Merit Medical acquires imaging oncology company View Point Medical for $140M

 Merit Medical Systems (Nasdaq:MMSI) announced today that it acquired View Point Medical in a deal worth approximately $140 million.

South Jordan, Utah-based Merit agreed to pay $90 million in cash at closing. The deal also features two deferred payments of $25 million set for no later than the first and second anniversaries of the closing date, respectively. Through the merger transaction, Carlsbad, California-based View Point is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Merit.

View Point manufactures the OneMark detection imaging system and OneMark tissue markers. The FDA-cleared OneMark system features a surgical detection console and ultrasound-enhanced tissue markers. OneMark breast markers use silica microspheres, which don’t emit energy but change the timing of waves from ultrasound energy, which creates a bright color image showing the location of the marker.

After placement, View Point designed its tissue markers for visibility across commonly used imaging modalities. They also minimize interference with imaging studies.

Combining the Merit Scout surgical guidance platform with OneMark provides more localization options during the initial diagnostic biopsy. This could reduce the need for a second procedure to mark the location of a tumor prior to surgery.

Merit expects its acquisition to contribute revenue between $2 million and $4 million from today through the end of 2026. It anticipates an approximately 5¢ dilution to adjusted EPS, diluting both full-year GAAP net income and GAAP EPS.

For the 12 months ending Dec. 31, 2027, the company expects revenues between $14 million and $16 million. It anticipates at least 20% growth in OneMark sales per year.

https://www.massdevice.com/merit-medical-acquires-imaging-oncology-company-view-point-medical-for-140m/

Pfizer, BioNTech halt US COVID vaccine study after trial recruitment struggle

Vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech halted a large U.S. trial of their updated COVID-19 vaccine in healthy adults aged 50 to 64, saying enrollment in the trials had been too low to generate the needed data.

In a letter to trial investigators dated March ‌30, seen by Reuters and previously unreported, Pfizer said it would stop surveillance for signs of COVID illness of all participants in the study after April ‌3.



Enrollment was closed on March 6, following a review of current epidemiological trends, it said.


The move comes as COVID vaccine makers grapple with pushback from the U.S. administration and weak U.S. demand for the shots.

The U.S. Food ​and Drug Administration toughened requirements for COVID vaccine use last year, including asking for large, placebo-controlled trials in the 50-64 age group for it to be included in recommendations.

Pfizer and BioNTech told Reuters they had informed the FDA about their intent to halt the COVID-19 vaccine study, citing challenges getting enough participants. The target enrollment was roughly 25,000 to 30,000 participants.



"This study is not ending as a result of any safety or benefit-risk concerns. We intend to stop the study due to slow enrollment and therefore the inability to generate relevant post-marketing data," the ‌companies said.

Shares of Pfizer and U.S.-listed shares of BioNTech were ⁠up about half a percent, while rival COVID-vaccine maker Moderna was up 2%.

FDA vaccine chief Vinay Prasad, who had pushed for the placebo-controlled trials in healthy adults and children, is leaving the agency this month. At the meeting of the FDA's vaccine advisers last year, some ⁠experts warned that requiring large new trials could delay or limit the availability of updated shots for lower-risk groups.

The FDA was not immediately available for comment.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/exclusive-pfizer-biontech-halt-us-153939634.html

Bayer in Talks With European Governments on Higher Drug Prices

 

Bayer AG is in discussions with governments in Europe, Japan and other wealthy countries to push for higher prices on new medicines as the US seeks to rein in drug costs.

“In Europe, we need to raise the price level for new product launches,” said Stefan Oelrich, the head of Bayer’s pharmaceuticals division, in an interview. “Otherwise, as an industry — and this naturally applies to us as well — we’ll be faced with additional discounts in the US that wouldn’t allow us to recoup our total expenses.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-01/bayer-in-talks-with-european-governments-on-higher-drug-prices

Omeros up on Novo Nordisk deal windfall and drug launch optimism

 The company said that its fourth quarter results include a net gain of $237.6 million tied to the zaltenibart transaction with Novo Nordisk.

・The company’s Yartemlea was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy in December.

・The company is now looking forward to an approval for the therapy from the European Medicines Agency by mid-2026.

Shares of Omeros Corporation (OMER) rose 5% after hours on Tuesday after the company expressed optimism for its deal with Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk and regarding its other drugs.

The company reported net income for the fourth quarter of $86.5 million, compared to a net loss of $31.4 million in the corresponding quarter of 2024.

The company said that its fourth quarter results include a net gain of $237.6 million tied to the zaltenibart transaction with Novo Nordisk. Under the deal valued up to $2.1 billion, the Danish drugmaker received exclusive global rights in all indications to develop and commercialize Omeros’s zaltenibart and certain related antibodies and products.

The transaction was closed in November, triggering an upfront cash payment of $240 million. The company is now eligible to receive milestone payments and tiered royalties on annual global net sales of applicable products.

Remaining Lineup

The company’s Yartemlea was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of hematopoietic stem cell transplant-associated thrombotic microangiopathy in adults and in children ages two years and older in December. Commercial distribution and sales of Yartemlea in the U.S. began in January. The drug is now being prescribed to both adult and pediatric patients across both hospital and outpatient settings, the company said, while adding that it has engaged several of its workforce to engage directly with transplant centers across the United States.

The company is now looking forward to an approval for the therapy from the European Medicine Agency by mid-2026.

“Following FDA approval of Yartemlea with a broad label and no boxed warning, REMS, or required vaccinations, our commercial launch is well underway, and patients who urgently need the drug are now able to access it,” said Omeros CEO Gregory A. Demopulos. “Our partnership with Novo Nordisk expands the breadth of indications being pursued for zaltenibart and has provided — and should continue to provide — substantial operating capital... These successes are expected to fuel the development of a growing portfolio of commercial products from our robust pipeline as we target positive cash flow in 2027.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/companies/omer-stock-surges-5-after-hours-on-novo-nordisk-deal-windfall-and-drug-launch-optimism/ar-AA1ZRSQf

'Superpower, GRAIL Partnering to Expand Early Cancer Detection'

 Superpower, the first all-in-one proactive health platform, announced a strategic partnership with GRAIL, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRAL) to bring members access to the Galleri® multi-cancer early detection (MCED) test. Timed with the start of National Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Month, the partnership reflects a shared belief that cancer detection must evolve to meet a changing reality — removing traditional barriers to advanced testing and putting earlier insight, data, and control directly in people's hands.

Cancer is changing — screening has to change with it

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States, with an estimated 40% of Americans expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. It is a disease defined not by a single risk factor, but by biology, exposure, and time, often developing silently long before symptoms appear.

At the same time, cancer patterns are shifting. Early-onset cancers (diagnosed before age 50) have increased nearly 80% globally since 1990, with projections suggesting continued growth in the years ahead. This shift has underscored a broader reality: cancer often begins long before it is clinically detected, yet our screening systems have largely remained unchanged.

The early detection gap

Today's cancer screening standards address only a fraction of the problem. Recommended screening exists for just five cancer types, and as a result, nearly 86% of cancers are not caught by standard screening tests such as mammograms, colonoscopies, and PSA tests. Most cancers are still detected only after symptoms appear, often after disease has progressed.

With a disease this prevalent, the question is unavoidable: Why hasn't detection caught up?

"We treat red lights, not yellow ones," said Prabhat Dhar, EVP Enterprise at Superpower. "The healthcare system only reacts once conditions become diagnoses, claims, and long-term costs. Our partnership with GRAIL represents a fundamental shift, giving people the ability to screen for cancer signals before symptoms appear, when intervention can be most effective, while pairing it with Superpower's broader capabilities for a more comprehensive approach."

Expanding the early warning system

Through this partnership, Superpower members nationwide will have access to the Galleri test, a first-of-its-kind, clinically validated blood test that can detect a signal shared by more than 50 cancer types, including many of the deadliest cancers that lack recommended screening. The test also predicts the cancer signal origin, helping guide efficient diagnostic workup.

Recent data from GRAIL's PATHFINDER 2 study — the largest U.S. multi-cancer early detection interventional study to date — demonstrated that adding Galleri to standard recommended screenings increased cancer detection more than seven-fold. More than half of cancers detected were at stage I or II, when treatment outcomes are typically better.

Beyond the test: integrated health intelligence

Unlike standalone screening services, Superpower integrates the Galleri test into its preventative health platform. Members receive not just test results, but contextual interpretation alongside their 100+ biomarker panel, AI-powered insights, and access to care teams.

"A test result without context creates anxiety, not action," said Max Marchione, Superpower's Chief Executive Officer. "Our platform connects cancer screening data with the full picture of someone's biomarker health so members and their care teams can make informed decisions together."

Implications for employers and benefits leaders

For employers, the partnership addresses a critical gap in population health management. Cancer diagnoses often appear suddenly in claims data, long after the window for early intervention and screening has closed. By offering multi-cancer early detection alongside comprehensive biomarker testing, employers gain visibility into emerging risks before they become high-cost events.

Superpower's enterprise offering positions the Galleri test within a broader early warning system — identifying health risk signals that traditional benefits programs miss.

A new standard for proactive care

"We're witnessing the beginning of a transformative era for cancer screening," said Josh Ofman, MD, MSHS, President of GRAIL. "Superpower's integrated approach combining comprehensive biomarker testing with multi-cancer early detection represents the future of proactive health management. Together, we're working to make early detection accessible to more people, when cancer may be more treatable."

Availability

The Galleri test is available as an add-on through the Superpower platform. The test requires a prescription, is recommended for adults with an elevated risk for cancer such as those aged 50 or older, and should be used in addition to recommended single-cancer screening tests. Members can complete the blood draw through Quest Diagnostics' nationwide network of approximately 3,000+ patient access points and at home or at the office. 

https://www.morningstar.com/news/pr-newswire/20260401sf24651/cancer-is-striking-earlier-superpower-and-grail-are-partnering-to-expand-early-detection

Providence Mayor Demands Removal Of Iryna Zarutska Mural; "Does Not Reflect Our Values"

 by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,

Leftist politicians in Providence, Rhode Island, are erasing the memory of an innocent victim to shield their failed policies on crime and immigration. 

The nearly completed mural honoring Iryna Zarutska—the 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee brutally murdered on a North Carolina light rail train by a repeat offender—is being removed after pressure from Democrat leaders who called it divisive.

Conservative commentator Benny Johnson broke the story, posting: “Iryna Zarustka mural in Providence, RI, is being removed following protest of it by Mayor Brett Smiley. 

Mayor Brett Smiley immediately demanded the artwork come down. His office confirmed the move, and he released a statement: “The murder of the individual depicted in this mural was a devastating tragedy, but the misguided, isolating intent of those funding murals like the one across the county is divisive and does not represent Providence.”

“I continue to encourage our community to support local artists whose work brings us closer together rather than divide us,” Smiley further claimed.

State Rep. David Morales (D-RI) escalated the attack, claiming the mural was “nationwide right-wing propaganda” and declaring it “does not reflect our values” and “does not reflect Providence’s values.”

Elon Musk, who has funded some of the murals, responded directly to Morales’ remarks with a simple question: “What are his values?” 

The owners of The Dark Lady, a prominent downtown LGBTQ club, folded instantly. Identifying as “progressive Democrats,” they stated: “We’re sorry for the chaos this has caused. We are progressive Democrats, we do not support Donald Trump or politics of division, and our values are deeply rooted in inclusion, equality, and respect.”

This latest act of erasure follows a clear pattern. In February, leftist vandals twice defaced murals honoring the same victim in Chicago. 

In both cases, activists dismissed the memorials as “MAGA propaganda” simply for showing the deadly results of revolving-door justice and soft-on-crime policies.

X users quickly called out the double standard. One replied: “If this was a mural for a leftist cause, the Mayor would be out there for a ribbon cutting ceremony.” 

Another posted side-by-side images contrasting Zarutska with George Floyd:

A third summed it up succinctly 

The contrast is impossible to ignore. Murals, statues, and streets have been dedicated to George Floyd—a career criminal—while an innocent young woman who fled war in Ukraine only to be killed by America’s broken system is scrubbed from view the moment it becomes inconvenient.

Democrat officials cannot tolerate any reminder of how their policies produce victims like Iryna Zarutska. Every time such a mural appears, it forces a reckoning with the human cost of open borders and catch-and-release justice. And every time it gets protested, defaced, or removed, it proves why those policies must end.

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/providence-mayor-demands-removal-iryna-zarutska-mural-does-not-reflect-our-values

Tepper’s NFL Stadium Facelift Gets Nod for Muni-Bond Financing

 

Charlotte received the green light on Wednesday to sell $650 million of debt to help pay for upgrades to the home of the National Football League’s Carolina Panthers.

The North Carolina treasurer’s office approved the deal, which will support the $1.3 billion revamp of Bank of America Stadium, where Major League Soccer’s Charlotte Football Club also plays. A sports group run by billionaire David Tepper, called Tepper Sports & Entertainment, which owns both teams and the venue, will pay for the remainder.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-04-01/tepper-s-nfl-stadium-facelift-gets-nod-for-muni-bond-financing