Australia's CSL pays $355 million up front to share an experimental antibody for rare kidney and liver diseases, tried so far in 26 kidney patients

The rest of the day

14 more stories on this beat.

Each with its own sources. None of these is a link to the story above.

1. 02

   Trump promises $90 to 20 million on Medicare

   US President Donald Trump said late on Friday 2 October that more than 20 million people on Medicare will each get a one-time $90 payment. [4][5] Medicare is the US government's health insurance for older people. [4] The money helps with the monthly fee for Part B, the part that pays for doctor visits, which is about $203 a month. [6] It comes from the Medicare Improvement Fund, set up by Congress in 2008, which Trump says holds $2 billion. [4][5]

   $90One-time payment

   vsvs

   about $203Part B fee, one month

   Why it matters — The payments arrive in early October, a month before the 3 November elections for Congress, and follow $500 rebates to about 1 million people on Obamacare plans. [4][7] People in Medicare Advantage, the private-plan version, cannot get it, and KFF, a health research group, says they are more than half of those who would otherwise qualify. [5]

2. 03

   760,000 removed from Obamacare plans

   US Vice President JD Vance said in late September that the US government had removed 760,000 people from Obamacare plans. [8] The US government says they did not exist, or were signed up by brokers without knowing it. [8] Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act of 2010, gives government-subsidised health plans to 19 million people. [8] Another 400,000 are under review, and the US government is banning hundreds of brokers and taking no new ones. [8]

   Why it matters — Policy experts say some of those removed were real members who rarely used their plans because they were healthy. [8] Insurers expect a sicker and costlier mix of members, and investors say prices for 2028 will likely rise to reflect it. [8]

3. 04

   US work health costs set for biggest rise in 20 years

   Employers' health costs per worker will rise 11.1% in 2027, the biggest jump in more than 20 years, the consulting firm WTW projects. [9] Aon expects 9.5%, and Marsh 8.2%, the largest since 2003. [9] About 166 million Americans under 65 get health insurance through work. [9] Experts point to more use of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic, the end of extra Obamacare subsidies and general inflation. [9]

   WTW11.1%

   Aon9.5%

   Marsh8.2%

   Why it matters — 59% of employers plan cuts such as higher deductibles, the amount a patient pays before insurance starts, Marsh found. [9] That holds premiums down, but leaves workers who fall ill with bigger bills. [9]

4. 05

   Pennsylvania counties brace as measles spreads

   Pennsylvania has confirmed 943 measles cases in 39 counties this year, and a fifth measles-linked death. [12] Lancaster County, the centre of the outbreak with 381 cases, mostly among the Amish, has no health department of its own. [12] Only seven of the state's 67 counties do. [12] Neighbouring Chester County, with 83 cases, is preparing for more, and Montgomery County's health chief said cases arriving there are a matter of time. [12]

   7 of 67

   Pennsylvania counties with their own health department

   Why it matters — A county health department can trace contacts and open vaccine clinics with its own staff, Chester's director says, while the state must spread its workers across every county. [12] Montgomery County and local pharmacies are opening vaccine clinics for every resident, with or without health insurance. [12]

5. 06

   Medicare private plans cheaper, but fewer

   The US agency that runs Medicare said on 29 September that the average monthly premium for Medicare Advantage plans should fall more than 16% in 2027, to $12 from $14.37. [10] These are private plans that older Americans can choose instead of the US government's own Medicare. [10] About 34 million people are expected in them next year, 47.4% of everyone on Medicare. [10] Humana dropped plans covering about 942,000 members, the bank Barclays estimated. [10]

   Why it matters — UnitedHealth and CVS also cut their offerings, as insurers leave places where rising costs left plans earning less. [10] An analyst said most insurers are trying to restore profits rather than grow, before sign-up opens on 15 October. [10]

6. 07

   Grail's cancer test nears approval, not payment

   Wall Street analysts expect the FDA to approve Grail's Galleri test in the coming months, after its advisers said in late September that the benefits outweigh the risks. [11] Galleri is a blood test meant to spot more than 50 kinds of cancer early, Grail says. [11] No test like it is approved, so US insurers and Medicare generally do not pay. [11] Patients pay about $700 for Galleri and $900 for Abbott's Cancerguard. [11]

   Why it matters — A US law passed this year could let Medicare pay from 2028 if the FDA approves. [11] A three-year UK trial did not significantly raise early detection overall, though Grail reported 26% fewer stage IV diagnoses by the third round. [11] One of Grail's own study leaders at the Mayo Clinic says nobody knows yet whether such tests mean fewer cancer deaths. [11]

7. 08

   A factory holds up Novo's haemophilia drug

   The FDA has extended its review of denecimig, Novo Nordisk's drug for haemophilia A, because of repair work at a factory, the Danish company said on Friday 2 October. [3] Haemophilia A is a rare inherited condition in which blood does not clot properly. [3] Novo applied in September 2025 and expected a decision by the end of September 2026. [3] No new date has been set. [3]

   Why it matters — Novo says the FDA raised no concerns about the drug's safety or its trial results. [3] It still aims to launch in the US in the first half of 2027, for adults and children, including those whose bodies fight off standard clotting treatment. [3]

8. 09

   Africa's plan to make its own vaccines struggles

   Africa makes less than 1% of the vaccines it uses, and a plan led by the African Union and Africa CDC aims for 60% by 2040, Science reports. [13] More than two dozen African companies are trying, but only five have finished taking over a vaccine recipe from a maker abroad. [13] Biovac in Cape Town got ready to bottle the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine, then never sold a dose because demand had gone. [13]

   5 of 27

   African vaccine makers that have finished taking over a foreign recipe

   Why it matters — In 2023 South Africa bought a pneumonia vaccine from India's Serum Institute for about a third of the price, and Biovac cut 85 of its 450 jobs. [13] This year Biovac raised more than $100 million to more than triple its output to 50 million vials a year by 2029. [13]

9. 10

   Inquiry into 2,000 mental health deaths resumes

   The Lampard Inquiry, a public inquiry in England, is examining the deaths of more than 2,000 people in the care of mental health services in Essex between 2000 and the end of 2023. [14] Its chair, Baroness Kate Lampard, said hearings starting on 5 October may lead to early recommendations if she finds an urgent risk to patients. [14] They will look at resuscitation and at Oxevision, a camera system that records breathing and pulse, used by several NHS mental health trusts. [14]

   Why it matters — Lampard said both issues reach beyond Essex, to mental health units across England. [14] A mother whose daughter died says the cameras take away human contact, while LIO Health, which makes Oxevision, says it prevents serious incidents. [14]

10. 11

    A locker for abortion pills opens in Warsaw

    Campaigners in Poland opened what they call the world's first parcel locker for abortion pills, in Warsaw last week. [15] Women collect the pills anonymously from the 22-compartment machine with a six-digit code. [15] Poland bans abortion in almost all cases. [15] Taking the pills is not a crime, but helping someone get them can bring up to three years in prison. [15]

    Why it matters — The campaign groups say putting a machine between the giver and the taker makes the law less clear. [15] Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last year there was no majority in parliament to loosen the law, and hinted his government would not prosecute helpers. [15]

11. 12

    Novo study favours a higher Ozempic dose

    Novo Nordisk announced on 29 September a study of the records of 636,525 adults with type 2 diabetes. [16] Those who raised their Ozempic dose from 1mg to 2mg had a 6% lower risk of serious heart and blood-vessel events than those who switched to Lilly's Mounjaro. [16] The study read patients' records rather than assigning drugs at random. [16] After two years, 57.4% had stayed on 1mg and 5.7% had switched to Mounjaro. [16]

    Why it matters — Novo makes Ozempic and announced the results. [16] It and Lilly are competing for a US weight-loss and diabetes drug market that analysts expect to reach $100 billion to $150 billion by 2030. [16]

12. 13

    Flat-fee medicine plans grow as cover slips

    Amazon and GoodRx are signing up more Americans to monthly subscriptions that cover some medicines for one flat fee, Reuters reported on 29 September. [17] Amazon's RxPass costs $5 a month and GoodRx's Companion $14.99, each including some generic drugs, the cheap copies sold once a patent ends. [17] Amazon says RxPass users have nearly tripled since 2023. [17] GoodRx's subscription revenue rose 39%, to $28.5 million, in the second quarter. [17]

    Why it matters — Millions of Americans dropped Obamacare plans in 2026, and employers' costs are set to rise up to 11% next year. [17] Amazon offers about 50 generic drugs and GoodRx over 250, out of 30,000 approved in the US. [17]

13. 14

    Gut bacteria linked to an older-looking brain

    Researchers at UCLA Health used brain scans of nearly 1,500 adults to estimate how old each brain looked, and compared it with real age. [18] People whose brains looked older did worse on tests of working memory and planning, and reported more signs of depression. [18] In one group, stool samples showed that an older-looking brain went with certain gut bacteria and the chemicals they make. [18]

    Why it matters — The study looked at young and middle-aged adults, to find signs long before memory problems appear. [18] It measured everyone once, so it shows a link and cannot show that gut bacteria age the brain. [18]

14. 15

    Cell glue also clears away dead cells

    E-cadherin, a molecule that glues together the cells lining the skin, gut and airways, also helps those cells swallow dying neighbours, a study in Nature Communications reports. [19] A team led by Verena Ruprecht watched it happen in living zebrafish and mouse embryos. [19] When E-cadherin was blocked in mouse embryos, dying cells were left behind. [19] Each cell wraps its lower side around the dead cell while its upper side keeps the lining sealed. [19]

    Why it matters — Dead cells left in place can burst and feed long-lasting inflammation. [19] The work was done in embryos, and nobody yet knows whether adult or human tissue does the same. [19]