#24: Rewriting Science: One Pill, One Gene, One Wheel at a Time

This week in healthcare: Manipal’s mega buyout seeks a ₹5,300Cr fuel injection, NIH stirs controversy with fresh dog trials, ICMR launches a holistic hub for endometriosis, and India’s salt obsession rings alarm bells—this week’s health buzz is anything but quiet.

• 🦽 IIT Madras just gave mobility a sleek upgrade, launching India’s lightest active wheelchair weighing only 8.5 kg (half the average). Made from carbon fibre and tested by national para-atheletes, it’s light, tough and ready to race. (NDTV)

• 🩸 Japan is clinically testing artificial blood that’s universal, virus-free and stable for 2 years. Set for a 2030 debut, it aims to ease shortages and strengthen emergency response systems. (TOI)

• 👶🏻 Science just rewrote the baby rulebook! In the UK, 8 babies have each been born with DNA from three people, mom, dad, and an egg donor, all to block rare genetic diseases.  (BBC)

• 🧂 Salted to death? Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) flags a “silent epidemic” as Indians consume nearly double the safe limit, 5 grams per person. A new study is now testing low-sodium fixes before this habit eats away our health. (IndiaTV)

• 🤖 Talk therapy or tech trouble? A new study warns AI chatbots could do more harm than healing by reinforcing delusions, downplaying distress and offering risky advice. Think twice before making a chatbot your shrink. (TechCrunch)

• 💯 UK Biobank just wrapped 100K full-body scans- the world’s biggest imaging project! With over a billion anonymized scans, researchers now have a goldmine to detect diseases earlier and decode aging faster. (BBC)

• 🦠 Tiny microbes are busy flushing out 75% of nasty ‘forever chemicals’ right through your poop. Now, Cambiotics, Cambridge startup, is turning that gut power into a daily detox pill you can pop. (TheGuardian)

• 🧑🏻‍🦲 Sun Pharma drops a bald bomb! The Indian pharma company launches Leqselvi in the U.S. to treat alopecia (autoimmune hair loss) after a patent approval. Forecasting sales over $400M by 2030. (Reuters)

• 💉 The WHO has finally approved Lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable from India which delivers near-total protection for high-risk groups. Just two shots: no daily pills, no stigma, no stress. (BS)

🇮🇳 India

• 👨‍👩‍👦  Stranded in recovery: Patients at Hyderabad’s Institute of Mental Health are medically fit but stuck in the discharge ward, as families refuse to take them back. Despite the Mental Healthcare Act mandating reintegration, poor support and rehab gaps keep them in limbo. (ETHealth)

• ♀️ ICMR launches EndoCare India for endometriosis, a painful uterine disorder. It is a one-stop healing hub staffed with doctors, psychiatrists and nutritionists under one roof. (BS)

• 🚨Haryana police raided an illegal fertility clinic finding: 84 embryos, 68 semen samples, and eggs from donors. The unlicensed operation catered to international clients, charging lakhs per cycle. Haryana has now filed its first-ever FIR under surrogacy laws. (HT)

🌏️ Global

• 🐶 The National Institute of Health (NIH), vowed to end animal testing, then poured $12M into new dog experiments. Puppies were drugged, infected with ticks and even force-fed. Cruelty in a lab coat or just business as usual? (TheGuardian)

🇮🇳 India

• 💹 Private Equity is betting big on Indian healthcare, ₹4,900 Cr was pumped into 33 deals in Q2 2025, that’s ₹150 Cr up from Q1. Pharma, hospitals and health-tech led the charge. (ETHealth)

• 💥 NephroPlus eyes’ ₹2,000 Cr IPO! The Hyderabad-based dialysis giant, with 400+ clinics and over 50% market share, is set to file by July-end. (ET)

• 📈 Torrent Pharma is chasing a ₹19,500 Cr takeover of JB Chemicals, a Mumbai-based company strong in chronic therapies. The deal, aimed at boosting Torrent’s market power, is now awaiting approval from the regulatory body. (ET)

• 🏦 The auction’s done, now comes the money! Manipal Hospitals is now tapping ₹5,300Cr from global banks to fund its ₹6,400Cr Sahyadri takeover. Relaying last week’s edition of The Health Relay. (ETHealth)

🌏️ Global

• ♥️ Heartflow, the AI-driven heart imaging firm, has filed for an IPO, despite a loss of $32.3M last quarter. But with rising revenue and plans to cut debt and scale up, it’s betting big on investor confidence. (Reuters)