Eli Lilly's GLP-1 sales are rising at an unexpectedly strong pace, prompting its arch rival to make a surprising bid for an upstart obesity drug maker that another pharmaceutical company had already agreed to acquire.
Why it matters: The dynamic competitive landscape in the weight-loss drugs space continues to shift.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem denied Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker's (D) request to suspend all federal immigration operations across the Chicago area over Halloween weekend.
Why it matters: Pritzker's request came after Chicago residents reported last weekend that federal immigration officers conducted a raid right before a children's Halloween parade.
House Democrats left a briefing on President Trump's strikes against alleged drug boats furious at the absence of lawyers to explain the administration's legal reasoning.
Why it matters: Lawmakers in both parties have for months been railing against the administration for not providing more evidence that the targets were indeed drug smugglers and that the strikes were legally justified.
Surgeon general nominee Casey Means' confirmation hearing has been postponed after she went into labor, a Senate health committee spokesperson said.
Why it matters: The Thursday morning hearing was expected to reopen battle lines over Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
Driving the news: The nutrition influencer had been set to appear virtually because she was pregnant. The committee got word this morning that she is in labor.
Means was trained as a physician at Stanford before dropping out of her residency program to focus on root causes of disease.
She brings a focus on chronic disease, but also controversial doubts about vaccines.
President Trump picked Means in May after withdrawing the nomination of Janette Nesheiwat.
"Everyone is happy for Dr. Means and her family," HHS spokesperson Emily Hilliard said. "This is one of the few times in life when it's easy to ask to move a Senate hearing."
The Trump administration's $100,000 fee for new H-1B visa applicants could exacerbate the shortage of doctors in poor and outlying areas and widen disparities in care, according to research published in JAMA on Wednesday.
Why it matters: More than 11,000 doctors — or roughly 1% of the U.S. physician workforce — were sponsored for H-1B visas last year. Visa holders were likelier than their domestic counterparts to fill critical gaps in health care, such as primary care and psychiatry.
The anticipatedspike in Affordable Care Act premiums came into focus this week as previews of 2026 coverage options showed how customers could be on the hook for thousands more dollars in costs.
Why it matters: ACA open enrollment starts on Saturday, and people looking to re-up coverage could face both higher premiums and less assistance paying them if Congress doesn't extend enhanced pandemic-era subsidies.
The cost of hiring help to care for an elderly or a sick person at home is skyrocketing.
Why it matters: A labor shortage and surging demand from an aging population was already driving up prices, and nowthe White House's crackdown on immigration and funding cuts are making things worse.
Thursday's Senate confirmation hearing for surgeon general nominee Casey Means is due to reopen concerns from Democrats and some Republicans about Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and the "Make America Healthy Again" movement.
Why it matters: Means is an ally of Kennedy and the MAHA movement, and if confirmed as the nation's top doctor would have the power to amplify his concerns about chronic disease and doubts about vaccines.
