The Pharma Dispatch 💊 - Issue #83

August 25, 2017

General

Top 10 pipeline blow-ups, setbacks in the first half of 2017. Link

The $22 billion generic-drug maker with a name-brand problem. Link

We just got one step closer to winning the fight against malaria. Link

Novartis breakthrough CAR-T leukemia drug draws early pricing apprehension. Link

Why is a tobacco giant cheering the FDA's war on nicotine? Link

AstraZeneca cancer drug gears up for a fight. Link

Samsung in bold bid to concoct new drug. Link

Digital Health

Google is offering a test for depression. Link

Virtual microbiome experiments using IBM's community grid. Link

Novartis launches smartphone-driven MS trial with ResearchKit. Link

A new wearable tracker can transmit vital signs from a soft, tiny package. Link

Research

Can the eyes be a window into Alzheimer's? Link

High-Definition medicine. Link

Perspective and Opinions

How precision medicine can shape the future of healthcare. Link

Interesting

Coca-Cola, PespiCo and others agree to cap sugar in drinks in Singapore. The pledge appears to be the first time an Asian country has got such a commitment from Big Soda. Link 

This 19th-century lady doctor helped usher Indian women into medicine. Link

How many kinds of cells do we have? We don’t really know. Link

Startups of the Week

The easy fertility test that women can take at home to measure ovarian reserve, ovulation, and other fertility hormones

Caelum Health wants to use software to improve people's health without prescribing them drugs. It's starting with irritable bowel syndrome, which affects 20 percent of Americans and leads to $55 billion worth of prescriptions. 

BillionToOne offers non-invasive prenatal testing for expecting mothers.

Helix Nanotechnologies uses Artificial Intelligence to help cure genetic diseases. Helix is trying to unlock the nucleus of cells and deliver new DNA. 

CureSkin is a mobile app that allows users to take a photo and get it automatically analyzed to find skin issues like pimples, acne, dark spots, scars, and pigmentation on the face.

Infographic

This infographic shows the projected automation of different sectors, including healthcare. These activities are ripe for disruption with AI taking over.