To pay for weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro, some people have taken on second jobs and run up significant credit card debt. The willingness of consumers to pay thousands of dollars of their own money underscores the public’s appetite for more effective weight-loss medications, especially for people who have long struggled with obesity. (The Wall Street Journal)
Top venture firms have backed startups that promise to use AI to help with patient care, drug discoveries and clinical note-taking. These investments mirror the enthusiasm among larger tech companies like Microsoft, Amazon and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which are moving aggressively to expand their footprints in the lucrative healthcare industry. (Bloomberg)
Sen. Jacky Rosen, (D-NV.), reaped a windfall in profits from her investments in companies that have jacked up drug prices — all while touting support for lowering them. Rosen’s pharmaceutical and biotechnology stocks have delivered her major dividends, while her 2022 filing lists joint holdings in eight companies that provided income of as much as $9,500, disclosures show. (The Washington Examiner)
A man dubbed “Polio Paul” has lived inside a 600-pound iron lung for seven decades, reportedly refusing to upgrade to a modern machine. In March, Guinness World Records declared him the longest iron lung patient ever. (New York Post)
A biotech company said it aims to resurrect woolly mammoths in three years. The company predicts the effects of the mammoth to include increasing carbon sequestration through increased plant and forb growth, increased nutrient cycling, and compacting the Earth to facilitate deeper penetration of winter soil freezing. (The Jerusalem Post)
