• District of Columbia: U.S. Senators have launched investigations into private equity's growing ownership and operation of healthcare facilities, including hospitals and health systems and physician practices and clinics. According to the Washington Post, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) has "zeroed in on the hundreds of billions spent by private equity snapping up physician practices, hospitals, labs and nursing homes across the country." In June, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) sent a letter to Ascension Illinois asking about how private equity has impacted patients, healthcare quality, and outcomes at its hospitals. These investigations came just a few months after the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and HHS launched a "cross-government inquiry on (the) impact of corporate greed in health care," Forbes reports. Although it is not clear how the Senators' investigations will proceed, Markey's office said that he has developed legislation called the "Health Over Wealth Act" that would address private equity in healthcare. "The goal of my Health Over Wealth Act is to protect patients and providers by mandating the private equity company set aside funding to protect access to care, removing tax breaks that incentivize companies to strip hospital assets, and giving a bigger voice to workers and patients to review and block seats that would impact patient care, access or safety," Markey said. (Japsen, Forbes, 6/7)
• New York: Pfizer last week announced plans to advance a new once-a-day version of its experimental obesity drug danuglipron. Last year, Pfizer canceled a twice-daily version of the drug after disappointing Phase 2b trial results, which included high rates of adverse side effects and patient dropouts. According to the company, new results from an ongoing pharmacokinetic trial led it to choose to move forward with a once-daily version of the medication. However, the company plans to conduct dose optimization studies to evaluate multiple doses of the preferred release formation. In a state, Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer's chief scientific officer, said that obesity is "a key therapeutic area" for the company and that it currently has three clinical and several preclinical candidates in the field. (Herper/Chen, STAT_­+ [subscription required], 7/11)
• Washington: According to a study published in JAMA Network Open, girls in the United States have been experiencing their first periods earlier and earlier over the last 55 years. For the study, researchers analyzed data from over 71,000 women through the Apple Research App. Overall, they found that average age of menarche, or the first period, decreased from 12.5 years in 1950 to 1969 to 11.9 years in 2000 to 2005. It also took longer for periods to become regular. Between 1950 and 1969, 74% of participants reported their cycles became regular within two years of their first period. In comparison, only 56% of participants said the same between 2000 and 2005. According to STAT, both early menarche and irregular periods are associated with health issues, including an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and infertility. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, an assistant professor of environmental, reproductive, and women's health at Harvard University and a study co-author, said that "[w]e need significantly greater investment in early counseling, education around menstrual health as a vital sign, and individualized healthcare plans." (Merelli, STAT, 5/29)

Demand — and concern — is growing for the newest generation of weight loss drugs, and leaders have many questions about protocol, supply, and coverage of these drugs, as well as the consequences of patients using them for their unintended purpose. Radio Advisory's Rachel Woods walked through these questions with experts Kara Marlatt, Gaby Marmolejos, and Chloe Bakst and discussed the potential future of weight management in U.S. healthcare.