In Shanghai’s ‘Science City,’ China’s ascendant biotechs make their pitch to the world Inside Jefferies’ first investors conference in the metropolis: ‘It’s really blowing like everyone’s mind, right?’

https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/01/china-biotech-boom-jefferies-conference-shanghai/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--YBqppQ5TYrEwP46mLxsgueQlt-qThe9KBznjplpHrVddVI-uMdww6mGIYn-X1JvgZksst3f-PdJQj9bdigoe0oCzcBA&_hsmi=441959965&utm_content=441959965&utm_source=hs_email By Jason MastOct. 1, 2026 General Assignment Reporter A gaggle of investors. A shimmering “Science City.” And a surefire confidence that drug development in China is faster, cheaper, and more efficient than anywhere else in the world — including the United States. STAT’s Jason Mast flew to Shanghai to witness a two-day biotech summit that featured a frenzy of dealmaking as everyone tried to cash in on Chinese-designed drugs, which now make about a third of the world's pipeline and draw more than half of all licensing or collaboration deals. The Chinese Communist Party is confident that its drug developers will have at least five blockbuster drugs by 2030. Given all this, does the U.S. still have the scientific edge?

Trump administration appeals ruling blocking limits on international student visas

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mad.305059/gov.uscourts.mad.305059.53.0.pdf?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9MFeDAjICBPegzoh0Vj8Ld8Qdx8Lr4AYxlS3kN24BOV8-Wi2t0QYdz0cy9aKGVZv0z6makQ7FXdzlraG0YKtBFgx2Fxg&_hsmi=441959965&utm_content=441959965&utm_source=hs_email Trump administration appeals ruling blocking limits on international student visas The Department of Homeland Security on Wednesday appealed a court ruling blocking it from restricting how long international students and postdoctoral researchers can remain in the United States. DHS is seeking to implement a four-year cap on how long these researchers can stay in the country, arguing that a longstanding policy that allowed them to remain for the length of their training promoted fraud. A coalition of academic groups sued the Trump administration, alleging that the policy violates federal law concerning the implementation of new regulations and would jeopardize the nation's scientific preeminence. A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction preventing DHS from implementing its four-year cap while the lawsuit moves forward. The administration is hoping that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit will overturn this injunction. — Jonathan Wosen Visa time limits on foreign Ph.D. students and postdocs will harm U.S. science, experts warn New rule would require Homeland Security approval for stays longer than four years https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/28/dhs-visa-policy-change-international-students-scientific-research-impact/?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--HO74HiFUU2yUyqCm_bJNWXr66gpn72YpBu_KHEP4eramRuEZn86A6YLDyrUOmO5ssk2V25J5e8mrz7yhrlWWHRwCKXw&_hsmi=441959965&utm_content=441959965&utm_source=hs_email By Jonathan WosenJuly 28, 2026 West Coast Biotech & Life Sciences Reporter

Can a top Republican from a bygone political era fix pharma’s woes in Washington? Eric Cantor once led a GOP revolution. Now he’ll guide PhRMA through Trump’s

https://www.statnews.com/2026/10/01/eric-cantor-phrma-populist-drug-policy/ In the television show “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” there’s a recurring gag where the main characters destroy a cabbage seller’s cart, causing the heads to spill everywhere. It happens a lot. I wonder if Eric Cantor might relate to that cabbage seller right now, at least a little bit. The drug industry lobbying group PhRMA has tapped the former GOP House majority leader as pharma’s top voice in Washington, just as calls for lower drug prices and a change to the status quo reach a fever pitch. Cantor has tangled with populism before. He was seen as effective as the party’s “chief political strategist” during his time in Congress, but he couldn’t survive his brush with an insurgent, right-wing Republican, who unseated Cantor in 2014. Can he navigate better this time on behalf of pharma? By Daniel PayneOct. 1, 2026 Washington Correspondent

BOTCHED EXECUTION (++)

BOTCHED EXECUTION The New York Times: Tennessee Death Row Inmate Christa Pike Still Alive After Attempts To Execute Her, Lawyers Say A Tennessee woman convicted of murder survived two doses of lethal injection on Wednesday night before state officials suspended the execution and had her taken to a hospital for medical care, her lawyers said. It was the second botched execution in the state this year. ... It was not immediately clear what went wrong with the administration of the drugs, or what Christa Pike's medical condition was. In a statement late Wednesday, her lawyers said that she was at a nearby hospital but that they did not know her condition. Tennessee officials confirmed to a federal judge late Wednesday that Ms. Pike was receiving medical care. (Cochrane and Marimow, 10/1) https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/30/us/christa-pike-stay-execution-tennessee.html?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9-MbYscZRnG44R3ZN5a94OqN1eVvWQ701ouHjcc6_a08IGUT9r0GCluj1DUkxm8QKoWr8G03NUoPV5vS6rwJOq9Gb2tQ&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email NPR: Tennessee’s Failed Execution Ignites A Medical Ethics Debate In May, a group of healthcare workers spent about an hour trying to establish complete IV access so they could inject Tony Carruthers, an inmate at the Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, with a lethal dose of sedative. Maria DeLiberato, an attorney for Carruthers, was in the room. She said the workers stuck his arms and feet with needles, to no avail. A doctor then tried to insert a central line through his collarbone and shoulder. That didn't work, either. (Sweeney, 10/30) https://www.npr.org/2026/09/30/nx-s1-5981250/tennessee-execution-tony-carruthers-christa-pike-medical-ethics-lethal-injection?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8LnqWZaLrsRmuTOuAJOddAvSaZgZmInI6azV4DD08y6I3vg_KQY12y8AiSm0wACrHooED2DF97HECg_vfVNMM_Jgv75Q&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES (+++)

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES KFF Health News: Hospitals Have A Little-Known Tool To Prevent Medical Debt. Here’s How It Works If you have medical debt, there’s a good chance you owe money to a hospital. One way patients can avoid medical debt is through hospital financial assistance, also known as charity care. Most of the nation’s hospitals offer free or discounted medical care to patients with very high medical debt or low incomes. Getting financial assistance, however, can be challenging. Many patients don’t know that hospitals offer financial help, surveys show, and complex application forms leave others stymied. (Evans, 10/1) https://kffhealthnews.org/health-care-costs/medical-debt-hospital-bills-presumptive-eligibility-explainer-charity-care/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8a2_ox803KGU3pXBblWUVhE0H9FTehEHVsdiirtWjl3dk5sknuTy4PME8K2aMT7bLL574uCGPhsSrlu3vwhtjLMjPlwg&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Healthcare Is Scary. Channel Your Fears Into A Haiku Something wicked this way comes, and it’s 5-7-5. Our annual Halloween haiku contest is back, and we’re once again summoning readers to turn the horrors of healthcare into three tiny lines of poetry. Surprise us with a verse about medical bills, insurance, hospitals, health policy, or whatever else keeps you up at night. Whether you’re inspired by a botched surgery, a ghastly charge, or insurance-induced existential dread, we want to read about it. Our newsroom’s panel of judges will choose their favorites, which we’ll share on our social channels. Winning haikus will be announced on Friday, Oct. 30. (10/1) https://kffhealthnews.org/news/halloween-haiku-contest-2026-scary-healthcare/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--QVUw3YdLKbrrZgrD03NEiI8i8NNpk6qED59HahH0o7XfwNj6W-agU4UdShgXMh2sUbXDBCdLR0XFqcQiGHe4bXwKYAg&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’ Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: If you’re an older patient taking a long list of medications, consider reviewing them with a primary care provider to make sure they’re helping more than hurting. Plus, states are experimenting with Medicaid meal deliveries to cut costs and improve patients’ health. (10/1) https://kffhealthnews.org/news/listen-to-the-latest-kff-health-news-minute/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9loCEPyz-bmSobcQDxFD2JTM8o8DRK7XdCmxJNSc8rx9EyxSxHmDz7H-uE2UDiKYNwdw9TiIkbiM0LSEYeuKkNlP3RKw&_hsmi=442015843&utm_content=442015843&utm_source=hs_email