#20: Weed Warnings, Kerala’s Antibiotic Aces, & 23andMe’s Genomic Plot Twist

This week in healthcare: From cheap generics racing to dethrone Ozempic to Kerala’s grassroots war on antibiotics, this week’s health news is all action. New research links cannabis use to heart disease risk, just as wellness rhetoric goes mainstream. Meanwhile, 23andMe’s founder reclaims the company. Let’s dive in.

• 💡 Beyond the cuff. For the first time, Hong Kong is integrating an AI-powered blood pressure system with DeepSeek, enabling 24/7 monitoring, predictive alerts, and smarter clinical decisions for hypertension care. (MobiHealth)

• 🧠 ArkBio’s Azstarys, a fast-acting, all-day ADHD treatment, just earned Priority Review- cutting FDA review time from 10 to 6 months. One capsule, two releases, and up to 13 hours of focus. (PB)

• 🍃 Weed might chill you out, but your heart’s paying the price. New research says cannabis use could double your risk of dying from heart disease. (TheGuardian)

• 🚀 A twice‑yearly 'HIV‑ending’ shot, lenacapavir, hits the US stage this week. It could be made for just $25 a year (with profit!). That’s 1,000× less than the expected tag, so now the world’s watching if Gilead can turn this blockbuster into a blockbuster bargain. (TheGuardian)

• 💉  Weight-loss shots for ₹500/month? Coming soon! With patents on Ozempic & Wegovy set to expire in 2026, Indian pharma giants are gearing up to drop generics, slashing costs from $16K a year. (FE)

• 🚀 The US FDA is rolling out new "priority review vouchers" to fast-track drug approvals in as little as 1 month (instead of 12!). Think of it as a golden ticket for pharma! (Reuters)

• 🤖 Aidoc just dropped BRIDGE, a playbook for deploying clinical AI safely and at scale. Co-created with 17 organisations and NVIDIA, it’s open-source and built to move AI from pilot to practice. (HealthcareIT)

🇮🇳 India

• 🧘‍♂️ Delhi’s new Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are in full swing. It offers free medicines, diagnostics, cervical‑cancer screening and yoga sessions! All that, plus emergency oxygen facilities, breastfeeding zones and Ayushman cards for seniors. (ETHealthWorld)

• 📰 By December 2025, Kerala aims to make every citizen an “antibiotic expert”. With thousands of awareness drives, house visits, and pharmacies now dispensing meds only with proper prescriptions, it’s a clever cure against antibiotic misuse. (TheHindu)

• 🏆 India is offering a ₹10 crore prize to inspire breakthroughs in drugs for sickle cell, a disease that affects millions in tribal India. The goal is to wipe it out by 2047. (ET)

🌏️ Global

• 💊 Big Pharma’s reckoning: All 50 U.S. state attorneys general have agreed to a $7.4B settlement with Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin, holding the company accountable for its role in the opioid crisis. Money will go toward addiction treatment and prevention. (Reuters)

• 🇦🇺 Equality just got a transfusion. Gay and bisexual men in Australia can now donate blood under new, more inclusive guidelines. (BBC)

🇮🇳 India

• 💼 Welcure Drugs just signed a ₹517 crore supply deal with a Thai pharma firm but they won’t be making, packing, or shipping a single pill. The Thai partner will handle packaging, labelling, freight, and all the regulatory red tape. Welcure’s role? Just arranging the deal and earning ₹26 crore for it! (ET)

🌏️ Global

• 🔄 Call it a re-sequencing!  Anne Wojcicki, the founder of 23andMe, is buying back 23andMe for $305M after its bankruptcy. Plot twist: she’s doing it through her non-profit. (MobiHealth)

• 🏥 Alexa, report to six departments! Amazon is dividing its healthcare empire into six new units after a wave of top exec departures, aiming to streamline operations. (Reuters)

• 🚀 Caris Life Sciences just stormed onto Nasdaq, raising a hefty $494 million. This AI-powered cancer diagnostics firm now commands nearly a $6 billion valuation, signalling a strong comeback for biotech. (Reuters)

• 🧠 Sword Health slashes into mental health with a $40M boost at a $4B valuation. They’ve gone from soothing anxious minds to launching Mind, an AI wearable‑powered, 24/7 mental health lifeline backed by PhD clinicians. (techeu)