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Cambridge biotech Sarepta wins fast-track approval for the first muscular dystrophy gene therapy

The FDA limited the approval of Sarepta Therapeutics’ treatment to patients ages 4 to 5 years old who still have the ability to walk.

Mass. ranks No. 1 in new report as the state with the best overall health care system
While preventable deaths rose during the pandemic, the state fared better than most others.

More than 2,300 people in Mass. died of an overdose in 2022, the highest number ever
State plans more spending, novel initiatives, and a look at overdose prevention sites in an effort to curb the rise in deaths.

GLOBE NH | MORNING REPORT
One year after Roe v. Wade was overturned, N.H. abortion providers say they feel the effects
They note that more people are coming from out of state for abortion care -- and more protests are taking place outside of some health centers.

Abortion funders shouldering unprecedented requests as prices skyrocket
Many requests come from Massachusetts, where inflation has made health care increasingly unaffordable.

Amesbury July 4 fireworks postponed until Labor Day weekend to protect endangered bobolink birds
The July 4th fireworks in Amesbury have been postponed until Labor Day weekend after endangered bobolink birds were discovered nesting in the area designated for the pyrotechnic display, officials said.

Featured stories

How a Boston doctor diagnosed the first US case of monkeypox

After a few days, the doctor noticed a telling change. The patient’s rash consisted of fluid-filled blisters that had a dent in the center. His rash looked like smallpox.

Once the ‘it’ supplement, vitamin D is losing its sparkle

Vitamin D supplements, regularly consumed by millions of Americans, have not held up to the considerable hype of warding off many common, dreaded diseases.

Right-wing groups hit Boston Children’s with barrage of threats over trans health program

A hostile online campaign has prompted the hospital to seek help from law enforcement.

This startup aims to delay menopause and prolong fertility with a new contraceptive

Oviva Therapeutics just raised $11.5 million to develop drugs based on the work of Mass. General researchers.
Biotech

Cambridge biotech Sarepta wins fast-track approval for the first muscular dystrophy gene therapy

The FDA limited the approval of Sarepta Therapeutics’ treatment to patients ages 4 to 5 years old who still have the ability to walk.

Flagship Pioneering unveils new biotech focused on ‘small molecule’ drugs

Cambridge-based Empress Therapeutics launches with at least $50 million from the venture firm behind Moderna.

Ultragenyx opens gene therapy plant in Bedford

The 110,000-square foot facility will manufacture treatments for ultra-rare and rare diseases.
Lifestyle

This Mass. city ranks as the best place to live for families in 2023, according to Fortune

The runner-up is also in New England, a city Fortune calls one of the region's “best-kept secrets.”

Her husband’s remains may have been stolen from Harvard morgue. She still plans to donate her body for medical research.

An Easton woman whose late husband’s remains may have been among those stolen from the Harvard Medical School morgue said Friday that she still plans to donate her body to the school when she dies, stressing the public shouldn’t lose sight of the donor program’s laudable mission.

Through immense grief, widower seeks to raise awareness of postpartum depression

Tyler Sutton's wife Ariana took her own life on May 31, nine days after she gave birth to twins and fell into the darkness of postpartum depression.
Spotlight

How Brigham Health helped create a Chinese hospital for elites — and almost nobody came

In a deal worth millions with Chinese developer Evergrande, a Harvard teaching hospital risked its reputation on what would become a near-empty shell.

Boston’s hospital chiefs moonlight on corporate boards at rates far beyond the national level

Hospital chiefs and trustees defend this as boosting public-private partnerships, but critics say these board positions — some paying millions of dollars — raise troubling issues of conflict of interest and hospital priorities.

More biotech and health care stories

The sale of body parts and grave robbing have a long, disturbing history

The scandal at Harvard Medical School's morgue prompted shock and horror. But the theft of dead bodies has long been a part of human history.

Here are the top children’s hospitals in the nation, according to US News & World Report

After nine years as the highest-ranking pediatric hospital in the country, Boston Children’s Hospital slipped from the No. 1 spot on the rankings. But it still took some top honors.

Flagship Pioneering unveils new biotech focused on ‘small molecule’ drugs

Cambridge-based Empress Therapeutics launches with at least $50 million from the venture firm behind Moderna.

Ultragenyx opens gene therapy plant in Bedford

The 110,000-square foot facility will manufacture treatments for ultra-rare and rare diseases.

Community health centers push for state support amid workforce shortages

The facilities, which serve over a million primarily low-income Massachusetts residents, “urgently need” investments to meet growing patient demand, leaders said.

Unanswered questions about stolen body parts eroding public faith in Harvard, crisis PR experts say

Harvard Medical School hasn’t explained key issues such as the level of monitoring and oversight it maintained over the bodies donated to the school for students to dissect in anatomy classes and in some cases for research.

A decade in the making, Dorchester Food Co-op eyes July opening

The Dorchester Food Co-op will open in July, bringing fresh, affordable produce to one of Boston’s most underserved neighborhoods and capping off a more than ten-year effort by local organizers.

This Mass. city ranks as the best place to live for families in 2023, according to Fortune

The runner-up is also in New England, a city Fortune calls one of the region's “best-kept secrets.”