Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA Leans Into AI Models As Replacement For Animal Testing
The Hill: FDA To Phase Out Some Animal Testing Requirements
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Thursday it plans to phase out animal testing requirements for biological products and drugs, instead moving toward alternative testing models such as computer simulations and “organoids.” The agency said in a release that its animal testing requirements would be “reduced, refined, or potentially replaced using a range of approaches,” including “AI-based computational models of toxicity” and cell lines. (Choi, 4/10)
The Washington Post: Cuts To Health Research Put Lab Animals At Risk, Scientists Say
scientists in the United States worry that the Trump administration’s deep cuts to research funding and the federal workforce will compel an early end to their work, as well as a needless sacrifice of the animals that enable it. “My great fear is that millions of animals are going to be sacrificed because they can’t be cared for,” said Paul Locke, a professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health with experience in laboratory animal law. (Somasundaram, 4/11)
More on the use of AI —
Modern Healthcare: Mayo Clinic Hires Former HHS Official Micky Tripathi
Mayo Clinic hired former federal government official Micky Tripathi for a role focused on artificial intelligence. Tripathi, the former assistant secretary for technology policy at the Health and Human Services Department, is joining Mayo Clinic as its chief AI implementation officer, a spokesperson for the Rochester, Minnesota-based health system said in a statement Thursday. Mayo didn't specify when Tripathi would start. (Turner, 4/10)
Modern Healthcare: Google's AI Agents See More Flexibility With Centralized Hub
Google is creating more ways to help its healthcare customers build and deploy artificial intelligence agents. On Wednesday, Google’s cloud arm introduced a host of new AI tools and capabilities for its enterprise customers in healthcare and other sectors. The developments primarily focus on AI agents, which are specialized tools developed to help organizations perform time-intensive functions more efficiently. (Perna, 4/9)
Politico: AI’s Next Role? Screening For Opioid Use Disorder
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health used artificial intelligence to screen the electronic health records of patients admitted to the UW Health University Hospital in Madison, Wisconsin, between March and October 2023, for any sign that they were at risk of or had an opioid use disorder. The AI model would constantly scan intake notes health care providers added to a hospitalized patient’s record for the first 24 hours of their hospital stay looking for clues. (Paun and Reader, 4/10)
In other pharma and tech updates —
Stat: Gilead Is Urged To Rework Licensing Deals For Groundbreaking HIV Prevention Drug
A group of academics is arguing that countries seeking access to a groundbreaking HIV prevention drug from Gilead Sciences should issue compulsory licenses if the company fails to modify an existing licensing program with half a dozen generic makers. (Silverman, 4/10)
NPR: Pain Pathway In A Dish Could Aid Search For New Analgesic Drugs
Scientists have re-created a pain pathway in the brain by growing four key clusters of human nerve cells in a dish. This laboratory model could be used to help explain certain pain syndromes, and offer a new way to test potential analgesic drugs, a Stanford team reports in the journal Nature. (Hamilton, 4/10)
CIDRAP: New Handheld Device Can Diagnose TB Without A Lab In Under An Hour, Its Developers Say
A new smartphone-sized device can deliver tuberculosis (TB) test results at the point of care in less than an hour, an innovation that could improve diagnosis of the deadly disease in settings in which access to healthcare facilities and lab equipment is limited, its Tulane University developers reported yesterday in Science Translational Medicine. Over 90% of new TB cases occur in low- and middle-income countries. (Van Beusekom, 4/10)
Modern Healthcare: Mobile MRIs Offer Providers Cost Savings, Flexibility
Providers are finding more affordable ways to keep up with the rising demand for MRI exams. As the population ages and more people are diagnosed with chronic diseases, hospitals are seeing an uptick in patients who need MRI exams. But instead of building out new suites, some providers are renting and buying mobile MRI units to cut down on construction costs. Medtech companies such as Siemens Healthineers, Philips and GE HealthCare sell movable MRIs that can fit inside trailers and scan patients being treated for everything from knee cartilage problems to cancer. (Dubinsky, 4/10)
