• California: According to a new study from researchers at the University of California, San Diego, a new blood test could help determine women's dementia risk as early as 25 years before symptoms emerge. For the study, researchers analyzed blood samples from 2,766 women who participated in the Women's Health Initiative Memory Study in the late 1990s. After tracking the participants for up to 25 years, the researchers found the biomarker phosphorylated tau 217 (p-tau217) was "strongly associated" with future mild cognitive impairment and dementia. Participants with higher levels of p-tau217 at the beginning of the study were "much more likely" to develop dementia in the future, the researchers wrote. "The key takeaway is that our study suggests it may be possible to detect risk of dementia two decades in advance using a simple blood test in older women," said Aladdin Shadyab, an associate professor of public health and medicine at UC San Diego and the study's lead author. According to Shadyab, the long lead time before diagnosis could help researchers develop earlier prevention strategies and more targeted monitoring. (Rudy, Fox News, 3/10)
• District of Columbia/Illinois: According to a new report from AHIP and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, health insurers have reduced prior authorizations for a variety of services by 11% since last year, which is equal to 6.5 million fewer prior authorization requests. For Medicare Advantage specifically, prior authorization requests were down 15%. Last June, over 50 health insurers pledged to standardize and reform prior authorization processes to reduce the burden on providers and improve patients' access to care. Some changes insurers made include reducing the number of services that require prior authorization, implementing solutions for electronic prior authorization, and using more consumer-friendly language in determinations to help patients understand what their next steps could be. "Health plans have taken important initial steps to support patients and are working toward the shared goal of delivering answers at the point of care whenever possible—a goal that will require both plans and providers to eliminate manual processes and adopt real-time electronic data sharing," said AHIP President and CEO Mike Tuffin. (Minemyer, Fierce Healthcare, 4/7)
• Massachusetts: Biogen has agreed to acquire Apellis Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth approximately $5.6 billion. According to Biogen, the acquisition will help the company enhance its short- and long-term revenue growth profile by adding two commercialized and differentiated immunology and rare disease medicines. Syfovre is Apellis' treatment for geographic atrophy, an immune-mediated retinal disease, and Empaveli, is a treatment for rare, immune-mediated kidney diseases. These two treatments achieved combined net sales of $689 million in 2025 and will immediately boost Biogen's revenue. "Consistent with our strategy, this acquisition immediately advances Biogen's ongoing transformation," said Biogen president and CEO Christopher Viehbacher. "The addition of Apellis expands our growth portfolio in immunology and rare disease with two approved, best-in-class medicines that complement our existing portfolio and bolsters our near- and long-term growth potential." (Hart, Wall Street Journal, 3/31; Biogen news release, 3/31)

Discover four key drivers shaping the delivery of care for patients with neurodegenerative diseases.