Healthcare & Biotech

Study: E-Cigarette Directory Laws Fail to Cut Flavored Vape Sales Long-Term

Atlanta – September 18, 2026 -- E-cigarette directory laws in Alabama, Oklahoma and Louisiana produced no sustained reduction in flavored e-cigarette sales, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open by researchers from the CDC Foundation. The research, using retail scanner data from January 2021 through April 2025, marks the first rigorous evaluation of how these state registries affect nicotine sales and product availability.

Alabama and Oklahoma directories showed no measurable effect on sales

Researchers found no significant change in per-capita nicotine sales or product availability in Alabama or Oklahoma after directory implementation, using comparison states without such laws as controls.

Vitamin Angels Launches 2030 Plan to Reach 477 Million Globally

Goleta, Calif. – September 18, 2026 -- Vitamin Angels has launched a five-year strategy targeting 477 million at-risk women and children across 57 countries by 2030, projecting it will save 360,000 children's lives and protect 10 million women and children from malnutrition.

Vitamin Angels sets numeric targets tied to global malnutrition data

The nonprofit estimates its new initiative, Vitamin Angels 2030: Science. Systems. Scale., will reduce infectious disease risk for 300,000 children ages 0-5, alongside the malnutrition protection and lives-saved figures. The launch responds to 2024 data showing 150.2 million children under five affected by stunting and 42.8 million by wasting, plus 2023 figures indicating nearly one in three women ages 15-49 experienced anemia.

Study Links GLP-1 Weight Loss to Nutrient Gaps Affecting Skin Repair

Beverly Hills -- A peer-reviewed narrative review published September 11, 2026, in Aesthetic Surgery Journal Open Forum identifies nutritional deficiencies as an overlooked factor in skin changes among patients using GLP-1 receptor agonists such as semaglutide and tirzepatide for rapid weight loss.

Claims data show one in five patients develops a nutrient deficiency within a year

A large claims analysis cited in the review found that 22.4% of patients received at least one nutritional-deficiency diagnosis within 12 months of starting GLP-1 therapy, including 13.6% diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency. The broader literature reviewed also flags inadequate protein intake and shortfalls in iron, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, and copper as recurring concerns, nutrients tied to collagen synthesis and tissue repair.

HealthIQ Solutions, Eirion.ai Partner on Predictive AI for Cardiac, Stroke Risk

Roswell, Ga. – September 18, 2026 -- HealthIQ Solutions, LLC and Eirion.ai have entered a strategic technology partnership to embed predictive AI models into remote patient care platforms, targeting early detection of heart attacks, strokes and acute kidney failure before symptoms appear.

Partnership integrates predictive AI into remote monitoring dashboards

The collaboration will fuse Eirion.ai's predictive modeling architectures with HealthIQ Solutions' remote patient care infrastructure, giving treating physicians forward-looking clinical risk alerts rather than post-event data. The joint initiative targets real-time predictive risk scoring embedded directly into provider dashboards used across ambulatory networks and health systems nationwide.

Mindray Launches SV70 Ventilator to Fill Philips V60 Gap

United States – September 18, 2026 -- Mindray North America has launched the SV70 non-invasive ventilator in the United States, targeting respiratory departments left scrambling after Philips withdrew its V60 device, the previous clinical standard in non-invasive ventilation.

Philips V60 withdrawal forces hospitals into fleet-wide equipment replacements

The exit of the V60 from the market has created operational and financial strain on respiratory departments, pushing hospitals into large-scale replacement cycles while they try to preserve clinical familiarity, workflow continuity and patient safety. Mindray designed the SV70 specifically to absorb that transition without disrupting existing clinical routines.

Lightbeam Health Names Dr. Thomas McCarrick as Chief Medical Officer

Dallas – September 18, 2026 -- Lightbeam Health Solutions has appointed Thomas P. McCarrick, MD, MBI, as Chief Medical Officer, effective August 31, 2026, bringing more than four decades of clinical and healthcare leadership experience to the AI-enabled population health company.

Physician executive joins with dual informatics and value-based care credentials

Dr. McCarrick is board certified in family medicine, geriatric medicine, and clinical informatics. His background spans primary care, population health, care coordination, and value-based healthcare delivery, according to the company.

Merge Launches MergeIQ AI Layer to Ease Radiologist Workflow Burden

Ann Arbor – September 18, 2026 -- Merge has launched MergeIQTM, an artificial intelligence layer embedded across its imaging platform, targeting radiology, cardiology, pathology and other imaging specialties without adding standalone systems for IT teams to manage.

Two AI applications debut inside Merge Workflow Orchestrator

The first MergeIQ applications, RelevancyIQTM and NaviIQ, are now available within Merge Workflow Orchestrator, the platform that unifies enterprise worklists for caseload management, interpretation and collaboration. RelevancyIQ identifies and ranks prior reports by relevance to the current case, while NaviIQ searches within those prior reports to surface findings and historical context. Both tools are embedded directly into the radiologist's diagnostic reading workflow, delivering supporting data at the point of interpretation rather than requiring clinicians to search across disconnected systems.

Hindsait Joins CMS Ecosystem to Modernize Prior Authorization

Hackensack, N.J. -- September 15, 2026 -- Hindsait, Inc. has been approved for the Electronic Prior Authorization category within the CMS Health Tech Ecosystem, placing the clinical AI firm among organizations working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to modernize prior authorization ahead of the CMS Interoperability and Prior Authorization Final Rule (CMS-0057-F), which takes effect in 2027.

CMS ecosystem brings payers and providers together on interoperable workflows

The Electronic Prior Authorization initiative unites payers, providers, EHR vendors, and digital health developers to shift prior authorization toward end-to-end interoperable processes before the 2027 deadline.

Medallion Acquires Andros, Becomes Largest AI Credentialing Platform

San Francisco – September 18, 2026 -- Medallion has acquired Andros, an NCQA-certified credentials verification organization, in a deal that consolidates over a million healthcare providers across nearly 400 organizations and health plans onto a single AI-driven credentialing platform.

Deal creates largest AI-native credentialing platform in the U.S.

The acquisition combines Medallion's automated credentialing and enrollment technology with Andros's 13-year track record serving health plans, health systems, provider groups, and telehealth companies since 2013. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Bailey & Company served as exclusive financial advisor to Andros.

New Platform Unites Medicare Industry on Compliance, Sets DC Summit

Pinehurst, N.C. – September 18, 2026 -- MedicareCompliance.com launched an independent industry platform designed to connect carriers, agencies, third-party marketing organizations and compliance professionals navigating Medicare's regulatory environment. The platform, a division of EnrollHere Inc. operating independently, opened its Medicare Compliance Community to members seeking industry intelligence, regulatory discussions and networking access.

Inaugural industry event scheduled for Washington, D.C. in January 2027

MedicareCompliance.com confirmed its first industry event will run Jan. 20-21, 2027, in Washington, D.C., convening ecosystem leaders on regulatory, technological and operational issues. Community members will receive details on speakers and programming as they are finalized.