Alabama hospital system would gain monopoly with proposed $450 million deal ++++++

Alabama hospital system would gain monopoly with proposed $450 million deal People in Huntsville would have just one choice for local care: Huntsville Hospital https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/huntsville-hospital-merger-antitrust-concerns-alabama/ By Bob HermanJan. 22, 2026 Business of Health Care Reporter As FDA raises bar in rare diseases, pivotal moment nears for RegenxBio Plus: Why an upcoming study readout is a big deal for Cytokinetics https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/biotech-rare-diseases-regenxbio-cytokinetics/ By Adam FeuersteinJan. 22, 2026 Senior Writer, Biotech A Goldilocks approach to centralization of high-risk pathogen research This work needs better standards and balance, not fewer labs https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/22/high-risk-pathogen-research-centralization-concerns/ By David Gillum, Anemone Franz, An Tran, and Kathleen M. VogelJan. 22, 2026 Gillum is associate vice president of compliance and research administration and adjunct faculty in the School of Public Health at the University of Nevada, Reno. Franz is a visiting research fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Tran is a Ph.D. student in the Environmental Science and Health Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. Vogel is a professor at the School for the Future of Innovation in Society at Arizona State University. Slingshot pulls therapy chatbot Ash out of U.K. over regulatory concerns The company has said the bot is a ‘wellbeing’ product and not a medical device https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/21/slingshot-therapy-chatbot-ash-uk-regulatory-concerns/ By Mario AguilarJan. 21, 2026 Health Tech Correspondent OpenEvidence raises $250 million, doubling its valuation CEO says $12 billion valuation reflects business potential beyond advertising https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/21/health-ai-starutup-openevidence-raises-250-million/ By Mario AguilarJan. 21, 2026 Health Tech Correspondent As U.S. prepares to exit WHO, it is stiffing the agency on a large bill Hundreds of millions are owed, but no one expects Trump administration to pay https://www.statnews.com/2026/01/21/trump-withdrawal-world-health-organization-leaves-unpaid-bills-behind/ By Helen BranswellJan. 21, 2026 Infectious Diseases Correspondent