• California: Kite Pharma, a subsidiary of Gilead, has acquired Interius BioTherapeutics and its single-shot CAR-T program for $350 million. Typically, CAR-T treatments are produced ex vivo, or outside of a patient's body, before they are reinfused. However, Interius and other startups have been developing in vivo treatments, which are designed to change immune cells inside the body and help avoid complex manufacturing or chemotherapy. Currently, Interius has an ongoing phase 1 clinical trial testing an in vivo CAR-T, which uses a virus engineered to target patients' immune cells. "While all Phase 1 data has not yet been publicly disclosed, we believe that Interius has vital IP and manufacturing processes that have enormous potential in the still nascent area of in vivo therapy," said Kite Pharma spokesperson Blair Baumwell. (Mast, STAT+ [subscription required], 8/21)
• District of Columbia: America's Essential Hospitals has named Jennifer DeCubellis as its new president and CEO, effective Sept. 22. DeCubellis will succeed Bruce Siegel, who announced his intention to retire from the organization in January. Siegel will remain on staff through the end of the year to help with the transition. Previously, DeCubellis was CEO of Hennepin Healthcare System for five years and served as deputy administrator of Hennepin County where she oversaw health and human services. She has also acted as an advisor for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. "I am honored to join a great team at America's Essential Hospitals, and I will work tirelessly to advocate for positive solutions to strengthen and sustain our nation’s essential hospitals for the patients and communities they serve," DeCubellis said. (Early, Modern Healthcare, 9/4)
• Maryland: FDA has approved a generic form of Saxenda, or liraglutide, for weight loss, making it the first-ever generic GLP-1 drug approved specifically for weight loss. Liraglutide was initially approved for chronic weight management in adults in 2014, and this indication was later expanded to include teenagers in 2020. FDA approved the generic form of liraglutide for use in adults with obesity or who are overweight with at least one weight-related comorbidity, as well as adolescents ages 12 to 17 who are over 132.2 pounds. In a statement, Teva Pharmaceuticals said the generic approval could help address "increased demand for this category of therapies in the U.S. market." (Monaco, MedPage Today, 8/28)

Vertical integration and consolidation are significantly altering the healthcare landscape. From health plans to retailers to incumbent health systems, consolidation is reshaping conventional norms in the industry. Radio Advisory's Rachel Woods sat down with Advisory Board experts Paul Trigonoplos and Eliza Dailey to discuss the reasons for and reactions to the recent explosion in consolidation across the industry and explore how different stakeholders are responding and where the future is heading for diversification and integration. Read a lightly edited excerpt from the interview and download the episode for the full conversation below.