• District of Columbia: Stephen Ubl, president and CEO of PhRMA, will step down from the company at the end of 2026. Ubl has led PhRMA, the largest pharmaceutical lobbying group in the United States, since 2015 and will remain in his position until a new leader is appointed. Currently, PhRMA's board has launched a search for Ubl's successor and said that he will support the transition. "I'm incredibly proud of what we accomplished over the past ten years, and I look forward to continuing to support the industry and the patients it serves in the next phase of my career," Ubl said in a statement. "In the meantime, I remain fully committed to advancing PhRMA's priorities and supporting a strong, seamless transition in the months ahead." Under Ubl's leadership, PhRMA tackled policy issues like pharmacy benefit managers and the 340B program and expanded its partnerships with employers, pharmacists, patient groups, and provider organizations. (Jeffries, Becker's Hospital Review, 4/9; Chu, et al., Politico, 4/8)
• District of Columbia: According to a new report from the FBI, the healthcare and public health sector was the most common target of cyber threats in 2025. The healthcare and public health sector had the highest number of cybercrime events in 2025 at 642. It also had the highest number in 2024. Financial services had the second highest number of cybercrimes at 447. The healthcare and public health sector also had 460 ransomware attacks (the highest of all industries) and 182 data breaches (the third-most of all industries). According to the FBI, the top ransomware variants affecting healthcare, government facilities, and critical manufacturers were Akira, Qlin, INC./Lynx/Sinobi, BianLian, Play, Ransomhub, Lockbit, Dragonforce, SAFEPAY, and Medusa. Last August, the FBI disrupted the BlackSuit or Royal ransomware gang, which targeted hospitals. The agency was also able to recover assets in 65% of healthcare cybercrimes. (Bruce, Becker's Health IT, 4/9)
• Georgia: According to a new CDC survey, physicians and pharmacists had the highest vaccination rates for flu and COVID-19. Of the 2,650 healthcare workers surveyed, 76.3% received a flu vaccine in 2024-2025, with the highest rates among pharmacists (94.6%), doctors (92.6%), NPs (88%), and nurses (79.8%). Meanwhile, 40.2% of healthcare workers received a COVID-19 vaccine, an increase from 31.3% during the prior season. The groups with the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates were doctors (46.7%) and pharmacists (41.3%), followed by NPs (32.4%) and nurses (26.8%). The survey also found that more healthcare workers were vaccinated against flu and COVID-19 when their workplaces required vaccination or offered the shots on-site. "A multipronged approach, including educating [healthcare personnel] about vaccination recommendations, coupled with employer vaccination requirements, recommendations, or on-site offer for vaccinations, might increase influenza and COVID-19 vaccination coverage," the researchers wrote. (Rudd, MedPage Today, 4/3)

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