1. Federal prosecutors charge 15 in Los Angeles health care fraud takedown (See lead article.)
Sober-home recruiting, unneeded artery procedures and hospice enrollment of patients who were not dying are among the schemes alleged.
The Justice Department announced charges on October 22 against 15 defendants, including six medical professionals, in cases it says involved roughly $1.8 billion to $2 billion in fraudulent claims, depending on which release is cited [1][2]. The centerpiece is an addiction treatment case the department calls its largest of its kind. All charges remain allegations except where a plea is noted.
2. FDA approves bepirovirsen (Hibsago), a first-of-its-kind treatment for chronic hepatitis B
For a subset of patients, a 24-week course of injections may make it possible to stop long-term hepatitis B medicine.
The FDA approved GSK's Hibsago on October 20 for certain adults without cirrhosis whose virus is suppressed on antiviral therapy and whose HBsAg level is 3,000 IU/mL or less; it is the first antisense oligonucleotide approved for the disease [3]. Across two placebo-controlled trials, 24% of treated patients met criteria to stop their existing medicine versus none on placebo, and 19% still had the virus controlled with undetectable HBsAg 24 weeks after stopping all treatment [3][4]. The label carries a boxed warning for serious liver reactions and low platelet counts, and the trial program enrolled 1,834 participants [3][5].
3. FDA clears at-home subcutaneous induction for risankizumab (Skyrizi) in Crohn's disease
Adults with moderate to severe Crohn's disease can now begin risankizumab with an on-body injector rather than IV infusions.
AbbVie announced on October 23 that the FDA approved a 720 mg subcutaneous induction regimen at weeks 0, 2, 4 and 8; IV induction remains an option [6][7]. In the company-reported phase 3 AFFIRM trial of 274 patients, week-12 clinical remission was 56% with risankizumab versus 30% with placebo, and endoscopic response was 43% versus 15% [6][8]. Moving induction out of the infusion center could ease logistics for patients, though the regimen's real-world uptake is yet to be seen.
Digest references
U.S. Attorney's Office, Central District of California. "L.A. Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 15 Defendants Charged, Including Six Medical Professionals, with $2 Billion in Losses Alleged." Press release, October 22, 2026. Link
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs. "Los Angeles Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 15 Defendants, Including 6 Medical Professionals, Nearly $2 Billion in Loss." Press release, October 22, 2026. Link
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. "FDA Approves First-of-Its-Kind Chronic Hepatitis B Treatment." News release, October 20, 2026. Link
Campbell P. "FDA Approves Bepirovirsen for Chronic Hepatitis B." HCPLive, October 20, 2026. Link
Schoenthaler E. "Bepirovirsen Achieves Phase 3 Functional Cure Rates in Chronic Hepatitis B, Supporting Potential Shift Beyond Lifelong Therapy." BioPharm International, May 29, 2026. Link
AbbVie. "U.S. FDA Approves Subcutaneous Induction Regimen for AbbVie's SKYRIZI (risankizumab-rzaa) for Adults With Moderately to Severely Active Crohn's Disease." Press release, October 23, 2026. Link
Pharmaceutical Executive. "FDA Approves Subcutaneous Induction for Skyrizi in Crohn's Disease." Pharmaceutical Executive, October 23, 2026. Link
Derman C. "FDA Approves Subcutaneous Risankizumab Induction for Crohn's Disease." HCPLive, October 23, 2026. Link
