Life Briefing: Senator Blasts GSK Inhaler Practices, Calls for Reform Strategic angle: Trump adds pressure to codify MFN, a judge stalls Kennedy's changes to vaccine policy, and more biotech news. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Abortion on the 2026 Ballot: The Evolving Landscape of State Abortion Initiatives Strategic angle: This issue brief reviews the abortion-related initiatives currently slated to be on the ballot in November 2026 and examines how these measures may impact abortion access in the state. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Smoking rates are at a historic low. You’re not hearing about it from the government Strategic angle: The CDC had remarkable data on smoking rates last fall, but it no longer had smoking experts available to review it and disseminate it. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Epic notches a legal win, but the saga continues Strategic angle: An update on Epic's lawsuit over alleged improper access to health records, Nvidia's new radiology AI partnership, and more. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: NIH Grant Awards Are Lagging (Again) Strategic angle: How to type with your mind, who might not need to take blood pressure meds, and other health news. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Trump's Drug Pricing Moves and GSK Asthma Drug Insights Strategic angle: The White House intensifies pressure on Congress for drug pricing legislation. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: For decades, they’ve set the record straight in biology. Next up: science’s reproducibility crisis Strategic angle: A group of researchers are launching an effort to validate big scientific claims, with help from artificial intelligence. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: NIH Grant Awards Lag Behind Historical Averages Strategic angle: New analysis reveals that NIH is significantly behind on grant spending as the 2026 fiscal year progresses. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Opinion: Semaglutide is going off-patent in India. But will people who need it be able to get it? Strategic angle: Rules determining who gets access to semaglutide in India were written for different bodies with different cardiovascular risks. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Opinion: The greatest threat to federally qualified health centers may not be federal funding cuts Strategic angle: After 50 years of operation, FQHCs are discovering that their financial structure has not kept pace with the realities of delivering on their mission. Editorial Staff Mar 17
Life Briefing: Federal judge stalls health secretary RFK Jr.’s overhaul of vaccine policy Strategic angle: A federal judge on Monday stalled major parts of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to remake vaccine policy in the U.S. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: Medicaid Still Going Commercial Strategic angle: One of the most interesting health care legal cases right now, big Medicaid approvals, and more. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: Asthma patients suffered as GSK pursued ‘egregious’ price hikes, senator says Strategic angle: Families report financial and treatment struggles after GSK's price increases on asthma inhalers. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: CMS’ New Approach to Federal Medicaid Spending in Cases of Potential Fraud Strategic angle: CMS has announced a new strategy focusing on pausing or withholding federal funding in potential fraud cases, impacting states and enrollees. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: A brain-computer interface allowed people with paralysis to type with their mind Strategic angle: Two people with paralysis were able to type using a brain-computer interface that decodes attempted finger movement, a new study showed. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: STAT+: Two more drugmakers join TrumpRx Strategic angle: Medicare delays stall breakthrough device access, ALS carriers fear research setbacks under Trump, and more biotech news Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Structure Therapeutics Reports Significant Weight Loss from Mid-Stage GLP-1 Pill An experimental obesity pill from Structure Therapeutics helped patients lose significant weight in a mid-stage trial, with a Phase 3 study in the works. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: Disabled CDC staff still missing accommodations Strategic angle: The transformation of organ transplantation, an age to start considering statins, and other health news Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: New technologies promise to transform organ transplantation. But when? Strategic angle: Perfusion technology vastly improves organ quality in transplants, but high costs and coverage questions pose barriers in becoming the standard of care. Editorial Staff Mar 16
Life Briefing: Opinion: Congress must pass legislation to ensure Medicare covers breakthrough medical technologies Strategic angle: Congress must pass bipartisan legislation to ensure Medicare coverage of breakthrough medical technologies, writes a physician and inventor. Editorial Staff Mar 16