• District of Columbia: ATA Action, the lobbying arm of the American Telemedicine Association, has acquired the Digital Therapeutics Alliance (DTA) to increase its digital health presence and expand its advocacy for health technology. Through the acquisition, ATA will gain more pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers in its member base, expand its reach in health technology, and improve its international contacts. ATA will also help DTA promote its digital therapeutics policy at the state and federal levels. "A lot of our work has been downstream well after FDA has validated the technologies we're advocating for coverage of," said Kyle Zebley, executive director at ATA Action. "What's great about DTA is they're more upstream at the absolute cutting edge of regulatory approval for dynamic, new health tech solutions." (Beavins, Fierce Healthcare, 4/1)
• New York: According to the Wall Street Journal, WeightWatchers is preparing to file for bankruptcy in the next few months as part of a plan to transition control of the company to its creditors. The company, which has faced financial pressures from the rise of weight-loss drugs, is in negotiations with a key group of lenders and bondholders. Although WeightWatchers would prefer to restructure its balance sheet outside of court, a chapter 11 process is more likely since the company is publicly traded, people familiar with the situation said. Simpson Thacher & Bartlett and PJT Partners are advising WeightWatchers while a creditor group works with Gibson Dunn & Crutcher and Houlihan Lokey. Over the last year, WeightWatchers' CEO and CFO have left. In addition, Oprah Winfrey, a longtime face of the company and board member, stepped down from the board in early 2024, saying that she wanted to avoid a conflict of interest over a TV special she was making about weight-loss drugs. (Gladstone, Wall Street Journal, 4/9)
• Vermont: Cabot Creamery has recalled 1,700 pounds of salted butter due to contamination from coliform, bacteria that is found in animals' digestive tracts and waste. Although most types of coliforms will not cause illness, some subtypes, including E. coli, can cause gastrointestinal symptoms. The recall affects Cabot's Extra Creamy Premium Butter with sea salt, which was distributed in seven different states. Agri-Mark, Cabot's parent company, said that 99.5% of the affected products were "recovered" before they reached consumers. Only 17 packages were sold at retail in Vermont. So far, no illnesses have been reported as part of the recall. "Agri-Mark has identified the cause and has taken the appropriate internal actions to address it. No other products were affected," the company said. "Agri-Mark is dedicated to food safety and producing quality products and is always monitoring its products for compliance." (Martichoux, The Hill, 4/9)

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