Thursday, 3 September 2026
Rural generalist registration opens, Autoimmune CAR-T trials paused, NSW expands festival pill testing
- 01
Applications open for Rural Generalist Medicine specialist registration
After Rural Generalist Medicine was recognised as a field of specialty practice, applications have now opened for eligible GPs to record specialist registration with AHPRA. Existing FRACGP-RG award holders, numbering about 800, can apply, but registration is not automatic and eligibility is determined by the Medical Board of Australia. Specialist Rural Generalist will become a protected title from 29 March 2027, after which only practitioners holding the specialist registration may use the title ‘Rural Generalist’. RACGP Rural Chair Associate Professor Michael Clements said some state-based hospital roles may require AHPRA recognition for higher rural generalist pay scales from next year, although existing contracts were not expected to change. He said no immediate changes to entitlements were expected and there was no plan for different Medicare rebates for standard consultations.
via RACGP newsGP · also covered by The Medical Republic
- 02
Autoimmune CAR-T trials paused after inflammatory events and deaths
Novartis and Bristol Myers Squibb paused multiple CAR-T trials in several autoimmune disorders after concerning inflammatory events. Three participants in Novartis trials died following a severe immune reaction, while Bristol Myers reported transient but reversible inflammatory events. Analysts identified the companies’ faster cell-production approach as a possible contributor, while noting that several other developers use more traditional manufacturing processes. The pauses have raised uncertainty across an emerging field in which one Kyverna Therapeutics program is approaching an approval decision and others are in or nearing late-stage testing. Developers including Kyverna and Cabaletta Bio have emphasised differences in their treatment designs, manufacturing processes and trial protocols.
via BioPharma Dive
- 03
NSW funds pill testing at 15 festivals each year
NSW will spend $4.3 million to provide pill testing at 15 music festivals each year after a 12-month trial found reduced drug-related risks and fewer urgent hospital and ICU admissions. The free, anonymous service will test small drug samples for purity, potency and adulterants, and will be delivered by NSW Health with peer-based drug user organisation NUAA. More than 1,800 people used the trial services and about 1,500 samples were tested. The RACGP and AMA NSW welcomed the program, with both identifying a role for GPs in coordinating care, while experts also called for coordinated referral pathways and broader community-based testing.
- 04
UK regulator suspends Tavneos for new patients over unreliable data
The UK Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has suspended the use and sale of avacopan (Tavneos) for new patients. The regulator said data supporting the medicine were no longer sufficiently reliable and the available evidence no longer supported a positive benefit–risk balance. Tavneos is used to treat some rare autoimmune diseases affecting small blood vessels. The action followed a review of the pivotal phase 3 ADVOCATE trial after a US Food and Drug Administration investigation found evidence that trial data had been manipulated and two academic authors requested retraction of the 2021 study.
via BMJ
- 05
Butler adviser sought ForHealth help countering urgent care criticism
A senior adviser to federal health minister Mark Butler asked general practice operator ForHealth how to “combat” an argument challenging the effect of Medicare Urgent Care Clinics on emergency department presentations. Almost 40 pages of correspondence released under Freedom of Information laws showed ForHealth repeatedly supplied the minister’s office with urgent care and bulk-billing data, policy proposals, workforce reform options and material for responding to criticism. The office also worked with ForHealth on media material promoting the tripled bulk-billing incentive, including draft quotes and data that the company was invited to amend. A government spokesperson said the minister’s office routinely consulted stakeholders, while ForHealth chief executive Andrew Cohen said the company engaged appropriately with government to share frontline insights and raise the profile of primary care access.
- 06
Mental health emergency presentations rise sharply among young English children
Hospital emergency department attendances for mental health concerns among children in England rose by 36%, from 2019 to 75,491 in 2025. NHS England data obtained by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health showed the sharpest increase among 6–9-year-olds, with attendances rising 62% from 3,870 to 6,269 over six years. Admissions increased by 41% among 9–15-year-olds, 28% among 16-year-olds and 19% among 17-year-olds. Twelve-hour waits also became more common among children aged 6–17 with a recorded mental health diagnosis or presenting complaint. The data indicated that families and carers were turning to emergency departments because they did not know where else to seek help.
via BMJ
MDDR is a news digest for medical professionals. It is not medical advice and should not be relied on for clinical decision-making.