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Weekly Recap: 15 Health Press Releases You Need to See

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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.

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.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.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.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.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.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.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.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.”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.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.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.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.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.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.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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Helping Journalists Stay Up to Date on Industry News

These are just a few of the recent press releases that consumers and the media should know about. To be notified of releases relevant to their coverage area, journalists can set up a custom newsfeed with PR Newswire for Journalists.

Once they’re signed up, reporters, bloggers, and freelancers have access to the following free features:

Customization: Users can create customized newsfeeds that will deliver relevant news right to their inbox. Newsfeed results can be targeted by keywords, industry, subject, geography, and more.Photos and Videos: Thousands of multimedia assets are available to download and include in a journalist or blogger’s next story.Subject Matter Experts: Journalists will have access to ProfNet, a database of industry experts to connect with as sources or for quotes in their articles.Related Resources: Our journalist- and blogger-focused blog, Beyond Bylines, features regular media news roundups, writing tips, upcoming events, and more.

About PR Newswire

PR Newswire is the industry’s leading press release distribution partner with an unparalleled global reach of more than 440,000 newsrooms, websites, direct feeds, journalists and influencers and is available in more than 170 countries and 40 languages. From our award-winning Content Services offerings, integrated media newsroom and microsite products, Investor Relations suite of services, paid placement and social sharing tools, PR Newswire has a comprehensive catalog of solutions to solve the modern-day challenges PR and communications teams face. For 70 years, PR Newswire has been the preferred destination for brands to share their most important news stories across the world.

For questions, contact the team at media.relations@cision.com.

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Shoplazza Launches the World’s First AI-Native Commerce Operating System with a Unified Suite of AI Agents

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TORONTO, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Shoplazza, a leading global commerce platform, announced the launch of the world’s first AI native commerce operating system recently, along with a unified suite of AI agents designed to execute across the entire ecommerce lifecycle. The release marks a major step forward in the company’s evolution from a traditional software platform to an AI-driven commerce infrastructure built for global scale.

At the core of the system is Shoplazza AI Store Builder, an intelligent agent that fundamentally changes how online stores are created. Instead of configuring tools manually, merchants can now generate fully functional, ready to sell storefronts through simple natural language input. By interpreting product information, target markets, and customer profiles, the system automatically builds site architecture, generates localized content, and provides initial go to market recommendations. What once required weeks of setup can now be completed in minutes, with a complete store and launch ready foundation.

Shoplazza also introduced LazzaStudio, an AI powered visual creation agent that streamlines how merchants produce content at scale. From product imagery to marketing creatives and campaign visuals, LazzaStudio transforms traditionally complex production workflows into a prompt driven process. With built in brand learning capabilities, the system generates consistent, high quality assets tailored for global audiences, enabling merchants to deploy content seamlessly across storefronts and advertising channels while significantly reducing production time and cost.

To complete the growth loop, Shoplazza launched AdValet, an AI advertising agent that automates campaign execution end to end. AdValet translates product data and market signals into audience targeting, creative generation, media planning, and campaign deployment. During live campaigns, it continuously monitors performance and dynamically optimizes outcomes through real time feedback and model iteration. This shifts advertising from manual, experience based trial and error to a system of continuous, AI-driven performance optimization.

These agents operate together within Shoplazza’s AI-native commerce operating system, where merchant intent is translated directly into coordinated execution. By unifying store creation, content production, and marketing into a single system, Shoplazza replaces fragmented workflows with an integrated layer of automation that enables faster, more predictable growth.

Shoplazza currently supports more than 650,000 merchants worldwide. With its AI-native architecture, the platform brings together previously disconnected capabilities into a single intelligent system, delivering improvements in efficiency, scalability, and operational reliability for businesses operating in increasingly complex global markets.

Looking ahead, Shoplazza will introduce Athena very soon, an AI admin agent designed to extend automation into day to day business management. Covering areas such as product management, order processing, analytics, and content operations, Athena allows merchants to interact with the system conversationally while orchestrating multiple agents in the background. This will complete a fully connected agent ecosystem spanning store creation, creative production, marketing execution, and ongoing operations.

“Commerce has reached a point where adding more tools no longer solves the problem,” said Jeff Li, Founder and CEO of Shoplazza. “What merchants need is a system that can understand intent and execute across the entire business. That is what we are building with our AI native commerce operating system. It is not just about making things easier. It is about making outcomes more predictable, scalable, and aligned with how modern commerce actually operates.”

About Shoplazza

Shoplazza is a global AI-native commerce operating system that enables brands to build, launch, and scale their online businesses. Built on an AI agent-native framework, Shoplazza integrates storefronts, marketing, payments, and operational workflows into a unified system designed to support scalable, long-term growth across global markets. Learn more at https://www.shoplazza.com/.

 

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/shoplazza-launches-the-worlds-first-ai-native-commerce-operating-system-with-a-unified-suite-of-ai-agents-302746904.html

SOURCE Shoplazza

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Pricer and JRTech Solutions sign 51 MUSD digital store transformation deal with Sobeys in Canada

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MONTREAL, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ – Pricer AB, a global leader in digital shelf-edge solutions, announces that its Canadian partner JRTech Solutions has signed a major agreement with Sobeys, one of Canada’s leading supermarket chains. The contract includes the deployment of Pricer’s latest electronic shelf label (ESL) technology and the cloud-based platform Pricer Plaza across an estimated 300–350 stores.

The agreement covers the supply of multicolor electronic shelf labels and the necessary store infrastructure, with a total hardware and infrastructure value of approximately 51 MUSD (excluding Pricer Plaza). The deployment is scheduled for an 18-month period starting in May 2026.

“We are very grateful for the trust and that Sobeys has once again chosen Pricer as its long-term strategic partner,” says Mats Arnehall, Chief Growth Officer at Pricer. “This deal confirms our leading position in the North American market and the value of our high-performance system in high-density retail environments. Our scalable cloud platform, Pricer Plaza, will be the intelligence behind every label, enabling Sobeys to act faster and work smarter.”

“After years of close collaboration and shared success, we’re proud to grow our partnership with Sobeys even further with an expanded rollout,” says Diego Mazzone, President and CEO of JRTech Solutions. “That momentum is driven by our ability to consistently deliver reliable, high-quality solutions in complex retail environments. Together, we are positioning our digital smart labels at the heart of a broader digital transformation, driving operational excellence, unlocking real-time intelligence, and creating meaningful value for both Sobeys and their customers.”

Orders will be included in Pricer’s order intake as they are received.

About JRTech Solutions
JRTech Solutions Inc. is the leading North American turnkey Electronic Shelf Label (ESL) provider and the largest worldwide distributor of Pricer ESLs, involved in over 2,000 store installations since 2008. JRTech Solutions is the exclusive Canadian provider of AI-powered inventory scanning robotics powered by Brain Corp for automated inventory management.
For further information: www.jrtechsolutions.com

About Pricer
Pricer is a pioneer and partner for in-store communication and digitalization in the rapidly evolving retail tech landscape. As a global technology leader, we empower leading retailers worldwide to shape effortless and inspiring shopping experiences that fundamentally change buying behaviors, boost sales, and drive operational efficiency. Leveraging cutting-edge innovation, we deliver scalable, high-performing solutions that easily integrate with existing systems, are energy-efficient, and user-friendly. Founded in Sweden in 1991 and listed on Nasdaq Stockholm, Pricer has delivered over 380 million electronic shelf labels in more than 28,000 stores across more than 80 countries.
For further information, please visit www.pricer.com

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SOURCE JRTECH SOLUTIONS INC.

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Mitate Zepto Technica Joins JST’s Next-generation Edge AI Semiconductor R&D Program as Social Implementation Partner

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– MZT to Lead Product Commercialization through Its Genome-analysis Accelerator “RASEN” –

TOKYO, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Mitate Zepto Technica, Inc. (hereinafter “MZT”), based in Tokyo’s Shibuya district, announced on April 20 that it has joined the national research initiative “Next-Generation Edge AI Semiconductor Research and Development Program” promoted by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST). MZT participates as a designated social implementation and commercialization partner for the research theme “Accelerating Edge Intelligence for AI for Science” (Principal Investigator: Makoto Taiji, Program Director, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN).

Logo: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/img/202604167540-O1-5Sz6I68Q 

This research theme aims to achieve advanced computational infrastructure through the integration of AI technology and next-generation edge semiconductors, with genome analysis as one of its key application domains. MZT participates as an organization responsible for the productization and social implementation of research outcomes through its proprietary genome-analysis accelerator “RASEN.”

Background

Since its founding in 2020, MZT has pursued a distinctive approach to genome analysis: purpose-built ASIC acceleration. Following technology validation through joint research with Tohoku University and other partners, MZT now participates as an R&D institution responsible for social implementation under this research theme.

MZT’s Role in the Program

Within this research theme, MZT will integrate AI research outcomes from RIKEN and Tohoku University into the RASEN architecture, and lead the R&D work toward social implementation through ASIC development and productization. As the industrial partner bridging research and real-world deployment, the company targets social implementation by 2029.

Program Overview

Research theme: Accelerating edge intelligence for AI for science
Promoting agency: Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST)
Principal investigator: Makoto Taiji, Program Director, TRIP Headquarters, RIKEN
Participating institutions: RIKEN, Tohoku University, Keio University, Mitate Zepto Technica
MZT’s participation start: April 2026 (FY2026)
JST program period: FY2025 onwards

Comment from Keisuke Harashima, President & CEO, Mitate Zepto Technica:
“It is a tremendous honor that we can lead the social implementation of this research theme through the acceleration of genome analysis via dedicated semiconductors — a challenge we have pursued since MZT’s founding. RASEN is at exactly the right inflection point, transitioning from research to real-world deployment. We will use this participation to accelerate commercialization across healthcare, drug discovery, and research infrastructure.”

About RASEN

RASEN is MZT’s proprietary genome-analysis accelerator under development, built on a purpose-designed ASIC architecture. In internal validation, RASEN has demonstrated the ability to complete whole-genome sequencing (WGS) analysis in approximately 5 minutes on a standard workstation — without the need for supercomputers or high-performance computing infrastructure. In independent validation studies conducted with Tohoku University, RASEN achieved 99.8% concordance with conventional analysis methods across 12 samples, confirming that its speed advantage does not come at the cost of accuracy.

About Mitate Zepto Technica

Mitate Zepto Technica is a Japanese deep-tech startup developing purpose-built semiconductor solutions for genome analysis. By harnessing cutting-edge chip technology, MZT aims to deliver transformative speed improvements in genomic computation –contributing to the resolution of global challenges in healthcare, food security, and energy through its proprietary products.

Website: https://mitatezeptotechnica.com/en/company/ 

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SOURCE Mitate Zepto Technica, Inc.

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