A patient in Germany who was diagnosed with HIV has been cured after receiving HIV-resistant stem cells in a bone marrow transplant, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from Illinois, New Jersey, and New York.

• Illinois: The Chartis Group on Tuesday published a report that found that Medicare Advantage (MA) growth slowed for the 2023 plan year. For 2023, enrollment increased by just 5.5%, down from a record 9% in 2022. According to Nick Herro, a principal at the Chartis Group and co-author of the study, the decline was driven by several states that saw a decrease in the number of people that signed up for private Medicare plans. In addition, Herro noted that health insurance companies devoting marketing efforts to beneficiaries who were eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid may have contributed to this year's MA enrollment. "There may have been a shift of focus to [special needs] plans, which is a comparatively smaller pool to sell into, that distracted plans from the broader [Medicare Advantage] population," Herro said. (Tepper, Modern Healthcare, 2/21)

• New Jersey: Reckitt on Monday announced that two batches of Enfamil ProSobee Simply Plant-Based Infant Formula are being recalled "due to a possibility of cross-contamination with Cronobacter sakazakii." According to FDA, cronobacter bacteria can cause severe, life-threatening sepsis infections, or meningitis. The recalled formula "should be disposed of or returned to the place of purchase for a total refund," Reckitt said. Currently, Reckitt said there have been "no reported adverse consumer reactions to date." The "batches in question tested negative for Cronobacter and other bacteria and this is an isolated situation," the company said. "After a thorough investigation, we have identified the root cause, which was linked to a material from a third party. We have taken all appropriate corrective actions, including no longer sourcing this material from the supplier." (Tyko, Axios, 2/21)

• New York/Germany: A patient in Germany who was diagnosed with HIV has been cured after receiving HIV-resistant stem cells in a bone marrow transplant designed to treat leukemia, according to a study published Monday in Nature Medicine. For the treatment, a team at University Hospital Düsseldorf gave the patient donor cells that do not have CCR5 — the receptor that HIV particles use to infect cells. Researchers monitored the patient for overnine years following the 2013 transplant, and they noted that there is now "strong evidence" that he has been cured. In 2018, the patient stopped receiving antiretroviral therapy, and has been free of HIV ever since, making him the fifth known case of HIV being cured in a patient. According to Björn-Erik Jensen, the virologist who led the study, the research "shows it's not impossible — it's just very difficult — to remove HIV from the body." (Choi, The Hill, 2/20; Ables, Washington Post, 2/21)