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Biogen is replacing CEO Michel Vounatsos, the company said Tuesday, ending a five-year tenure in which he presided over the disastrous approval and rollout of its Alzheimer’s treatment, Aduhelm. The company also said it is “substantially eliminating” all spending on Aduhelm just 10 months after securing U.S. approval — a concession from the struggling biotech that the drug had become a financial liability following a Medicare decision to restrict patient access and payment. (Feuerstein and Garde, 5/3)

Online pharmacy startups have pledged to make it faster and easier than ever to get needed medications. But a high-profile series of setbacks is calling into question whether the realities of drug prescribing are clashing with those promises. In recent weeks, major brick-and-mortar pharmacy chains have stopped filling prescriptions for Adderall and other controlled stimulants sent in by telehealth providers including Cerebral, an online mental health company that has come under fire for its prescribing practices and its online advertisements touting an easy way to get treated for ADHD. On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Truepill — Cerebral’s “preferred pharmacy partner,” which completes online orders for drugs prescribed by Cerebral’s clinicians — would also stop filling those stimulant prescriptions out of an “abundance of caution.” (Ravindranath, 5/4)

As more expensive specialty drugs from Alzheimer treatments to new drugs for cancer hit the U.S. market, those handling prescriptions and their claims are bracing for an even larger focus on these costly medicines. Health plans and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) that manage drug costs speaking at this year’s Asembia Specialty Pharmacy Summit in Las Vegas say specialty drugs now account for 50% or greater of the total prescription spending they manage. In some cases, employer clients are seeing specialty costs account for 60% or even greater of their total drug spending. (Japsen, 5/3)

Bayer's (BAYGn.DE) Nubeqa drug won priority review status from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as the German drugmaker seeks to widen the use of the prostate cancer drug from an early disease stage to metastatic cases. The priority status was granted as the U.S. regulatory body accepted Bayer's supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for the use of Nubeqa, jointly developed with Finnish drugmaker Orion (ORNBV.HE), against metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer, Bayer said in a statement on Tuesday. (5/4)

In the most extensive public comments about the stewardship of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation since the founders announced their divorce a year ago, the philanthropy’s chief executive said there was now “zero expectation” for Melinda French Gates to step down as co-chair after two years as they both had agreed if the partnership was not working out. CEO Mark Suzman told STAT that even as they work through “the personal stuff,” Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates remain “deeply, passionately committed” to the foundation, often participating together on virtual meetings. He said he hears from them “often multiple times a day” on matters ranging from the pandemic response to microbiome research to combating malaria. (Berke, 5/3)

Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Ltd. needs clear commitments within weeks from African governments for orders of its Covid-19 vaccine or will recommit that production line to more in-demand anesthetics. The continent’s biggest drugmaker has been let down by the lack of interest in the shots -- a locally made version of Johnson & Johnson’s dose, according to head of strategic trade, Stavros Nicolaou. (Kew, 5/3)

Welltower Inc., the big healthcare-focused real-estate investment trust, made a nearly $5 billion all-cash bid for Healthcare Realty Trust Inc. shortly after the smaller REIT agreed to merge with a rival earlier this year, according to people familiar with the matter. Welltower remains interested after its bid was rejected and plans to say as much to Healthcare Realty this week, the people said. (Lombardo, 5/3)

Heywood Hospital is looking to join the UMass Memorial Health system, a move that would bring the two-hospital organization into the growing Worcester-based health system. The two health systems signed a letter of intent to conduct due diligence for a deal, a process the groups said could take up to a year. If the pair sign a definitive agreement, the deal would require Health Policy Commission review. (Bartlett, 5/3)

Pfizer Inc. expects demand for its Covid-19 antiviral drug to increase as governments return to replenish their supplies and seek to thwart surges as the pandemic virus continues to evolve. The treatment, a pill called Paxlovid, brought in $1.5 billion in sales during Pfizer’s first quarter, while its vaccine totaled $13.2 billion, reflecting the need for tools to combat the virus despite a slowdown in cases and a growing sense of life trying to return to normal. (Hopkins and Seal, 5/3)

United Physicians Inc. has created a joint venture with Texas-based service organization Agilon Health to boost outcomes and profit margins for care of its 37,000 Medicare Advantage patients. Under the deal, Agilon will put money in escrow for United's Medicare Advantage patients so the providers can enter into contracts under Medicare that tie their payments to outcomes and costs, a practice known as full-risk, value-based care. (Walsh, 5/3)

Banner Health is investing in ambulatory surgical center developer Atlas Healthcare Partners, the companies announced Tuesday. The deal builds on the four-year-old Banner Surgery Center collaboration between the two Phoenix-based companies and will enable Banner Health to double the number of ambulatory surgical centers in its not-for-profit system by 2025, according to a news release. The partners didn't disclose financial terms. (Abrams, 5/3)

Telehealth has improved care access for many patients, making it easier to reach a doctor at home or on the go—but it's posing new challenges for others. More than 5 million U.S. households, or 4%, speak limited English, according to the most recent U.S. Census estimates. Patients who don't speak English or who have limited English skills can run into challenges when seeking care via telehealth, despite federal protections. (Kim Cohen, 5/3)