• California: According to new research from TRM Labs, a ransomware group called Embargo has extorted millions of dollars from several U.S. organizations, including multiple hospitals. Embargo, which emerged in 2024, has so far been linked to an estimated $34.2 million in cryptocurrency transactions. Most of the group's victims have been healthcare, business services, and manufacturing organizations. Some notable healthcare organizations impacted by Embargo include American Associated Pharmacies, Memorial Hospital and Manor, and Weiser Memorial Hospital. Healthcare organizations are often targeted by ransomware groups because operational disruptions can impact patient care, TRM Labs said. (Diaz, Becker's Health IT, 8/11)
• New York: According to a new study from researchers from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, AI chatbots designed for medical support often spread medical misinformation. In the study, the researchers tested how AI chatbots respond to fictional patient scenarios that use made-up medical terms. According to the researchers, the chatbots often accepted the false information without question and generated detailed responses about conditions, symptoms, and treatments that didn't exist. However, the chatbots' rate of errors dropped significantly after researchers added a sentence warning the AI that the information provided could be inaccurate — suggesting that even minimal safeguards can help reduce misinformation generated by AI programs. The study's findings support the need to test AI tools with fabricated test scenarios before they're used in clinical settings, the researchers said. Currently, the researchers are planning to apply the study's method to deidentified patient data and explore other potential safety prompts and retrieval tools. (Diaz, Becker's Hospital Review, 8/6)
• North Carolina/Pennsylvania: Last week, GSK announced that it would receive a $370 million settlement as part of patent litigation related to mRNA COVID-19 vaccines. As part of the settlement, GSK will receive an upfront payment of $320 million in cash through an existing license agreement with CureVac. The remainder of the money will be received through an amendment to the agreement. GSK will also receive a 1% royalty on future U.S. sales from any mRNA vaccine products made by Pfizer and BioNTech, including for flu and COVID-19. In addition, CureVac reported that it had reached a series of agreements with Pfizer and BioNTech to resolve all pending U.S. patent litigation with GSK related to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines. Under the agreements, CureVac and GSK would receive a payment of $740 million. Although Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment, BioNTech said the settlement did not represent an admission of liability. The company has also denied allegations about patent infringement from both GSK and CureVac. (Goriainoff, Wall Street Journal, 8/8)

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