Drugmakers are pursuing medicines based on orexins, peptides involved in the biological system that keeps people awake, for a range of brain-related ailments. The interest follows the success of drugs based on glucagon-like peptide-1, or GLP-1, a hormone released by the gut after meals. GLP-1 drugs were initially developed to treat diabetes and later proved effective at helping people lose weight. They have also shown benefits in heart disease, kidney disease, sleep apnoea and other conditions. Pharmaceutical companies are betting that orexin-based medicines could achieve similarly broad therapeutic use in disorders affecting the brain.

Moderna and Merck announced positive topline Phase 3 results from INTerpath-001, which tested intismeran autogene with KEYTRUDA as an adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected stage IIB–IV melanoma. Intismeran autogene is an investigational mRNA-based individualized neoantigen therapy jointly developed by the two companies. The trial met its primary endpoint of recurrence-free survival and a key secondary endpoint of distant metastasis-free survival. Noubar Afeyan, Moderna’s co-founder, said the result marks the first positive Phase 3 outcome for an individualized neoantigen therapy and for an mRNA-based cancer therapy. The therapy is designed around mutations unique to an individual patient’s tumor and is intended to be used alongside KEYTRUDA. Moderna was founded in 2010, when, according to Afeyan, using mRNA as a new class of medicines and as a basis for personalized cancer treatment faced substantial skepticism. Afeyan said important work remains and credited Moderna, Merck, trial investigators, patients, and families for contributing to the milestone.

Research Gold claims to provide "100% human-written, never AI" medical research services, including drafting manuscripts and conducting reviews. The listed PhD reviewers are AI-generated and do not exist, while some real methodologists are unaware their identities are being used.

Kinney Drugs pulls back AI phone assistant after hundreds of customer complaints BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) - Kinney Drugs is scaling back its AI assistant after customers reported incoherent calls, wrong dosages, and missed prescription notifications. Kinney Drugs first introduced Burt, an AI assistant named after the pharmacy chain’s founder, back in May. The bot’s role was to communicate with patie...

Google DeepMind and Isomorphic Labs are developing frontier AI models to enhance global bioresilience in response to evolving biosecurity challenges. These models aim to leverage scientific advances to improve societal resilience against future outbreaks and other biosecurity threats.

Samsung requires users to consent to the use of their health data for AI training or risk permanent deletion of that data. A new toggle in the Samsung Health app allows the company to use personal health metrics for training and algorithm refinement.

The RxScanner is a handheld spectrometer that uses infrared light to scan pills and sends the molecular profile to an AI model with a pharmaceutical database. This technology identifies medications within seconds, addressing the issue of counterfeit drugs in African health care.

A PwC report indicates that AI is currently contributing to increased healthcare costs, primarily by enabling more detailed billing practices. This trend highlights AI's capability to enhance efficiency while simultaneously increasing financial burdens in the healthcare sector.

A survey by AXA and Ipsos across 18 countries reveals that 46% of respondents are struggling with mental health issues. More than 60% of people are turning to artificial intelligence for psychological support despite concerns about the negative impact of screens.

Pair Team has been accepted into the ACCESS program, a Medicare initiative aimed at testing AI-driven medical care. This program includes 150 participants selected by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.