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Health and biotech

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On Wednesday, Governor Maura Healey announced that she would end the state's public health emergency, which was enacted nearly three years ago when COVID-19′s impact was uncertain.

As public health emergency ends, COVID vigilance should remain, public health experts say

Governor Maura Healey announced on Wednesday that she would end the state’s public health emergency, marking the beginning of what public health officials say is the next phase of life with COVID-19.

Governor Healey announces end of state COVID-19 public health emergency
The end date of May 11 for the state's COVID-19 public health emergency aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency.

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs
Mediar Therapeutics also named Rahul Ballal, a pharmaceutical industry veteran, as the Cambridge company’s CEO.

New Boston program to offer free postpartum support to parents
A new initiative announced by Mayor Michelle Wu’s office will offer free postpartum education and support to 32 women in the Boston area who have recently given birth or are expecting to give birth soon.

Four charts that show what’s at stake in the lawsuit targeting medication abortion
A court ruling out of Texas could have huge implications for abortion care across the country.

Massachusetts providers brace for Texas antiabortion ruling, a threat ‘knocking at our front door’
The judge’s ruling, and the FDA’s response, will largely dictate what the suit might mean for Massachusetts, and there are a variety of possible outcomes.

Featured stories

“The detective work really starts with listening very carefully to what people say and letting them tell their stories,” said Dr. Nesli Basgoz, an infectious disease specialist at MGH.

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.

Vitamin D tablets and pills are displayed. More research suggests it’s time to abandon the craze over vitamin D. Taking high doses of “the sunshine vitamin” doesn't reduce the risk of broken bones in generally healthy older Americans, researchers found.

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.

A pedestrian passed the Longwood Avenue exterior of Boston Children's Hospital.

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.

David Pepin and Dr. Patricia Donahoe are cofounders of the biotech startup Oviva Therapeutics, which aims to create drugs to prolong fertility, delay menopause, and potentially prevent other effects of aging in women.

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.

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Biotech

Rahul Ballal is the new chief executive of Mediar Therapeutics in Cambridge.

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs

Mediar Therapeutics also named Rahul Ballal, a pharmaceutical industry veteran, as the Cambridge company’s CEO.

Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology president and CEO Aisha Francis.

Training program for life science careers draws $1 million donation

Developer Samuels & Associates is helping to fund a new biotech training program at Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology.

MassBiologics is working on a monoclonal antibody for Lyme disease that researchers hope will provide immediate, if temporary, immunity to the tick-borne illness.

UMass biotech to lay off 25 workers

The university says the job cuts will not affect its work on an alternative treatment for Lyme disease.

Lifestyle

Braver was founded by CEO Dr. Brady Case, right, a child psychiatrist and researcher, and chief clinical officer Dr. Abbe Garcia, a clinical psychologist and pediatric researcher.

INNOVATOR Q&A

R.I. health tech startup aims to reach pediatric anxiety patients where they are

Braver, founded by doctors at Bradley Hospital, deploys coaches to help in specific situations that kids may find challenging.

Globe Magazine

The strange story of the man behind the popularization of ‘resilience thinking’

From consulting to climate change, 'resilience thinking' is ubiquitous. Where did it come from?

Adderall XR capsules are displayed on Friday, Feb. 24, 2023.

HEALTH

Why is there an Adderall shortage in New England?

It’s unclear how many patients have not been able to access their medications. But more than 41 million prescriptions for generic and brand-name Adderall were dispensed in the US in 2021.

Spotlight

Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, then president of Brigham Health, brought a Boston delegation in April 2018 to celebrate the opening of the Boao Evergrande International Hospital in China, constructed in a new medical tourism hub.

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.

Pfizer buys Seagen for $43 billion, boosts access to cancer drugs

Pfizer plans to let the biotech drug developer “continue innovating,” except with more resources than it would have alone, Pfizer chairman and CEO Albert Bourla told analysts. 6:51 p.m.

ials and packaging for their medication Leqembi.

VA to cover new Alzheimer’s drug

In an unexpected move, the Veterans Health Administration announced Monday that it will widely cover a new Alzheimer’s treatment, even as Medicare has decided to wait for additional data about the medicine before taking the same step. 4:15 p.m.

INNOVATOR Q&A

R.I. health tech startup aims to reach pediatric anxiety patients where they are

Braver, founded by doctors at Bradley Hospital, deploys coaches to help in specific situations that kids may find challenging. 6:00 a.m.

Dr. Barbara Spivak, president-elect of the Massachusetts Medical Society, is among many doctors fretting about the future of telehealth as patients flock back to the office.

Telehealth at a crossroads: When does it work best? What should it cost?

The future of remote medical care remains unclear as patients flock back to the office, the rules shift once again, and insurers start to curtail their payments. 8:18 p.m.

Stacey Daley, executive director of Waltham Fields Community Farm.

Waltham paid $17.4m for historic farmland. Now the city is placing a longtime community farm at risk, advocates say.

“I believe the citizens of Waltham should also have a chance to use this farm,” Mayor Jeannette McCarthy told city councilors at a recent meeting. 4:58 p.m.

Stewart Landers at his East Boston home. The pioneering AIDS activist, who himself was diagnosed with HIV in 1985, when most died shortly after diagnosis, takes on a new public health battle, as his life once again hangs in the balance. Landers has a rare cancer, Merkel cell carcinoma, which is becoming more common in the US and is much more lethal than melanoma.

A deadly cancer you probably haven’t heard of is becoming more common. But a pioneering HIV activist is hoping to change that.

Merkel cell carcinoma is about five times more lethal than the better-known skin cancer, melanoma. 2:03 p.m.

FILE - A Juul sign hangs in the front window of a bodega convenience store in New York City on June 25, 2022. Vaping company Juul Labs will pay Chicago $23.8 million to settle a lawsuit alleging the company marketed harmful vaping products to underage users, the city announced Friday, March 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

Juul to pay Chicago $23.8 million for underage vaping settlement

The Chicago Department of Public Health will use the money for youth prevention and reduction programs, education and outreach, according to a city press release. 2:13 p.m.

Training program for life science careers draws $1 million donation

Developer Samuels & Associates is helping to fund a new biotech training program at Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology. 12:11 p.m.

Latest stories

As public health emergency ends, COVID vigilance should remain, public health experts say

Governor Healey announces end of state COVID-19 public health emergency
The end date of May 11 for the state's COVID-19 public health emergency aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency.

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs
Mediar Therapeutics also named Rahul Ballal, a pharmaceutical industry veteran, as the Cambridge company’s CEO.

New Boston program to offer free postpartum support to parents
A new initiative announced by Mayor Michelle Wu’s office will offer free postpartum education and support to 32 women in the Boston area who have recently given birth or are expecting to give birth soon.

Four charts that show what’s at stake in the lawsuit targeting medication abortion
A court ruling out of Texas could have huge implications for abortion care across the country.

Massachusetts providers brace for Texas antiabortion ruling, a threat ‘knocking at our front door’
The judge’s ruling, and the FDA’s response, will largely dictate what the suit might mean for Massachusetts, and there are a variety of possible outcomes.

Featured stories

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

FROM OUR PARTNERS

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs

Training program for life science careers draws $1 million donation

UMass biotech to lay off 25 workers

R.I. health tech startup aims to reach pediatric anxiety patients where they are

The strange story of the man behind the popularization of ‘resilience thinking’

Why is there an Adderall shortage in New England?

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

More biotech and health care stories

Pfizer buys Seagen for $43 billion, boosts access to cancer drugs

VA to cover new Alzheimer’s drug

INNOVATOR Q&A

R.I. health tech startup aims to reach pediatric anxiety patients where they are

Telehealth at a crossroads: When does it work best? What should it cost?

Waltham paid $17.4m for historic farmland. Now the city is placing a longtime community farm at risk, advocates say.

A deadly cancer you probably haven’t heard of is becoming more common. But a pioneering HIV activist is hoping to change that.

Juul to pay Chicago $23.8 million for underage vaping settlement

Training program for life science careers draws $1 million donation

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Latest stories

As public health emergency ends, COVID vigilance should remain, public health experts say

Governor Healey announces end of state COVID-19 public health emergency The end date of May 11 for the state's COVID-19 public health emergency aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency.

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs Mediar Therapeutics also named Rahul Ballal, a pharmaceutical industry veteran, as the Cambridge company’s CEO.

New Boston program to offer free postpartum support to parents A new initiative announced by Mayor Michelle Wu’s office will offer free postpartum education and support to 32 women in the Boston area who have recently given birth or are expecting to give birth soon.

Four charts that show what’s at stake in the lawsuit targeting medication abortion A court ruling out of Texas could have huge implications for abortion care across the country.

Massachusetts providers brace for Texas antiabortion ruling, a threat ‘knocking at our front door’ The judge’s ruling, and the FDA’s response, will largely dictate what the suit might mean for Massachusetts, and there are a variety of possible outcomes.

Featured stories

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

FROM OUR PARTNERS

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs

Training program for life science careers draws $1 million donation

UMass biotech to lay off 25 workers

R.I. health tech startup aims to reach pediatric anxiety patients where they are

The strange story of the man behind the popularization of ‘resilience thinking’

Why is there an Adderall shortage in New England?

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

More biotech and health care stories

Pfizer buys Seagen for $43 billion, boosts access to cancer drugs

VA to cover new Alzheimer’s drug

R.I. health tech startup aims to reach pediatric anxiety patients where they are

Telehealth at a crossroads: When does it work best? What should it cost?

Waltham paid $17.4m for historic farmland. Now the city is placing a longtime community farm at risk, advocates say.

A deadly cancer you probably haven’t heard of is becoming more common. But a pioneering HIV activist is hoping to change that.

Juul to pay Chicago $23.8 million for underage vaping settlement

Training program for life science careers draws $1 million donation

Governor Healey announces end of state COVID-19 public health emergency
The end date of May 11 for the state's COVID-19 public health emergency aligns with the end of the federal public health emergency.

MGB-backed biotech raises $85 million to develop drugs for diseases that cause scarring in organs
Mediar Therapeutics also named Rahul Ballal, a pharmaceutical industry veteran, as the Cambridge company’s CEO.

New Boston program to offer free postpartum support to parents
A new initiative announced by Mayor Michelle Wu’s office will offer free postpartum education and support to 32 women in the Boston area who have recently given birth or are expecting to give birth soon.

Four charts that show what’s at stake in the lawsuit targeting medication abortion
A court ruling out of Texas could have huge implications for abortion care across the country.

Massachusetts providers brace for Texas antiabortion ruling, a threat ‘knocking at our front door’
The judge’s ruling, and the FDA’s response, will largely dictate what the suit might mean for Massachusetts, and there are a variety of possible outcomes.