Healthcare, Pharma & Life Sciences

ROCKVILLE – – November 05, 2026 -- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will cut payment by 20% for certain same-day services starting January 1, 2027, according to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule, drawing opposition from the American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA).

Modifier 25 claims face reduction when billed with 0-day global procedures

The reduction applies when an office/outpatient evaluation and management (E/M) visit is billed with modifier 25 alongside a 0-day global procedure. The highest-paid service is still paid in full, while the other applicable services take the cut. The policy covers services furnished by the same physician, or physicians of the same specialty, in the same group practice.

SINGAPORE – November 05, 2026 -- Two of the four patients with severe, treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who completed a personalised transcranial magnetic stimulation (pTMS) trial at National University Hospital (NUH) and NUS Medicine showed substantial symptom reductions, including one patient whose questionnaire score fell to zero six weeks after treatment.

OCD pilot: one patient's symptoms fell 78% in a week

The completed study is one of the first worldwide to guide intermittent theta-burst stimulation (iTBS) with "causal" brain circuits, those in which deep brain stimulation (DBS) is known to relieve OCD symptoms. Four participants enrolled between January and July 2026, and two withdrew before finishing. The other two completed 40 short iTBS sessions over five days.

Washington – November 05, 2026 -- The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) cut its proposed payment reductions for total knee, total hip and total shoulder arthroplasty, plus shoulder hemiarthroplasty, by nearly 50% in the final calendar year 2027 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, according to the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).

CMS reverses course on relative value units after physician and lawmaker pushback

CMS moved away from even steeper cuts to the relative value units for these procedures. The agency acted after feedback from physicians, medical societies and lawmakers, who raised concerns about patient access and the financial strain on practices. The final rule takes effect Jan. 1, 2027.

PRETORIA – November 05, 2026 -- NTL HEALTHCARE proposed local clinical validation and hospital pilots in South Africa for CerviCARE AI, an on-device cervical screening tool that works offline and analyzes images in approximately five seconds.

NTL cites 98% sensitivity for high-grade lesions in a 2024 study

Executive Vice President Dr. Jake Byun presented the solution at the 2026 Korea-South Africa Future Dialogue, co-hosted by the Korean Embassy and the Korea-Africa Foundation. He said NTL's cervical screening expertise dates to 1996 and covers more than eight million cases. A 2024 Scientific Reports study reported 98% sensitivity for high-grade lesions.

Byun said CerviCARE AI could support assessment, referral, treatment and follow-up after positive HPV results. It would not replace HPV testing or clinical judgment.

Binyamina – November 05, 2026 -- OncoHost's 22-protein plasma signature detected acquired immunotherapy resistance in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) a median of 170 days, about 5.6 months, before radiologic progression, according to data the company will present at the International Society of Liquid Biopsy (ISLB) meeting in Madrid on November 7-9.

Two-cohort study analyzes 440 serial plasma samples from 109 patients

The abstract, titled "Longitudinal plasma proteomic profiling predicts immunotherapy response dynamics and overall survival (OS) in NSCLC," validates the signature as a tool for tracking treatment response over time. Researchers analyzed 440 serial plasma samples from 109 patients across two independent cohorts. Patients received immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) monotherapy, ICI plus chemotherapy, or dual ICI therapy.

VADUZ – November 05, 2026 -- Implantica AG has completed the first commercial U.S. procedures with its RefluxStop implant at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, opening a market where gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) affects 78 million Americans, according to the company.

Keck School surgeon performs first RefluxStop implants in the U.S.

Dr. John Lipham, Chief of the Division of Upper GI and General Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and co-founder of the American Foregut Society, performed the procedures. He reported that the patients are doing well and that he plans to offer the treatment to many more.

RefluxStop is FDA-approved and CE-marked. It aims to restore the body's natural anti-reflux barrier rather than encircle the esophagus, as conventional anti-reflux surgery does.

HONG KONG – – November 05, 2026 -- China's National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has granted Priority Review to Akeso's ivonescimab plus chemotherapy for first-line locally advanced or metastatic biliary tract cancer (BTC), a designation expected to accelerate the subsequent regulatory review in China.

HARMONi-GI1 Phase III trial beats durvalumab regimen on overall survival

In the randomized, double-blind, multicenter HARMONi-GI1 study (AK112-309), ivonescimab plus chemotherapy was compared with durvalumab plus chemotherapy, the current global first-line standard in BTC. A prespecified interim analysis reviewed by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee showed the trial met its primary endpoint of overall survival (OS). The improvement over the control arm was statistically significant and clinically meaningful. The study also met all key secondary endpoints, including progression-free survival and objective response rate.

Cambridge, Mass. – November 05, 2026 -- Harbour BioMed (HKEX: 02142) has appointed Vivian Feng, a business development executive with over 16 years of biotech and pharma experience who most recently led BD at Fosun Pharma, as Senior Vice President, Head of External Collaboration. Feng will be based in Shanghai and report directly to Chief Strategy Officer Mike Patten.

Feng will oversee business development and licensing across the HBM Group

Feng will lead the antibody developer's external collaboration strategy, linking its platform, pipeline and innovation capabilities with outside partners. She will also foster synergy and information flow across HBM Group entities and its NewCos.

Her mandate includes building the processes and team capabilities for a scalable, risk-controlled external collaboration function.

Berlin – November 05, 2026 -- More than 50,000 care employees would lose their jobs before Christmas under the government's Care Reorganization Act (PNOG), according to the private providers' association bpa, as the Bundestag opened its first reading of the bill.

bpa demands outpatient services be included in the social-space budget

bpa President Bernd Meurer objects to two elements of the draft. The first is the exclusion of outpatient services and day care facilities from the planned social-space budget (Sozialraumbudget). The second is the dismantling of providers' advisory structures through the new care companion model (Pflegebegleitung).

Meurer argues the measures solve no problem and save no money. In his assessment, they also worsen care for people who need it.

WASHINGTON – November 05, 2026 -- Fedora Healthcare Solutions has agreed to give member practices of Clarion Oncology, LLC, the group purchasing arm of ONCare Alliance, preferred pricing on revenue cycle management (RCM) services, paired with network-wide performance benchmarking.

Each engagement will be tailored to the practice's needs and an agreed scope of work. The pricing applies to Fedora's RCM services, which cover the cycle from eligibility verification and prior authorization through claims management, payment posting, denials management and accounts receivable follow-up.

Network-wide KPIs will track collections, denials and receivables

Fedora and Clarion will run network-wide key performance indicator (KPI) initiatives and benchmarking so participating practices can assess revenue cycle performance, identify opportunities and monitor progress. Focus areas may include collection performance, denial trends and accounts receivable.