Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Top American Diabetes Association Leader Is Out As Review Of June Incident Proceeds
Stat: American Diabetes Association Shakes Up Leadership
Just over six weeks after the American Diabetes Association said its review of an incident at its New Orleans meeting in June would need more time, one of its top leaders is out. (Cooney, 10/21)
More health industry developments —
Stat: Telehealth Sees Rising Off-Label Use Of GLP-1s For Substance Abuse
For the popular diabetes and obesity medications known as GLP-1s, addiction medicine is one of many possible promising next acts. (Palmer, 10/22)
Modern Healthcare: Risant Health To Acquire Integris Health
Kaiser Permanente-backed Risant Health is set to acquire its third health system, Integris Health. Risant and Integris have signed a definitive agreement, according to a Wednesday news release. The proposed deal is expected to close early next year, pending regulatory approval. Financial details were not disclosed. (Hudson, 10/21)
MPR News: CentraCare Healthcare System To Acquire Stellis Health
Stellis Health, a healthcare organization based in Wright County, plans to merge with CentraCare, the central Minnesota region’s largest healthcare provider. (Marohn, 10/21)
Chicago Tribune: Abbott Laboratories Plans To Spin Off Nutrition Business
Abbott Laboratories plans to spin off its nutrition business into a separate company — a move that follows years of tumult over its infant formulas. The new business will sell Abbott products including Similac, PediaSure, Pedialyte, Glucerna and Ensure. The north suburban-based company also makes medical tests, medical devices and generic pharmaceuticals. (Schencker, 10/21)
The 19th: A Historic Win For Paid Parental Leave, Led By Allegheny County Nurses
As a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, Jean Stone knows what it really means to live in a country with no paid parental leave. She’s watched this scene play out so many times it’s almost the norm: Once their babies stabilize in the NICU, parents often return to work to preserve whatever parental leave they have left for when their babies come home. Stone calls the parents in the middle of the day to update them — starting each call with, “Everything is OK” — and watch them come in at the end of their workday, their faces reflecting the relief of reunion. (Carrazana, 10/21)
From the insurance industry —
Modern Healthcare: Why UnitedHealthcare, Aetna Are Investing In Shared Provider Data
Major health insurance companies are joining forces to build up a legacy provider data platform in preparation for looming federal mandates.At the start of the year, UnitedHealth Group subsidiary UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health subsidiary Aetna, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield and nine other insurers acquired the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare and transitioned it from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company. In June, the group rebranded the operation as DataSpring. Last week, DataSpring, several large insurance companies and the American Medical Association launched a new shared provider data standard. (Tepper, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Horizon Blue Cross Parent To Buy Summit's NJ Operations
The parent company of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has agreed to acquire multispecialty care provider Summit Health’s operations in the state. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, Horizon Mutual Holdings said Wednesday. Horizon did not provide an expected closing date or financial details of the proposed deal. (Hudson, 10/21)
Bloomberg: Elevance Raises Full-Year Guidance On Lower Medical Costs
Elevance Health Inc. raised its full-year profit guidance after a better-than-expected third quarter and signaled earnings next year would top current Wall Street estimates, a sign of growing confidence as the healthcare giant rebuilds profits in its insurance business. Elevance, which includes a major insurer and a health services arm, boosted its 2026 earnings outlook by $2 a share. Adjusted earnings next year will increase by at least 12% from a new baseline of $26.75 a share, which excludes some current-year items, the company said in a presentation Wednesday. (Swetlitz, 10/21)
In pharma and tech —
MedPage Today: Another Incretin Drug Proves Mettle In Sleep Apnea
Treatment with the novel triple agonist retatrutide improved obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity or overweight regardless of type 2 diabetes, two parallel randomized clinical trials showed. (Phend, 10/21)
MedPage Today: Ianalumab's Road To Approval For Sjogren's Looks Bumpier
Findings from a pair of randomized trials in Sjögren's disease with the anti-B cell biologic ianalumab have now been published and it's no longer clear that they're sufficient to support regulatory approvals. The two trials were called NEPTUNUS-1 and NEPTUNUS-2 and were almost identical in design. Some results were presented last year at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, indicating that their primary endpoint (more change from baseline in disease activity than with placebo) was met in both studies. P values approached the usual 0.05 threshold for insignificance, but pooling the data made them look stronger. (Gever, 10/21)
Stat: Immune Drug From Roivant Succeeds In New Eye Disease
Roivant and its spinout Priovant said Wednesday that their immune-modifying pill Lisraya was more effective than placebo in treating the inflammatory eye disease non-infectious uveitis. (Mast, 10/21)
MedPage Today: Psilocybin Tied To Lower Inflammation In Parkinson's Trial
Markers of systemic inflammation and mitochondrial stress were reduced after psilocybin therapy in Parkinson's disease patients with mood dysfunction, a small nonrandomized trial showed. Relative to baseline, an inflammatory index was significantly lower at all follow-up time points after psilocybin was administered, reported Ellen Bradley, MD, of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), and co-authors. (George, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Epic Systems To Launch Connectors Tool For AI Agents
Epic Systems will roll out a new tool that enables artificial intelligence agents to find information and complete tasks in other apps. Connectors will give developers the ability to link outside apps to the Epic electronic health record, the company said Wednesday. It will also let users pull information from those apps to its clinician AI assistant, Art; its patient-facing generative AI tool, Emmie; and Penny, the company’s AI-backed revenue cycle management product. (Famakinwa, 10/21)
