#15: Heart Hacks, Dog Doctors & The Gender Health Plot Twist

This week in healthcare: From laser-smart heart catheters and AI age scanners to the first at-home HPV test, innovation took centre stage. Mumbai’s new TB treatment is speeding up recoveries, while Maharashtra’s ambulance overhaul promises faster emergency care. Globally, PureHealth’s $1.2B UK hospital buyout creates a stir, and COVID’s creeping comeback has Asia on alert.

• 🫀 Abbott’s TactiFlex lands in India! A next-gen, sensor-packed ablation catheter - a thin, flexible tube used to treat abnormal heart rhythms. With its laser-cut tip and real-time feedback via the EnSite X system, this tech marvel obliterates atrial fibrillation with double the stability. (IndiaMedtoday)

• ♀️ Say hello to the Simple Healthkit’s Teal Wand - your new cervical sidekick! The FDA just approved the first-ever at-home HPV test, letting women swab in peace. It’s not a Pap smear replacement, but it is a major win for privacy, prevention and power-packed women’s health! (TOI)

• 🤳 Your selfie might just save your life! Boston’s Mass General Brigham has developed FaceAge, an AI tool that scans your face to reveal your real biological age and predict cancer survival odds more accurately than your birth date. Trained on thousands of images, it picks up subtle signs of ageing linked to prognosis. (DeccanChronicle)

• 🤖 OpenAI just dropped HealthBench: a new tool to test how safe and smart AI really is when it talks health. Trained on over 5,000 simulated convos and reviewed by 262 doctors, it’s designed to make sure your AI health buddy is more reliable than risky. (MobiHealthNews)

• 🧠 The FDA just approved Fujirebio Diagnostics’ Lumipulse- the first blood test to detect signs of Alzheimer’s. No more brain scans or spinal taps, just a quick blood draw to check for those telltale amyloid plaques. (ETHealthworld)

• 🧬 Scientists unveil ‘inverse vaccine’ - a breakthrough that teaches your immune system to chill out instead of attack! Developed by University of Chicago scientists, it could help treat autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis and type 1 diabetes by erasing harmful immune memory. (TheGuardian)

• 💉 A groundbreaking Israeli study suggests GLP-1 drugs- originally for diabetes and weight loss- may cut obesity-related cancer risk by 41%, beating even bariatric surgery. They showed strong protection against cancers like breast and colon, however, further trials are needed. (BS)

• 👫🏻 Turns out its not biology, but society behind the wheel. A new study from Queen Mary University of London found that only a small fraction of proteins vary by sex, suggesting that social determinants - such as lifestyle, education and income - play a far more significant role in shaping health outcomes. (ETHealthworld)

• 🧑‍🤝‍🧑 In a tiny Brazilian town where family trees get really tangled (nearly a third of couples are related), scientists uncovered Spoan syndrome- a rare genetic disorder leaving kids unable to walk. Thanks to a brilliant geneticist, families now have answers, hope and a shot at better care! (BBC)

• 💊 A new TB regimen sparks hope! Mumbai is rolling out BPaLM- an oral four-drug combo that treats drug-resistant TB in just 6 months. Patients are bouncing back faster with fewer side effects than the old 18-month slog. Though pricey and not widely available yet, BPaLM could rewrite TB’s story! (ETHealthworld)

• 🇺🇸 Trump’s Most Favoured Nation (MFN) drug pricing twist has India’s pharma giants sweating. By tying U.S. drug prices to the lowest global rates, his new initiative could hit India’s $8B exports and shake up its “pharmacy of the world” title. (ET)

🇮🇳 India

• 🚑 Maharashtra’s upgrading emergency care with its ₹1,600 Cr Maharashtra Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) 108 Ambulance Project! The state will deploy 1,756 advanced ambulances by 2025, featuring ALS/BLS units, first responder bikes and river ambulances, all equipped with GPS and real-time tracking. (ExpressHealthcare)

• 🩸 The Supreme Court slams stigma: “Not all transgenders are risky!”. The Court tore into the National Blood Transfusion Council’s donor rules that tag transgenders and sex workers as “high-risk”. Calling the move unjust and discriminatory, it urged the Centre to revisit guidelines. (ETHealthworld)

🌏️ Global

• ⚱️ The UK’s proposed assisted dying law is back in Parliament, aiming to give terminally ill adults with under six months to live the right to choose their final goodbye. With a new decision-making panel (not a court), the bill has public backing but still sparks fierce debate over ethics, care, and choice. Stay tuned for the next edition of the Health Relay - where we’ll deliver the final word! (Reuters)

• 🌊 Florida’s making waves - this time by flushing fluoride from its tap water. Citing “forced medication” and brain health concerns, the state’s new law bans certain water additives (fluoride included). Dentists aren’t smiling though as they warn this could lead to more cavities for kids. (TheGuardian)

• 🦠 COVID’s staging a sneaky sequel in Asia as Hong Kong and Singapore are seeing a spike in cases- with viral traces even showing up in sewage. Experts say it’s due to fading immunity, not new variants, so health officials are urging booster shots to stay ahead of the curve. (ETHealthworld)

🇮🇳 India

• ❌ India pushed back against the UK’s demand for data exclusivity - rules that would block generic drug makers from using clinical trial data for several years, delaying cheaper alternatives. By rejecting it in FTA talks, India has defended access to affordable medicines. (ET)

• 💰 At the 2025 SelectUSA Investment Summit, India’s Piramal Pharma unveiled a $90M plan to expand its U.S. manufacturing sites in Kentucky and Michigan. The project adds 24,000 sq. ft. and advanced equipment, targeting 2027 completion to meet the USA’s growing demand. (BioSpectrum)

🌏️ Global

• 🏥 UAE’s PureHealth is snapping up the UK’s biggest private hospital chain, Circle Health Group, for $1.2 billion! With 50+ hospitals and 8,000+ staff now in their pocket, PureHealth is officially going global. (BusinessWire)

• 🐕 SpotitEarly is sniffing out cancer - literally! The Israeli startup just launched in the U.S. with $20.3M to detect early-stage cancer using trained dogs and AI to analyse breath samples with a 94% accuracy rate. (MobiHealthNews)