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HEALTH

Millions poised to lose Medicaid as pandemic coverage protections end

The first states to start to cut off beneficiaries who no longer qualify are Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, New Hampshire and South Dakota.

MIT scientists, tech leaders call for ‘pause’ in artificial intelligence deployments
Tesla founder Elon Musk, Apple cofounder Steve Wozniak, and former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang are among those saying it's time to hit the brakes on the development of AI systems like ChatGPT.

Former head of research at J&J to run Cambridge biotech FogPharma
Mathai Mammen will lead the startup’s efforts to treat cancer and other diseases through a new scientific approach licensed from Harvard.

Advocates cheer OTC approval for Narcan, but questions remain about price and insurance
More than 2,000 people die of opioid-related overdoses each year in Massachusetts, a toll that changed little since 2016.

Waltham biotech’s vision loss drug helps slow a form of macular degeneration
Syfovre, made by Apellis Pharmaceuticals, allows patients to retain their eyesight longer.

Understaffing a major reason why a fifth more nurses could leave the field
A new survey reports that 85 percent of nurses said the quality of health care in Massachusetts hospitals had declined over the last two years.

Featured stories

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.

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.

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.

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.
Biotech

Former head of research at J&J to run Cambridge biotech FogPharma

Mathai Mammen will lead the startup’s efforts to treat cancer and other diseases through a new scientific approach licensed from Harvard.

Waltham biotech’s vision loss drug helps slow a form of macular degeneration

Syfovre, made by Apellis Pharmaceuticals, allows patients to retain their eyesight longer.

Somerville-based Bluebird Bio expects delay on FDA sickle cell drug application

The company nearly ran out of cash in 2022 as a series of safety scares related to lovo-cel delayed its efforts to seek regulatory approval for the drug by more than a year.
Lifestyle

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.
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.
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

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.

More biotech and health care stories

Somerville-based Bluebird Bio expects delay on FDA sickle cell drug application

The company nearly ran out of cash in 2022 as a series of safety scares related to lovo-cel delayed its efforts to seek regulatory approval for the drug by more than a year.

Nantucket, Middlesex top list of healthiest counties in Massachusetts, new survey shows

How long you live depends on where you live, according to the new report.

RI BUSINESS

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.