ARCH Backs Mental‑health IPO, Celebrating Early Investment Success
Congrats to Daphne Zohar and team, and Steve Paul for an amazing IPO to fuel new drugs for mental health and brain disorders. ARCH invested early here because of the team, platform, and clinical need.
Google's AI Co-Clinician Outperforms Docs in Telemedicine Exams
Did Google just show us the path to the Telemedicine AI Agent of the future? Meet Google’s “AI Co-Clinician” and my prediction for how this could all play out... First, what Google shared: → A fully AI telemedicine visit where the AI...
T‑cell Vesicles Deliver DNA, Converting Cold Tumors Hot
In cancer, activated T cells release abundant extracellular vesicles that transfer DNA to the nucleus of tumor and immune (dendritic) cells, turning tumors from cold to hot. An immunotherapy in the works. @Cancer_Cell https://t.co/mHcahijOJC https://t.co/oPT6d7lrFM https://t.co/I0egYxZold
Biotech IPOs Surge, Exposing Wall St Underestimation
Three biotech IPOs this week. Each one raised its number of shares and priced atop range. Suggests that Wall St is slightly underestimating investor interest in new biotech issues.
Demo Shows How Claims Data Powers Executive Decisions
I went to a conference. Healthcare payers one. Listened to talks about claims data … build a system over the weekend to demo how data can be used these days by execs (and obviously it’s not about reports 😂) comment...
AI Chatbots Capture Poorer Symptom Detail than Doctors
Symptoms reported to an AI chatbot were of lesser quality than reported to a physician, results of a randomized trial of 500 participants across multiple models https://t.co/WXP4R3y9HA https://t.co/l2hLT76AJB
High‑dose Semaglutide Cuts Alcohol Use in RCT
Clinicians and patients saw big reductions in alcohol intake when starting GLP-1 medicine. This is the first randomized trial to look at the high dose of semaglutide. There was a study a couple years back looking at a lower dose....
FDA Approves First Non‑antipsychotic for Dementia Agitation
⚕️ FDA Approves First Non-Antipsychotic Drug to Treat Agitation Associated with Dementia 🔗https://t.co/cPNtkiSXBs 🌐 #DHPSP #Pharma #Healthcare https://t.co/KsBKc45ekk
AI Detects Pancreatic Cancer Years Before Symptoms
man this is what ai is actually for mayo clinic's new AI now detects pancreatic cancer up to 3 years before doctors can see it! pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers in the world because by the time you...
Interim Data Hint Weaker PFS; Selloff Caps Losses
Leerink's Daina Graybosch on $SMMT "... In our base case scenario of the company’s likely statistical design choices and enrollment timing, not hitting statistical significance at this interim suggests a degradation in PFS Hazard Ratio (HR) of ~10 percentage points...
Republicans' Subsidy Cut Leaves Millions without Health Coverage
Congress didn't do this. The Republicans are killing people. Since Congress Let Obamacare Subsidies Expire, Millions Are Dropping Coverage https://t.co/kVoDTOXUVo
Menopause Signals a Hidden Heart Risk—Act Early
What I wish I knew earlier… I now teach every day. Menopause is not just about symptoms. It’s a cardiovascular inflection point—and one of the most missed opportunities in prevention. We were taught to watch for heart disease later. But for women, risk begins...
Digital Health Reshapes Care Into Equal Partnership
With so many technologies in the news, we tend to forget that digital health is primarily a cultural transformation of healthcare. Because the way these technologies shape the doctor-patient relationship, from traditionally a hierarchical to an equal-level partnership, is much more...
Non‑Acute Hospital Wards Extend Visiting Hours, Pediatrics 24‑Hour Access
New non-acute public hospital ward visiting hours to increase, with rollout starting in May thru to end-July: • paediatric wards: increase from 4 to 24 hours • rehabilitation, convalescent, infirmary, palliative and hospice wards: increase from 4 to 9 hours • no changes...
No Evidence H1/H2 Blockers Ease Menopausal Brain Fog
What is the evidence behind H1 and H2 blockers for brain fog in menopause? Spoiler alert. None. https://open.substack.com/pub/vajenda/p/antihistamines-pepcid-and-menopause?r=fbh1f&utm_medium=ios
First Psychedelic Experience Alters Human Brain Structure
Very big paper dropping this Tuesday… watch this space… tell your gran… tell your neighbours… “Human brain changes after first psychedelic use” - Nature Communications…
Semaglutide Cuts Heavy Drinking and Cravings in AUD
GLP-1 Drug Semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) Reduced Heavy Drinking & Craving in Adults with Alcohol Use Disorder https://t.co/FYRkjWYhJQ https://t.co/cGtEajk9lp
Testosterone Levels Stable, Recent 9% Rise Tied to TRT Surge
Based on accurate testing in the last 30 years, no real change in testosterone at the population level. In the last 10 years however, there’s been a ~9% increase, which is likely due to the quadrupling of TRT prescriptions in...
ARPA-H Pursues Bold, Transformative Health Programs
ARPA-H 101: The lifecycle of an ARPA-H program 🗣️"ARPA-H doesn’t settle for iterative results. We exist to change the course of human health. To do this requires bold program ideas and a model unlike traditional funding agencies..." Get to know @ARPA_H https://t.co/iKZKyFcR18...
Ozempic Cuts Drinking in Obese AUD Patients
First randomized trial to show Ozempic reduces alcohol consumption in people seeking treatment for alcohol use disorder. Placebo-controlled, double-blind. Participants with BMI >30 kg/m2. https://t.co/M9Pk2gzKHD @TheLancet https://t.co/OT660QIn6N
GLP‑1 Drugs Cause Less Muscle Loss than Assumed
Do GLP-1 drugs really cause muscle loss? Turns out perhaps less than what we thought… here’s what you need to know, from: https://t.co/VwrRxnoblW https://t.co/M2RaE1f3EG
AI Beats Doctors in Emergency and Complex Diagnosis Reasoning
An AI program performed better than human doctors on reasoning tasks such as making emergency room decisions and diagnosing complex cases, according to a new study published Thursday in @ScienceMagazine https://t.co/zAeOYW32I4 https://t.co/SGgO3KNfqM
Politicians Enable Fentanyl Crisis; Demand Zero Tolerance
San Francisco politicians and their constituents enable this suffering. They are the cause of it, because they can stop it instantly. Today, tomorrow and every one of the last 1,000 days this has happened. Fentanyl is a super drug and...
Nicole Saphier Nominated Surgeon General Despite Divergent Views
Casey Means is out and Fox contributor Nicole Saphier is the new nominee for surgeon general. While MAHA folks seem to be embracing her, Saphier's views — on vaccines, on the use of Tylenol during pregnancy — aren't entirely in...
Interim PFS Review Confirms Study Continuation
$SMMT ivo HARMONi-3 update on squamous subgroup interim PFS analysis: "At this early interim PFS analysis reviewed exclusively by the Independent Data Monitoring Committee (iDMC), the iDMC recommended that the study continue as planned."
Biomarkers Reveal Burnout Impact on Emergency Care Staff
Burnout and Biological Biomarkers in Emergency and Acute-Care Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Scoping Review with Evidence Mapping https://t.co/q7ajNKrk8t
P‑tau217 Blood Test Predicts Alzheimer’s Risk Early
Good summary of p-tau217, the breakthrough blood test to predict risk of Alzheimer's in people well before onset of symptoms @ScienceMagazine https://t.co/qVJtYR4bnz https://t.co/OhjLExTroG
Outsourced Teams Can Seamlessly Blend Into Health Systems
Can outsourced teams feel like part of your health system? Gene Scheurer of Optimum Healthcare IT says yes—with secure, branded environments that mirror your organization. Full interview from ViVE 2026 🔗 https://t.co/cPkAwasnxg @OptimumHIT #ViVE2026 #HITSM https://t.co/1cw3rf1g6W
O‑1 Model Beats GPT‑4 and Doctors in Triage
New @ScienceMagazine The o-1 reasoning model (text only, from @OpenAI, releasedSept 2024) exceeded performance cf GPT-4 and physicians for clinical vignette management reasoning and in a real-world emergency department assessment for initial triage @AdamRodmanMD @PeterBrodeurMD @arjunmanrai @jonc101x https://t.co/tPZqZAE8cd
Trump Replaces Surgeon General Pick with Radiologist Nicole Saphier
Trump drops Casey Means as surgeon general nominee, opts for radiologist Nicole Saphier https://t.co/mvCUOymapm via @statnews
Omada Health Expands Nationwide via OptumRx Weight Engage
A milestone for @OmadaHealth: we're now available through @OptumRx's Weight Engage — and with it, employers can purchase Omada through all 3 of the nation's largest PBMs, reaching the majority of commercially insured lives in the U.S. Expanding reach has been...
Disrespectful Attendings Silence Residents, Undermining Patient Safety
Only 9% of residents will challenge an attending about to harm a patient, if that attending has been disrespectful to them before. When the attending is respectful and patient harm is the only variable, around 20% of residents will speak...
Pharma Power Shifts: Controlling Diseases, Not Just Assets
Most pharma pipeline analysis is spreadsheet theater. I used AI to look at the 2020 → 2026 shift. The real question is not: Who has the most assets? It is: Who controls the disease category? GLP-1s are a metabolic land grab. Oncology is becoming a platform stack. Trials...
Health Systems Add Multiple AI Vendors for Specialty Precision
Mayo Clinic partnered with Abridge initially - and now is adding Ambience for specialty care. That’s MORE point solutions - not less. What’s going on here? Recently I spoke to a CMIO whose health system is also planning to add a...
UniQure Pursues UK Approval for Huntington’s Gene Therapy
UniQure, in ‘symbolic’ win, to seek UK approval of Huntington’s gene therapy https://t.co/plxdEw43FD by @Lilah_Alvarado $QURE + 22% #GeneTherapy
Vaccine Injury Compensation: Complex Yet Bipartisan Solution Explained
A+ explanation of the vaccine injury compensation program. (I covered it at the time as a cub reporter on the Hill. Very complicated, very bipartisan, tho)
Pinetree Therapeutics: Promising Biotech Worth Watching
A biotech you need to keep an eye on... Pinetree Therapeutics $AZN https://t.co/wVt9XMcr0Z (disclosure: SAB member)
US Spends $15k, Lives Shorter than Swiss
Per my last post on the insanity of healthcare costs in the USA, we spend more than any other nation per capita (by far). We spend around $15k per person per year. Switzerland spends around $9k (which is also considered relatively...
Insurers Exit ACA Market When Enrollees Get Sicker
Cigna is abandoning the ACA health insurance marketplaces by the end of the year, following in Aetna’s footsteps. Insurers have shown, time and again, they will bail on the ACA market if people are too sick. @TaraBannow reports: https://t.co/kW6Cq06Haa
Top 15 Biopharma R&D Players and Late‑Stage Prospects
My annual report on the top 15 R&D players in biopharma is out. It's a beast at some 9000 words, but if you're interested in the top prospects in the late-stage pipeline, I got a bunch for you. The stakes...
Irisin Hormone Reverses Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Irisin, a hormone released by muscle during exercise, reverses obesity and insulin resistance in mice -- without cutting food intake or causing muscle loss. As a medical school professor, I find this striking. We have spent a decade asking how to...
Gene Therapy Soon as Routine as Everyday Surgery
Eric Kelsic envisions the future of gene therapy will be viewed in the “the same way that many of us have had some form of surgery at certain points in our life.” As therapies become safer and more effective, the decision...
Trump's Psychedelic Order Preserves FDA Oversight Balance
My op ed in today's @WashPost - "Trump’s executive order on psychedelics strikes a healthy balance: The president preserved the FDA's role, even as some want the agency's gatekeeping dismantled." https://t.co/9hH7kz107J
Normal Bloodwork ≠ Healthy: Most Adults Have Hidden Metabolic Risk
Lie I was taught in medical school: if a patient's standard bloodwork is normal, they're healthy. Reality: only about 7% of American adults are metabolically healthy. The other 93% pass routine labs while quietly drifting toward heart attacks, strokes, dementia, and...
Doctor Wait Times Rising: Hidden Healthcare Inventory Exposed
In 2007, it took 18 days to see a doctor. Today it's 31. "There is hidden inventory in healthcare." - @oliver_kharraz on why the doctor shortage isn't the whole story. WATCH / LISTEN: Spotify: https://t.co/u05FAZy03v Apple: https://t.co/RZx2r8ixFD Youtube: https://t.co/fr1PiqjSZl
AI Empathy Exposes Gaps; Tech Should Free Clinicians
AI’s perceived empathy highlights systemic gaps in health care, suggesting technology should restore, not replace, the human connection in medicine by freeing clinicians from administrative burdens. healthcareinnovation
New GLP‑5 Study Is Only Mouse
A friendly reminder, just because that new Nature study on a quintuple agonist (LOL GET READY FOR "GLP-5" discourse) is out today: It's a study on MICE. MICE TESTING IS NOT HUMAN TESTING. IT'S JUST MICE.
Qubit Pharma Teams Up with Singapore’s Quantum Hub
A fantastic partnership between @qubit_pharma and the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore (@quantumlah)! Excited to be part of this journey and looking forward to the breakthroughs ahead.
Year Two Funding Crisis: Grants Dry, Competition Rises
With federal research funding cuts, the first year of Trump 2.0 was tough. Year 2 is in some ways grimmer, a @statnews survey shows. Bridge funding is drying up, existing grants are ending & competition for fewer new grants is...
Fragmented Care Transitions Leave Patients Unprotected
The care transitions conversations resonated most deeply. We still discharge patients into a fragmented system and hope for the best. #aging #health https://t.co/d8ZGVHqoMo