#2: AI Doctors, Smart Knees & a Menopause Mess- What's Next?

This week in healthcare: From AI-powered dementia screening to epilepsy-detecting wearables, healthcare innovation is accelerating. India boosts medical device manufacturing while the U.S. debates AI prescribing drugs. Read on to know more!

HealthTech & Innovation

• 👦 Raunak Dhoot, a Grade 11 student from Mumbai has created a wearable device to predict and detect epileptic seizures in children below 7 years, called SIM-T. (EH)

• 🇸🇬 Singapore's ReCOGnAIze, an AI-powered gamified screening tool, detects early dementia with 89% accuracy in just 15 minutes. (mobihealthnews)

• 🦵 Alexandra Hospital's newly patented AI for robotic knee surgery optimises implant positioning by reducing surgery time by 48% and improving accuracy. (mobihealthnews)

Research & Healthcare Professionals

• 🦟 The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a clinical trial to test an experimental treatment for dengue, assessing its safety and effectiveness in reducing symptoms. (PB)

• 🍎 Apple has launched the Apple Health Study to explore new connections in physical and mental health using data from iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods. (The Verge)

• 👨‍⚕️ The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), has launched a Professional Development Program in Digital Health for Pharmacists, aimed at equipping them with essential digital health skills to enhance pharmaceutical care. (EH)

• 🫀 Using modern hormonal contraceptives may raise the relative risk of ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction, revealed by a recent study. (Medscape) (BMJ Research Paper)

• 👁️ An Australian-led project used AI to analyse 50,000 eye images, creating the most detailed retinal maps ever, linking retinal thinning to diseases like multiple sclerosis and metabolic disorders. (mobihealthnews)

Pharmaceuticals, Regulations, & Insurance

• 📦️ India’s nutraceutical market is booming, projected to reach $18B by 2025 and $68.42B by 2030, driven by growing demand for traditional and preventive healthcare. (ET)

• 💊 FDA approves Mirdametinib (Gomekli) for neurofibromatosis type 1 (a disease that causes tumors to grow on nerves) in patients aged 2 and older, offering a new treatment option. (MD)

• 🐦️ NanoViricides claims its antiviral drug NV-387 can combat H5N1 bird flu, despite the virus’s rapid mutations. (PB)

• 🚺️ Procter & Gamble Sued Over Allegedly Misleading Menopause Test – Two women sued P&G, claiming its ClearBlue Menopause Stage Indicator falsely claims to determine menopause stage based on hormone levels. (Forbes)

Policy, Public Health & Government

🇮🇳 India

• 🦟 The Government has launched a nationwide Mass Drug Administration (MDA) Campaign across 111 endemic districts in 13 states, to eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis, a parasitic disease transmitted by infected mosquitoes. (EH)

• 💰️ The budget allocation for the Strengthening of Medical Device Industry (SMDI) scheme has doubled to ₹360 crore for FY26, aiming to make India self-reliant in medical device manufacturing. (PB)

🌏️ Global

• 🤖 A proposed U.S. bill seeks to classify AI as a licensed practitioner to autonomously prescribe FDA-approved drugs, provided it meets state and federal regulations, sparking debate over AI’s readiness and reliability in critical healthcare decisions. (mobihealthnews)

• ♋️ The UK Government is offering ~$104M of flexible funding for AI-driven research to tackle cancer and boost drug discovery. (PB)

Industry, Deals & IPOs

🇮🇳 India

• 🏥 Adani Group has pledged ₹6,000 Cr to build comprehensive medical centres in Mumbai and Ahmedabad, in partnership with Mayo Clinic, called Adani Health Cities, marking a transformative leap in India’s healthcare sector. (eHealth)

• 💰️ Fortis Healthcare is acquiring Shrimann Superspeciality, a 228-Bed Hospital in Jalandhar, for Rs 462 Crore, expanding its Punjab cluster to over 1,000 beds in a move to strengthen its regional presence. (BS)

• 🔐 Rising costs and competition has forced 99 small hospitals in Kerala to shut down in the last few years as demand shifts towards corporate and multi-speciality healthcare facilities. (MD)

• 🦷 Dentalkart, a leading online market place for dental supplies, has launched Smileworks, an advanced lab solution and professional upskilling platform, to revolutionise India’s ₹6000 Cr dental lab market. (eHealth)

• 💵 Lifesigns secures funding from Healthcare Capital, the investment arm of Kauvery Hospital Group, to boost AI and predictive capabilities of its patient monitoring platform. (EH)

• 🌱 Nivaan Care, a growing chronic pain management clinic chain, raised $4.25M in seed funding to expand into 10 new clinics and introduce regenerative medicine treatments like autologous cell therapies and bioactive scaffolds. (Indian Startup News)

🌏️ Global

• 💧 Epicore Biosystems has raised $26M in Series B funding to scale its sweat-sensing wearable technology, expand biomarker applications, and enhance real-time hydration and metabolic health monitoring. (mobihealthnews)

• 🧬 Latent Labs has emerged from stealth with $50M funding to design synthetic proteins using AI-driven innovation, which will make protein identification, selection, and testing faster and more predictable. (TFN)

• 💸 Barcelona-based VC firm, Nina Capital, has closed ~$52M Fund III, to invest in AI-driven, personalised digital healthcare solutions across Europe, North America, Israel, and Australia. (TFN)

• 💻️ Candid Health secured a $52.5M Series C funding round to expand its AI-driven revenue cycle platform, enhancing automation in healthcare billing. (mobihealthnews)

• 🫀 Novartis Acquires Anthos Therapeutics for Up to $3.1B – Novartis is buying Blackstone-backed Anthos Therapeutics to strengthen its cardiovascular portfolio, continuing its spree of smaller acquisitions under $5 billion. (Forbes)