Health

The Supreme Court on Thursday allowed Trump administration broad cuts to National Institutes of Health grants as part of the federal government's campaign against diversity, equity and inclusion policies.But in a mixed decision the court left in place a different part of the lower court judge's ruling that threw out the administration's guidance document that introduced the policy, raising questions about whether it can be applied moving forward.The justices, on a 5-4 vote, granted in part an emergency request filed by the administration seeking to put a Massachusetts-based federal judge's ruling on hold.The court did not fully explain its reasoning, but the majority indicated that groups seeking to challenge the funding cuts have to file separate lawsuits in a different federal venue — th...

Microplastics are increasingly being found in our bodies and food supply. They are defined as pieces of plastic smaller than 5 millimeters — about the size of a pencil eraser. But they can also be much smaller, like the size of a virus particle or a strand of DNA.Petrochemicals, the building blocks of plastic, are produced from oil and gas. The business is a small but profitable area of the fossil fuel industry, and any push back on the use of plastics is seen as a threat to the oil and gas industry."Where the industry is most vulnerable is on the human exposure to microplastics," said Richard Wiles, president of the Center for Climate Integrity. "They're going to have to try to tell us that exposure to microplastics every day, from birth to death is just fine. It's just great. You should ...

Visitors attend UGM 2025.Courtesy of EpicSpace travelers, robots and, of course, artificial intelligence.They were all on display on Tuesday at Epic Systems' annual Users Group Meeting, held at the health software giant's 1,670-acre campus in Verona, Wisconsin.Judy Faulkner, Epic's 82-year-old CEO, dressed for the occasion in a purple wig with neon green shoes and an iridescent vest, reminiscent of the fictional character Buzz Lightyear from the "Toy Story" franchise.At the science fiction-themed event, Faulkner told the crowd that Epic has roughly 200 different AI features in development that aim to assist patients, clinicians and insurers."We are combining the intelligence and curiosity of the human being with the investigative capabilities of gen AI," Faulkner said, in front of thousand...

Woman with Signos wearable and appSource: SignosThe Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the first-ever glucose monitoring system specifically for weight loss from the startup Signos, establishing a new option for Americans to manage their weight. Current treatment options for losing weight – popular drugs like GLP-1s and surgical interventions – are typically limited to patients with obesity or a certain BMI. Obesity drugs such as Novo Nordisk's Wegovy and Eli Lilly's Zepbound can also be difficult to access due to their high costs, limited U.S. insurance coverage and constrained supply.But now, any patient can purchase a Signos membership to access its system. It uses an AI platform and an off-the-shelf continuous glucose monitor, or CGM, from Dexcom to offer personalized, ...

U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks as he attends a press conference with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz to discuss health insurance reform, at the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, D.C., U.S., June 23, 2025. Kevin Mohatt | ReutersA version of this article first appeared in CNBC's Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions.Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently gutted a key government vaccine panel, saying it was necessary to eliminate what he called "persistent conflicts of interest" on the committee. But new research from the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Econ...

Shares of Viking Therapeutics fell 40% on Tuesday after the company released mid-stage trial data on its obesity pill that disappointed investors. The results could be a blow to Viking, which was once seen as a hot M&A target as pharmaceutical companies scramble to join the booming market for obesity and diabetes drugs. It could reinforce Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk's dominance in the space, especially as they develop pills for weight loss that could enter the market years ahead of the tablet formulation of Viking's drug, VK2735. Jared Holz, Mizuho health care equity strategist, said in an email Tuesday that the data "probably shutters hope for [Viking] to be a bigtime player in the oral obesity market over the near to medium term."The race to develop a more convenient obesity pill has ...

A box of Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk, at a pharmacy in London on March 8, 2024.Hollie Adams | ReutersNovo Nordisk on Monday said it now offers cash-paying U.S. patients its blockbuster diabetes treatment Ozempic for less than half its monthly list price, as drugmakers face mounting political pressure to lower prices in the country.Patients can pay $499 in cash per month for three dose sizes of Ozempic. They can get the price through platforms including the drug's official website, Novo Nordisk's patient assistance program and the company's recently launched direct-to-consumer online pharmacy, the latter of which also ships the injection directly to patients' homes. Drug savings company GoodRx will also offer Ozempic and its weight loss counterpart Wegovy for $499 per month, making the dis...

Judy Faulkner, founder and chief executive officer of Epic Systems Corp., during the Forbes Healthcare Summit in New York, Dec. 5, 2023.Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDo not go public. Do not acquire or be acquired. Software must work.These are the first three of the 10 commandments splashed across bathrooms and breakrooms at Epic Systems' sprawling 1,670-acre campus in Verona, Wisconsin, just southwest of Madison. It's not the wackiest part of working at the health-care software giant. Once a month, most of the company's 14,000 employees pack into an underground auditorium called Deep Space for a mandatory staff meeting, which some jokingly refer to as "work church." Executives go over company news and objectives. They also lead a grammar lesson, such as whether it's OK to end se...

UnitedHealth Group Inc. signage on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on April 21, 2025.Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesStock Chart IconStock chart iconUnitedHealth FridayShares of UnitedHealth were down nearly 50% for 2025 through Thursday's close before Buffett's filing. The largest private health insurer has become the face of public blowback in this country against the rising costs of health care. UnitedHealth is currently facing a Justice Department investigation into its Medicare billing practices.In May, the company pulled its annual earnings outlook and CEO Andrew Witty stepped down. Last month, UnitedHealth gave a new 2025 outlook that was well short of Wall Street estimates, hitting the stock further."The move by Berkshire represents a big vote of confidence in UNH ...

Phil KnightMatthew Staver | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesNike co-founder Phil Knight is donating $2 billion to the Oregon Health and Science University's Knight Cancer Institute, the single largest donation ever to a U.S. university, college or health institution, according to the Knight Foundation.The foundation said on Thursday the gift that will be used to shift the scientific approach to cancer treatment, research and patient care outcomes.As part of the gift, the Knights will partner with cancer research pioneer Dr. Brian Druker.A decade ago, Druker and OHSU took on a challenge to raise $500 million for cancer research, and the Knights signed on to match the raise dollar-for-dollar."We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in the next stage of the Druker-led revolutionary vision of ca...