Weekly Recap: 15 Health Press Releases You Need to See

A roundup of the most newsworthy healthcare press releases from PR Newswire this week, including new telehealth pathways for patients seeking GLP-1 medication and resources for Mental Health Awareness Month.

NEW YORK, May 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire. To help healthcare journalists and consumers stay on top of the week's most newsworthy and popular releases, here's a recap of some major stories from the week that shouldn't be missed.

The list below includes the headline (with a link to the full text) and an excerpt from each story. Click on the press release headlines to access accompanying multimedia assets that are available for download.

1. Novo Nordisk announces that CVS Caremark®, the country's largest PBM, has decided Wegovy® will be the preferred GLP-1 medicine covered for obesity on its template formularies
   Wegovy® will be the preferred GLP-1 medicine for obesity on the largest commercial template formularies for CVS Caremark, the largest Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) in the US, effective July 1, 2025.
2. AFSP Encourages Building Resilience This Mental Health Awareness Month
   With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) is sharing strategies, resources and events to encourage personal and community resilience.
3. Heart Disease Deaths Worldwide Linked to Chemical Widely Used in Plastics
   "There is a clear disparity in which parts of the world bear the brunt of heightened heart risks from phthalates," said study senior author Leonardo Trasande, MD, MPP. "Our results underscore the urgent need for global regulations to reduce exposure to these toxins, especially in areas most affected by rapid industrialization and plastic consumption," added Trasande, the Jim G. Hendrick, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
4. Regulus Therapeutics Enters into Agreement to be Acquired by Novartis AG
   Novartis will acquire Regulus for $7.00 per share in cash, with the potential to receive an additional $7.00 per share in cash through a contingent value right, for a total equity value of up to approximately $1.7 billion.
5. Charles Barkley Partners with Ro as GLP-1 Celebrity Ambassador
   As part of the partnership, Barkley will star in a series of new ads for Ro's GLP-1 offering — all driven by his signature personality and off-the-cuff commentary. The ads spotlight the convenience of Ro's digital experience, including access to GLP-1 medications, and the ability to check insurance coverage up front, for free, before getting started with Ro.
6. New Survey Reveals More than a Third of Americans Skipped or Postponed Healthcare Due to Costs, Up from 2023
   In the past 12 months, 38% of respondents skipped or postponed necessary healthcare or medications because of the cost. In addition, 42% of those who indicated they skipped care admitted their health problem worsened – marking approximately one sixth of the population who experienced worse health outcomes as a direct result of rising healthcare prices.
7. Biohaven Announces Investment up to $600 Million by Oberland Capital
   "We are pleased to have both the support and confidence of Oberland Capital, an exceptional partner with a proven track record in funding companies through the complexities of rare disease product launches," said Matt Buten, Chief Financial Officer at Biohaven.
8. Medtronic Expand URO U.S. clinical trial meets safety and effectiveness primary endpoints for Hugo™ robotic-assisted surgery system
   The prospective, multi-center, single-arm IDE study included 137 patients who underwent urologic procedures using the Hugo™ robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) system. The data was described by the American Urologic Association (AUA) as a "practice-changing, paradigm-shifting (P2) clinical trial in urology."
9. Chipotle Celebrates Teachers and the Healthcare Community with More Than $2 Million in Free Burritos
   Chipotle is inviting educators and healthcare professionals to sign up for a chance to receive free burritos in celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week and National Nurses Week. A total of 100,000 teachers and 100,000 healthcare workers, verified through ID.me, will receive free entrée e-gift cards.
10. Blooming Health Raises $26M Series A to Transform Social Care with AI
    The AI agent engages directly with people (often older adults and vulnerable populations) via text or phone, helping identify needs and connecting them to services in seconds. Meanwhile, Blooming Health helps 1,000+ community organizations, government agencies, and healthcare providers more effectively reach and manage their populations at scale.
11. Poise^® and Katherine Heigl Introduce Limited-Edition Mother's Day Cards to Get Real About Bladder Leaks with Humor and Honesty
    The cards are designed not just to celebrate moms, but to also spark candid conversations about bladder leaks, a common but often overlooked part of the postpartum, perimenopause, and menopause experience.
12. New Clinical Study Data Showcase Long-Term, Sustained Benefits of Abbott's Volt™ PFA System for Patients with AFib
    "Our goal from the beginning with the Volt PFA System was to design a PFA system that would provide outstanding results in patients battling a range of atrial arrhythmias, and the latest data from the Volt CE Mark Study is confirmation that the system will truly impact patient care in a positive way," said Christopher Piorkowski, M.D., chief medical officer of Abbott's electrophysiology business.
13. Wellness Pet and Strava Launch "Wellness Pet Minutes That Matter Challenge" for Pet Parents this Mental Health Awareness Month
    The nationwide month-long challenge (May 1-31, 2025) calls for pets and pet parents to get outside, get active and get connected one walk, hike or jog at a time. Hosted on Strava's platform of 150 million members, logging more than 40 million activities per week, the challenge encourages participants to log 250 minutes of movement with their dog in May.
14. eHealth Introduces AI Voice Agents to Enhance Customer Experience in Health Plan Selection
    This launch marks a significant milestone in eHealth's ongoing, multi-year strategy to leverage AI empathetically, enhancing the expertise of licensed insurance agents to provide an exceptional consumer experience.
15. Amgen Announces $900 Million Manufacturing Expansion, Creation of 350 New Jobs in Ohio
    "Today's investment reinforces our ongoing commitment to expanding U.S. manufacturing and ensuring patients around the world have access to our innovative medicines," said Robert A. Bradway, chairman and chief executive officer at Amgen. "Ohio offers a supportive business climate, skilled workforce, and strategic location, making it an ideal choice for this next phase of our investment."

For more news like this, check out all of the latest health-related releases from PR Newswire.

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