Here is a selection of recent executive hires, promotions and layoffs occurring across the healthcare industry.

As retail disruptors like CVS, Walgreens and Amazon buy more and more primary care assets, the healthcare industry is seeing an increased demand for physicians and advanced practitioners. In the case of nurse practitioners, this rise in demand is also boosting their salaries. Physicians’ starting salaries have remained relatively flat, but their average signing bonus grew.

Mifepristone and misoprostol, two pills that are taken together to terminate a pregnancy, have been approved by the FDA since 2000. But access to these drugs have been in serious jeopardy this year, and a federal judge in Texas recently ruled to suspend the FDA’s decadeslong approval of mifepristone. The final outcome for abortion pill access in the U.S. is still unclear among confliction federal rulings — the issue will likely end up in the Supreme Court.

Here is a selection of recent executive hires, departures and layoffs occurring across the healthcare industry.

As macroeconomic forces continue to negatively impact the healthcare sector, health tech experts predict that 2023 will be another slow year for the IPO market. However, they think consolidation deals will continue to be a constant, according to a new report.

Consumer research firm Forrester recently predicted major trends that would shape healthcare in 2023. Healthcare stakeholders should prepare for key changes, such as care becoming even more inaccessible for rural patients and additional retail entrants into the clinic space.

Attorney General Letitia James accused CVS of a scheme starting in 2017 to prevent New York safety net hospitals from using the company of their choice to obtain federal drug subsidies on prescriptions filled at CVS through the 340B program

The speed of Covid-19 vaccine trials should inspire the pharmaceutical and medical device industries to accelerate its clinical testing, according to Shweta Maniar, Google Cloud’s director for healthcare and life sciences. She argued that harnessing real-world data will make faster clinical trials achievable for all therapeutics and devices, possibly even eliminating the need to recruit a placebo arm.

A federal jury found pharmacy chains CVS, Walgreens and Walmart helped fuel the opioid epidemic in two Ohio counties. It’s the first trial pharmacy chains have faced related to the opioid crisis, though several other lawsuits have been filed.

The company launched a new health division, and has doubled down on its plans to open primary care clinics with VillageMD. It faces big competitors in CVS and Walmart, and it’ll take time to see if its new strategy pays off.

CVS recently launched a virtual primary care plan through a partnership with Teladoc, and is redesigning its stores to offer a broader array of health services. In an earnings call, CEO Karen Lynch said the company is starting to get traction with its new insurance plan designs. 

After Capital Rx’s former medical director of pharmacy services got a job offer at CVS, the PBM startup claimed he couldn’t work there because of a noncompete agreement. CVS recently sued the company, saying its non-compete clause was unenforceable.

The plans, which will be offered by Aetna, are based on Teladoc’s physician care team model, and also includes providers through Aetna’s network and CVS Health services. 

For the second time in the span of one year, a group of insurers has filed a lawsuit against CVS alleging it overcharged them for generic drugs. CVS refuted the claims, calling them “baseless.”

CVS Health has launched a new clinical trials services business that will help drug companies and contract research organizations recruit clinical trial volunteers. The new business unit builds on work the pharmacy giant did last year, identifying and recruiting people for studies testing Covid-19 vaccines and medicines.

The company launched CVS Health Ventures, a corporate venture fund that will make early investments in healthcare startups. It will start with a $100 million fund.

After the Food and Drug Administration authorized a swathe of over-the-counter tests for Covid-19, pharmacies are preparing to stock their shelves. But at $20 to $100 a pop, will enough people use them to make a difference?

As Amazon starts to roll out its telehealth and pharmacy offerings, most big health systems and insurers don’t yet view it as a threat. But pharmacy benefit managers and vertically integrated payers will be keeping a watchful eye on the company as it starts to encroach on a slice of their business. 

Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and dozens of other pharmacies will start administering a limited number of vaccines as part of the Federal Retail Pharmacy Program. It will offer vaccines in medically underserved areas to healthcare workers, people ages 65 and older, and essential workers, according to local guidelines.

CVS and Walgreens began administering the first doses of Covid-19 vaccines across long-term care facilities last week. But many questions still remain about how it will be administered to the general public.

The retailer plans to open primary care clinics in Houston, El Paso, Austin, Phoenix and Orlando by next summer as part of its partnership with startup VillageMD.

CVS Health’s infusion business will participate in a pilot to administer a recently authorized monoclonal antibody treatment to prevent patients from getting seriously ill with Covid-19. But data about the treatment, bamlanivimab, is mixed, and supply is limited.

Two years after acquiring PillPack, Amazon is launching its much-anticipated pharmacy business. But even with some exciting features about price transparency, it’s unlikely to dramatically change prescription costs, experts said.

Aetna President Karen Lynch will replace current CVS CEO Larry Merlo next spring. Merlo, who has been the company’s CEO for nearly a decade, plans to retire in May.

The new plan design incorporates some features from Aetna’s parent company. The plan lets members access appointments at HealthHUB and MinuteClinic locations with no copay, and get discounts on health-related items at CVS stores.

Walmart caught the healthcare industry’s attention when it began opening primary care centers across Georgia, Florida and Illinois. But without its leader, will the effort still be able to keep its momentum?

Walgreens plan to open hundreds of VillageMD clinics at its stores in the next five years. It would be the first major move by Walgreens to staff its locations with primary care physicians.

Blues plans in six states filed a lawsuit against CVS, alleging the company inflated the cash prices of its generic drugs. They said CVS sold the drugs to consumers at a lower price using its cash discount program, while charging insurers a higher price.

CVS Health’s specialty pharmacy head shared how the pharmacy chain is caring for patients remotely during Covid-19. He expects to see more in-home care after the pandemic.

After declaring a state of emergency on Friday, Trump announced that Google would be building a website that could route users to drive-thru testing sites for COVID-19. Alphabet’s subsidiary, Verily, said the tool was in the early stages of development, and that it planned to roll out testing in the Bay Area.