Relevate Health solidified the healthcare marketing agency’s position as a market leader in healthcare professional (HCP) omnichannel engagement with the acquisition of Dallas-based ConneXion360. With this acquisition, Relevate Health now provides its omnichannel solutions and agency services to more than 185 brands from 90 pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device manufacturers, as well as 24 hospital systems.

President Joe Biden’s administration plans to rescind a rule devised under his predecessor Donald Trump that was intended to make it easier for healthcare providers including doctors and nurses to avoid performing abortions or other medical services on religious or moral grounds, Politico reported on April 19.

The Biden administration wants to expand a federal COVID-19 tracking system created during the pandemic to provide a more detailed view of how respiratory and other infectious diseases are affecting patients and hospital resources, according to a draft of proposed rules reviewed by Reuters.

Patients infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 remain contagious for just as long as patients infected with earlier variants, according to a small study. Additionally, researchers said a drug used to treat a blood vessel condition called angioedema showed promise as a treatment for COVID-19 in lab experiments.

Roche

Pharmaceutical giant Roche and subsidiary Genentech announced a new Phase III clinical trial for gantenerumab, a monoclonal anti-amyloid antibody that is designed to treat Alzheimer’s disease.

Ukraine is facing problems distributing medicines to pharmacies and hospitals due to the Russian invasion and wants to establish a humanitarian corridor for them, Health Minister Oleh Lyashko said on March 2.

Ukraine is running out of oxygen supplies that critically ill people need, the World Health Organization said on February 27, calling for safe passage for emergency imports as combat rages.

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen – The Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences found that activating a specialized group of neurons within the brainstem of mice restored full movement function in mice with symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Antibodies induced by mRNA COVID-19 vaccines keep improving in quality for at least six months while the immune system continues to “train” its antibody-producing B cells, according to a new study. In other research, dysfunctional red blood cells contribute to the blood vessel injuries common in severe COVID-19, according to laboratory studies that also may suggest a way to treat the problem.

Federal Trade Commission

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission said on February 17 that the FTC would file a lawsuit aimed at stopping the merger of Rhode Island’s two largest health care providers, Lifespan Corp. and Care New England Health System.