| |   | | | Telehealth is steering clear of the abortion pill During the pandemic, the FDA eased limitations on telehealth prescriptions and mail delivery for certain drugs — including abortion pills, which can be used safely and effectively in the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. In December, the FDA made that access permanent — but so far, telehealth startups aren’t jumping to provide the pills. Companies including Hims & Hers, Nurx, Tia, and PillPack, many of which frame their offerings around reduced stigma and increased sexual freedom, have chosen not to offer the treatment, with some employees citing fear that political controversy could harm their businesses’ growth. STAT’s Olivia Goldhill has the full story. | AI's role in risk-based cancer screening At MIT, Regina Barzilay’s lab has developed an AI tool called Mirai that can automatically detect signs of breast cancer from mammograms — and as STAT reported, it has outperformed the standard risk assessment tool in multiple studies across populations around the world. In a study out in Nature Medicine, the researchers have now tested whether Mirai’s risk predictions can inform screening recommendations in a way that minimizes costs while catching cancer early enough to improve outcomes. Mirai’s predictions were rolled into a screening tool called Tempo, which resulted in earlier detection compared to a standard annual screening.
The difference was only a few months at most, which might not drive a significant shift in cancer mortality, as pointed out in a corresponding viewpoint. “To define the place of AI in the risk-assessment and screening pathway, AI research should transition to prospective studies of unselected screening participants,” the authors write — a step the MIT group is already taking. | Knocking down barriers to AI in health care A group of hospitals and academic institutions is launching a new coalition with Microsoft to overcome barriers to AI adoption in health care. The AI3C Coalition will develop AI solutions for “positive societal and health care outcomes” and address challenges relating to research transfer, industry standards, and workforce inclusivity. The organizations involved in the effort include the Brookings Institution, Cleveland Clinic, Duke Health, and Intermountain Healthcare. The coalition is among several such groups formed in recent months. One outcome to watch is whether its recommendations align with patient interests as well as their own financial goals. | Early Bird Access Extended: The Breakthrough Science Summit For one more week only, access our best rates! On March 31, we're gathering knowledgeable insiders - from pharma executives to cutting-edge researchers - to hear their takes on the innovations in tech and procedures that are set to change the face of health and medicine. Early bird pricing ends Friday, Jan. 21 so get your pass now! | Google Cloud inks deal with the VA - The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has signed a $13 million deal with Google Cloud to deploy its Apigee application programming interface to link data across its hospitals and outpatient clinics. The VA’s goal is to develop software to help patients track benefit claims and manage their health.
- The real-world-data company Verana Health raised $150 million in a Series E round led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation and Novo Health. The company is developing data products to serve pharmaceutical companies and health care providers.
- The Nashville-based venture capital firm Jumpstart Health Investors is launching a $55 million investment fund that will exclusively back health technology companies founded and led by Black entrepreneurs. The effort will also be supported by Eli Lilly, HCA Healthcare, Atrium Health and several other large health care organizations.
- Kaiser Permanente has joined Graphite Health, a non-profit formed by several large health systems to create an interoperable marketplace for acquiring novel software applications. The deal is a big win for Graphite, which needs buy-in from large organizations to be viable.
| The latest landings - Memorial Sloan Kettering has tapped Remy Evard to serve as its chief digital officer. Evard previously worked as chief information officer for Flagship Pioneering, a venture capital firm focused on life science companies.
- Stanford Health Care has appointed Silicon Valley entrepreneur Marc Jones to chair its board of directors.
| | | Thanks for reading! More Thursday,  | | | | Have a news tip or comment? Email Us | |
No comments