Biotech and health care - The Boston Globe

Health and biotech

Latest stories

Union votes ‘no confidence’ in Women & Infants Hospital management

SEIU District 1199 members cite an ongoing labor shortage, and allege a “historic number” of unresolved grievances and arbitrations, and an “ongoing lack of clear and respectful” communication.

Jury awards $20 million to man who lost a leg after hospital missed blood clot
The patient twice went to Lowell General complaining of pain, but his blood clot was misdiagnosed as sciatica.

‘I have to take my time.’ Growing old in Boston without much money is an everyday stress test.
Cracked sidewalks, patchy transit, the lurking possibility of violence. For older Bostonians of limited means, much of life is a struggle to get around, find connections, and make ends meet.

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panel
If approved, the medication, tofersen, would be the first drug targeting a specific genetic cause of the incurable paralysis disease to get the regulatory green light.

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price
Moderna has previously said it will make its COVID shots freely available to anyone without insurance, but senators were skeptical about how that would work.

State officials issue guidance to Mass. pharmacies: stock abortion pills
Officials said Mass. pharmacies must stock all reproductive health medications including mifepristone, a drug that can safely end a pregnancy in its early stages.

Featured stories

“The detective work really starts with listening very carefully to what people say and letting them tell their stories,” said Dr. Nesli Basgoz, an infectious disease specialist at MGH.

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

After a few days, the doctor noticed a telling change. The patient’s rash consisted of fluid-filled blisters that had a dent in the center. His rash looked like smallpox.

Vitamin D tablets and pills are displayed. More research suggests it’s time to abandon the craze over vitamin D. Taking high doses of “the sunshine vitamin” doesn't reduce the risk of broken bones in generally healthy older Americans, researchers found.

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Vitamin D supplements, regularly consumed by millions of Americans, have not held up to the considerable hype of warding off many common, dreaded diseases.

A pedestrian passed the Longwood Avenue exterior of Boston Children's Hospital.

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

A hostile online campaign has prompted the hospital to seek help from law enforcement.

David Pepin and Dr. Patricia Donahoe are cofounders of the biotech startup Oviva Therapeutics, which aims to create drugs to prolong fertility, delay menopause, and potentially prevent other effects of aging in women.

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

Oviva Therapeutics just raised $11.5 million to develop drugs based on the work of Mass. General researchers.

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Biotech

Signage is displayed in front of Biogen headquarters in Cambridge.

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panel

If approved, the medication, tofersen, would be the first drug targeting a specific genetic cause of the incurable paralysis disease to get the regulatory green light.

Moderna chief executive Stéphane Bancel testified before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee on Capitol Hill on Wednesday.

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price

Moderna has previously said it will make its COVID shots freely available to anyone without insurance, but senators were skeptical about how that would work.

Paul Solomon is leading a clinical trial of a new approach to Alzheimer's disease at the Boston Center for Memory in Newton. The study is testing experimental headsets that shine particular frequencies of light into people's eyes in an attempt to reset brainwaves.

Can light reset brainwaves to treat Alzheimer’s? This Boston startup has $73 million to find out.

Cognito Therapeutics has started an advanced clinical study of its experimental device based on groundbreaking research at MIT.

Lifestyle

Surgeons performed a transplant at the University of Maryland School in Baltimore, Md., in 2022.

Troubled US organ transplant system targeted for overhaul

If successful, the overhaul would leave little unaffected in the sprawling, multibillion-dollar network that sends kidneys, livers and other organs from deceased donors to severely ill recipients.

Dr. Marie Mortreux, a nutrition professor at the University of Rhode Island’s Metabolism and Muscle Biology Lab, is researching ways to prevent astronauts from developing muscle and bone weakness.

INNOVATOR Q&A

What are the health consequences astronauts face when launching into space?

A University of Rhode Island researcher is working on easing the havoc the lack of gravity has on the muscular, skeletal, and metabolic systems in space.

A physical therapist works with a patient at a field hospital operated by Care New England set up in a former bank call center to handle a surge of COVID-19 patients in Cranston, R.I, Dec. 14, 2020. Roughly 84 million people are covered by Medicaid, the government-sponsored program that's grown by 20 million people since January 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Now, as states begin checking everyone’s eligibility for Medicaid for the first time in three years, as many as 14 million people could lose access to that coverage.

RI HEALTH

Up to 30,000 people could lose Medicaid coverage, R.I. health officials say

The Medicaid renewal and eligibility determination will only affect health insurance coverage, but will not impact other benefits like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

Spotlight

Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, then president of Brigham Health, brought a Boston delegation in April 2018 to celebrate the opening of the Boao Evergrande International Hospital in China, constructed in a new medical tourism hub.

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

Hospital chiefs and trustees defend this as boosting public-private partnerships, but critics say these board positions — some paying millions of dollars — raise troubling issues of conflict of interest and hospital priorities.

Troubled US organ transplant system targeted for overhaul

If successful, the overhaul would leave little unaffected in the sprawling, multibillion-dollar network that sends kidneys, livers and other organs from deceased donors to severely ill recipients. 8:37 a.m.

innovation beat

While doctors’ offices and hospitals employ teams of people to get approvals and reimbursements from insurance companies, CodaMetrix’s AI software is designed to speed up the process and cut down on the many frustrating denials.

Boston startup uses AI to untangle health insurance problems

CodaMetrix’s software is designed to speed up the reimbursement process and cut down on the many frustrating denials. 3:56 p.m.

Beth Teitell | Commentary

First came the weight loss. Then came the drama around Ozempic.

Ozempic started life as a drug to treat Type 2 diabetes. But ever since Hollywood and TikTok discovered it was a miracle weight loss treatment, things have gotten intense. 5:56 a.m.

Boston scientists made lab-grown mini ovaries containing granulosa cells (green) which form structures that they hope will help nourish and protect a growing egg.

Boston scientists say they’re a step closer to growing human eggs in the lab

George Church’s lab at the Wyss Institute of Harvard is one of a handful around the globe trying to coax adult stem cells, derived from blood or skin, to become human eggs capable of forming an embryo. 5:55 a.m.

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston. Massachusetts hospitals spent $1.5 billion on temporary labor in 2022, up 610 percent over 2019.

Hospitals plead for flexibility on spending amid soaring costs of temporary nurses

Massachusetts hospitals spent $1.5 billion on temporary labor in 2022, up 610 percent over 2019. 6:57 p.m.

Prenuvo says its MRI scanner, aided by artificial intelligence, can detect more than 350 potential health conditions.

Company offering new AI body scans slated to open in Mass. Experts warn about cost, false positives.

Some experts are concerned that these new body scans for the “worried well” are surging ahead of the current science on AI. 1:52 p.m.

INNOVATOR Q&A

What are the health consequences astronauts face when launching into space?

A University of Rhode Island researcher is working on easing the havoc the lack of gravity has on the muscular, skeletal, and metabolic systems in space. 6:00 a.m.

Doctor David Enze Wang talked with a patient's family member on the phone in the Special Pathogen Unit ICU at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on April 27, 2020. The hospital converted the cardiovascular center into a COVID-19 intensive care unit.

Three years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, how cautious are the experts?

Some say they’ve loosened up, at least in their personal lives, but there are things they’re still keeping an eye on. 5:30 a.m.

Latest stories

Union votes ‘no confidence’ in Women & Infants Hospital management

Jury awards $20 million to man who lost a leg after hospital missed blood clot
The patient twice went to Lowell General complaining of pain, but his blood clot was misdiagnosed as sciatica.

‘I have to take my time.’ Growing old in Boston without much money is an everyday stress test.
Cracked sidewalks, patchy transit, the lurking possibility of violence. For older Bostonians of limited means, much of life is a struggle to get around, find connections, and make ends meet.

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panel
If approved, the medication, tofersen, would be the first drug targeting a specific genetic cause of the incurable paralysis disease to get the regulatory green light.

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price
Moderna has previously said it will make its COVID shots freely available to anyone without insurance, but senators were skeptical about how that would work.

State officials issue guidance to Mass. pharmacies: stock abortion pills
Officials said Mass. pharmacies must stock all reproductive health medications including mifepristone, a drug that can safely end a pregnancy in its early stages.

Featured stories

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panel

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price

Can light reset brainwaves to treat Alzheimer’s? This Boston startup has $73 million to find out.

Troubled US organ transplant system targeted for overhaul

What are the health consequences astronauts face when launching into space?

Up to 30,000 people could lose Medicaid coverage, R.I. health officials say

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

More biotech and health care stories

Troubled US organ transplant system targeted for overhaul

innovation beat

Boston startup uses AI to untangle health insurance problems

Beth Teitell | Commentary

First came the weight loss. Then came the drama around Ozempic.

Boston scientists say they’re a step closer to growing human eggs in the lab

Hospitals plead for flexibility on spending amid soaring costs of temporary nurses

Company offering new AI body scans slated to open in Mass. Experts warn about cost, false positives.

INNOVATOR Q&A

What are the health consequences astronauts face when launching into space?

Three years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, how cautious are the experts?

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Latest stories

Union votes ‘no confidence’ in Women & Infants Hospital management

Jury awards $20 million to man who lost a leg after hospital missed blood clotThe patient twice went to Lowell General complaining of pain, but his blood clot was misdiagnosed as sciatica.

‘I have to take my time.’ Growing old in Boston without much money is an everyday stress test.Cracked sidewalks, patchy transit, the lurking possibility of violence. For older Bostonians of limited means, much of life is a struggle to get around, find connections, and make ends meet.

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panelIf approved, the medication, tofersen, would be the first drug targeting a specific genetic cause of the incurable paralysis disease to get the regulatory green light.

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price Moderna has previously said it will make its COVID shots freely available to anyone without insurance, but senators were skeptical about how that would work.

State officials issue guidance to Mass. pharmacies: stock abortion pillsOfficials said Mass. pharmacies must stock all reproductive health medications including mifepristone, a drug that can safely end a pregnancy in its early stages.

Featured stories

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

FROM OUR PARTNERS

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panel

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price

Can light reset brainwaves to treat Alzheimer’s? This Boston startup has $73 million to find out.

Troubled US organ transplant system targeted for overhaul

What are the health consequences astronauts face when launching into space?

Up to 30,000 people could lose Medicaid coverage, R.I. health officials say

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

More biotech and health care stories

Troubled US organ transplant system targeted for overhaul

Boston startup uses AI to untangle health insurance problems

First came the weight loss. Then came the drama around Ozempic.

Boston scientists say they’re a step closer to growing human eggs in the lab

Hospitals plead for flexibility on spending amid soaring costs of temporary nurses

Company offering new AI body scans slated to open in Mass. Experts warn about cost, false positives.

What are the health consequences astronauts face when launching into space?

Three years after COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, how cautious are the experts?

Jury awards $20 million to man who lost a leg after hospital missed blood clot
The patient twice went to Lowell General complaining of pain, but his blood clot was misdiagnosed as sciatica.

‘I have to take my time.’ Growing old in Boston without much money is an everyday stress test.
Cracked sidewalks, patchy transit, the lurking possibility of violence. For older Bostonians of limited means, much of life is a struggle to get around, find connections, and make ends meet.

Biogen’s ALS drug gets partial backing from FDA panel
If approved, the medication, tofersen, would be the first drug targeting a specific genetic cause of the incurable paralysis disease to get the regulatory green light.

At Senate hearing, Bernie Sanders grills Moderna CEO for quadrupling COVID vaccine price
Moderna has previously said it will make its COVID shots freely available to anyone without insurance, but senators were skeptical about how that would work.

State officials issue guidance to Mass. pharmacies: stock abortion pills
Officials said Mass. pharmacies must stock all reproductive health medications including mifepristone, a drug that can safely end a pregnancy in its early stages.