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Featured Story   Eli Lilly Makes Another In Vivo Medicines Acquisition The deal Eli Lilly is expanding its scope in immunology by acquiring startup Orna Therapeutics, developer of "circular RNA" therapies. Orna's research has led to partnerships with Merck and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. But rather than partnering with Orna, Lilly is acquiring the entire company for up to $2.4 billion, a sum that includes an upfront payment and potential milestone payments. The drug RNA is inherently unstable, so it doesn't last long in the body. Orna addresses this problem by making RNA in a circle, a shape that leads to a more stable and durable therapy. Lead Orna program ORN-252 is an in vivo circular RNA therapy designed to get a patient's immune cells to target CD19, a protein on disease-driving B cells. Why this matters to patients By depleting pathogenic B cells, the hope is that the new cells that take their place do not target healthy tissue, essentially resetting the immune system. During the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology this past December, Orna presented preclinical data showing its therapy depleted disease-driving B cells. Lilly and Orna say this program is "clinical-trial ready." The bigger picture Leerink Partners analysts see the Orna acquisition as a continuation of Lilly's efforts to develop in vivo medicines. Last summer, Lilly paid $1 billion to acquire partner Verve Therapeutics, developer of in vivo gene-editing medicines for cardiovascular conditions. Lilly is the latest company to strike a business deal for an in vivo cell therapy. In the past year, AstraZeneca, AbbVie, Gilead Sciences and Bristol Myers Squibb have all made acquisitions in this space. Soundbite "Experiments to date suggest that Orna's circular RNA platform may deliver more durable expression of therapeutic proteins and therefore unlock treatments that are not feasible with current RNA or cell therapy platforms," Lilly and Orna said in the acquisition announcement. —By Frank Vinluan Sponsored   Boost Patient Referrals, Engagement,and Operational Efficiency Presented by RingCentral Healthcare organizations are facing more pressure than ever to keep patients loyal and keep referral pipelines full. John Poli breaks down how modern cloud communications are doing more than just connecting calls—they are turning raw patient data into a competitive advantage.  Learn how. Top Stories   NYU Langone Taps Isaac Health For Dementia Care Teaming up NYU Langone Health is launching a new telehealth model for Alzheimer's and memory care through a partnership with Isaac Health, a virtual platform for specialist-led dementia care. Founded in 2022, New York-based Isaac seeks to close the gap between rising demand for memory care and a shortage of specialists. The partnership brings together NYU's clinical expertise in neurology and memory care with Isaac's ability to deliver specialty care virtually and at scale. How does it work? NYU clinicians refer their patients to Isaac, and then instead of waiting months for a specialty appointment, they are scheduled quickly for a virtual visit with a brain health expert, typically within a week or so, according to Joel Salinas, Isaac's co-founder and chief medical officer. Isaac designed its platform so that patients can stay connected to NYU's broader system for in-person visits, diagnostics or advanced treatments when needed, he added. Patients are followed over time — receiving ongoing care management, access to a 24/7 support line and regular check-ins as their needs change. Seeking more health system partners Through its partnerships with health systems, Isaac is aiming to remove geographic and logistical barriers so that patients can be reached by memory care specialists earlier in the disease course, as well as provide care that preserves their independence and quality of life for as long as possible. NYU is the first major health system to embed Isaac's virtual model directly into its care pathways, and it could offer a blueprint for how health systems can scale high-acuity, aging-related care amid neurologist shortages and soaring demand, Salinas noted. The company already has several partnerships with health plans, including Atrio Health Plans and Independence Blue Cross. The soundbite "The goal is to dramatically shorten the time it takes for people to access expert brain health and memory care. Today, many patients wait a year or more for help. This model aims to get them seen within days," Salinas declared. — By Katie Adams Where Europe Stands on Single-Use Device Reprocessing Here's a surprise Europe is usually ahead of the United States when it comes to initiatives to reduce environmental harm and improve sustainability. However, while single-use device reprocessing regulation came into place in the United States in 2000, the EU has not had a centralized single-use device reprocessing policy. Instead, the EU has an opt-in system that allows member countries to decide whether or not they want to permit single-use device reprocessing. It's fragmented There are places in Europe that have pursued single-use device reprocessing as a sustainability strategy. Germany has allowed reprocessing for years and is the only country with an existing, mature reprocessing industry. The United Kingdom today has arguably the most progressive reprocessing policy of all of Europe, with mandates for healthcare facilities. But others have stubbornly resisted. This happened because the EU is not a federal system like the United States. Regional and national differences are often allowed to co-exist without attempts to create EU harmonization. But in this instance, it hinders investment, keeps prices high and limits potential environmental benefits. A possible solution Late last year the European Commission released a proposed amendment to the existing legislation that effectively removes the opt-in option and creates centralized and harmonized rules for single-use device reprocessing ("fully refurbished medical devices") across all member countries. The amendment now needs to go through the Parliament and the European Council for approval, a process that will take at least six months. — By MedCity Influencer Lars Thording Video   Video: Doomed to deskilled dumb docs? Want to know more about deskilling? Read what a Lancet study found.

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