputes the assessment but hopes to align trial parameters for a potential future study.
Vegetarian Diet Linked to Lower Risk of Five Cancers, Large UK-US Study Finds
An Oxford-led study of 1.8 million people finds vegetarians are up to a third less likely to develop five cancers than meat eaters, with 21% lower risk of pancreatic cancer, 9% lower risk of breast cancer, 12% lower risk of prostate cancer, 28% lower risk of kidney cancer and 31% lower risk of multiple myeloma; however vegetarians and vegans show higher risks for oesophageal and bowel cancers, potentially due to nutrient gaps. The researchers suggest meat itself may be the trigger and advocate diets focused on whole grains, pulses, fruit and vegetables while avoiding processed meat; the study, published in the British Journal of Cancer, analyzed UK/US data over two decades and was funded by the World Cancer Research Fund.