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Biotech and health care

Latest stories

COVID ICU admissions hit their lowest levels during spring wave

On Wednesday, the most recent day for which data is available, only 79, or 9.7 percent, of hospitalized patients were in the ICU.

MGH vaccinating workers against monkeypox, the first time the shots have been used in the US
Massachusetts General Hospital this week began vaccinating a small group of workers who came into close contact with a man hospitalized for monkeypox earlier this month.

Moderna CEO Bancel says he’ll give most of his money away
Moderna's CEO, Stephane Bancel, said he plans to donate the bulk of his family wealth, focusing his philanthropy on issues such as health care and global food security.

WHO: COVID-19 cases mostly drop, except for the Americas
The number of new coronavirus cases and deaths are still falling globally after peaking in January, the World Health Organization said.

US moves to make antiviral drug more available against COVID
The White House on Thursday announced more steps to make the antiviral treatment Paxlovid more accessible across the US as it projects COVID-19 infections will continue to spread over the summer travel season.

Flagship’s latest startup launches with bold claim: the discovery of thousands of new human proteins
The venture capital giant has committed $75 million to Cambridge biotech ProFound Therapeutics.

Featured stories

Moderna millionaires and the double-edged sword of stock market riches

The state's thriving life sciences and tech sectors are creating fortunes, bolstering the economy — and widening the wealth gap.

New research shows how and when COVID-19 first spread to Massachusetts

A study from Northeastern University published Monday in “Nature” retraces the path of the coronavirus pandemic from China to Europe and the United States.

At Mass General Brigham, a sweeping effort to unify hospitals and shed old rivalries

Executives say greater cooperation is necessary to stay relevant in a dynamic and competitive health care industry. But the aggressive push to integrate is stirring tensions and sowing discontent among doctors and hospital leaders.

There’s a new frontier in detecting cancer: blood tests

Often called liquid biopsies, the gene-based tests from several US startups hone in on worrisome biomarkers that can signal cancer.
Biotech

Flagship’s latest startup launches with bold claim: the discovery of thousands of new human proteins

The venture capital giant has committed $75 million to Cambridge biotech ProFound Therapeutics.

Moderna says it’s starting to work on a monkeypox vaccine

The Cambridge company is in the early stages of developing an mRNA vaccine for the viral disease that is spreading in the US and Europe.

Experimental pill prompts some to regrow a nearly full head of hair

Lexington-based Concert Pharmaceuticals said its therapy could restore hair in up to 42 percent of people with a severe form of hair loss.
Lifestyle

Sign up for ‘Beyond Roe,’ a weekly newsletter chronicling what’s next in the battle over abortion rights

Get smart analysis from the Globe's Stephanie Ebbert, who has covered the gender beat and abortion rights for years, right to your inbox on Friday mornings.

Hospital labor costs more than a third higher since pandemic

Hospital labor costs have soared by more than a third during the pandemic, a new report shows, the latest evidence of the pressures it has exacted on health-care providers.

Legal gray areas could arise in fertility treatments if Roe overturned

A Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, amid the roiling landscape of state reproductive politics, is expected to open the door to state laws that give human embryos legal rights and protections - a possibility that would throw the fertility industry into upheaval and potentially limit choices would-be parents currently have about whether to use, store, or discard genetic material that is part of the in vitro fertilization process.
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

Healthcare workers give a child a booster shot of the pediatric Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine at Paul Harris School in Santiago, Chile, Friday, May 13, 2022.

People who rebound with COVID-19 after Paxlovid may be highly contagious, new studies suggest

The findings come as federal regulators issued a warning about Paxlovid rebounds.

Moderna Inc. headquarters in Cambridge.

Moderna says it’s starting to work on a monkeypox vaccine

The Cambridge company is in the early stages of developing an mRNA vaccine for the viral disease that is spreading in the US and Europe.

A patient who was hospitalized last week in Boston with monkeypox was at Massachusetts General Hospital until last Friday.

Boston monkeypox patient had 200 contacts

Most were health care workers, and the risk to the general public remained low, the CDC said.

Brigham and Women’s Health Care Center, Westwood.

Internal analysis shows Black patients at Brigham faced more security calls

Researchers found that 2.8 percent of Black patients had security called on them, compared with 1.6 percent of white patients.

A volunteer with severe hair loss from alopecia areata grew a nearly full head of hair over 24 weeks in Concert's earlier Phase 2 clinical trial.

Experimental pill prompts some to regrow a nearly full head of hair

Lexington-based Concert Pharmaceuticals said its therapy could restore hair in up to 42 percent of people with a severe form of hair loss.

Shelves are empty as Natalia Restrepo, 29, a member of La Colaborativa, gathered formula supplies for the up-coming pantry openings in Chelsea on May 20 as the formula shortage continues.

‘I feel like I’m failing him’: Mass. parents scramble to find formula for their infants as shortage continues

The situation is especially acute for parents rearing infants with milk, gluten, and other allergies, who require special formulas that are particularly scarce.

RI BUSINESS
Dr. Timothy Babineau is stepping away from his post as CEO of Lifespan, Rhode Island’s largest health care system, on May 31.

Lifespan CEO: Failure of Lifespan-CNE merger was a factor in decision to step down

“It wasn’t the only factor, and quite frankly, it wasn’t the main factor. But it was a factor,” Dr. Timothy Babineau said. “When that got blocked, knowing what lies ahead, I thought it was time for a change for me.”

This 2003 electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows a monkeypox virion, obtained from a sample associated with the 2003 prairie dog outbreak.

Monkeypox is not highly contagious, scientists say. So why is it suddenly in nine countries?

The Boston case is one of more than 100 confirmed and suspected cases across nine countries in Europe and North America.