Wearables
Fitbits for tracking multiple sclerosis
Speaking of movement trackers, there are few good tools for people with multiple sclerosis to keep tabs on their activity. The options can be costly, and not especially consumer-friendly. But that data could be especially useful to researchers and patients with the progressive disease, which can cause tremors and a loss of motor control. In a new paper, researchers report on the early results from a potential solution: Fitbits. The researchers gave a Fitbit Inspire HR to 45 people with moderate mobility impairment due to MS, and then tested how well it compared to self-reported step counts, time spent physically active, and more. They also compared it to data from a wearable made by Actigraph for research. The results, while not fully in agreement across all metrics, suggest the Fitbit might be usable as a physical activity tracking tool for patients with mild or moderate MS.
Congress
A push for reproductive health data privacy
California representatives Sara Jacobs and Anna Eshoo introduced the Secure Access for Essential Reproductive (SAFER) Health Act this week. The bill, rolled out in recognition of the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, would prevent health care providers from disclosing abortion- or pregnancy loss-related health information without patient consent. Under the decades-old patient privacy law HIPAA, if there's a warrant, court order, or subpoena for the release of a patient's reproductive health records, then a health provider could be required to hand them over. It's not clear it could garner the support to pass.
Industry news
New funding for AI
- Atomic AI announced a $35 million Series A funding round led by Playground Global on Wednesday. The South San Francisco company is focused on using AI to better understand the structure of RNA, which my colleague Jonathan Wosen describes as looking "a bit like a map of an airport terminal." Read more here.
- Pearl Health, a company that uses data science to help primary care providers triage patients who are most likely to need care, announced today that it raised $75 million in a Series B funding round, led by a16z and Viking Global Investors.
- Yesterday, Zócalo Health announced Sarah Lopez will be the company's chief medical officer. Previously, Lopez was an emergency physician and patient safety officer at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. Zócalo Health, founded in 2021, primarily serves Latino patients and operates in California and Texas.
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