Dr. Maria Abreu calls for a shift in the understanding and treatment of obesity, particularly in the Hispanic community, where obesity rates are high. She advocates for the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act, which would expand Medicare coverage for effective weight-loss treatments, including medications and counseling. Dr. Abreu highlights the health disparities worsened by limited access to care and warns of the dangerous reliance on black-market medications. She urges public support for legislative action to address this growing health crisis.
Author: Abhay Panchal
In an interview with Grit Daily, Scott Hickle, founder of Throne, discussed the health-tech startup’s device designed to monitor gut health and hydration using a camera attached to a toilet. The device analyzes bowel movements and urine flow, providing continuous insights and potential early warnings for issues like colon cancer. Throne, still in the prototype stage, has received positive feedback and plans to launch with a direct-to-consumer model priced at $299, with a $6 monthly subscription for analytics.
Researchers have developed MILTON, an AI tool that analyzes routine patient test data to predict early signs of over 1,000 diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and kidney disease, long before symptoms appear. AstraZeneca, which developed the tool, aims to accelerate early interventions and treatments. While MILTON shows “exceptional” predictive performance for 121 diseases, experts caution about its ethical use and potential misuse by insurers or employers without consent. Further work is needed before MILTON can be used clinically.
THD America, a Natick, Massachusetts-based medical device company, and its parent company have agreed to pay $700,000 to resolve allegations of violating the False Claims Act. Between 2014 and 2017, the company allegedly caused colorectal and general surgeons to submit inflated reimbursement claims to Medicare and state Medicaid programs by encouraging the use of incorrect billing codes for its hemorrhoid removal system
Satisfai Health Inc., in collaboration with several partners including Alimentiv and Canadian universities, is receiving co-investment from DIGITAL to develop AI tools for Intestinal Ultrasound (IUS) in managing Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD). This AI tool, named Sonai, aims to improve the accuracy and accessibility of IUS, a non-invasive and cost-effective method used to assess IBD treatment responses. The initiative, supported by DIGITAL, is poised to enhance the application of AI in healthcare and revolutionize IBD management.
Lauren Feld, MD, assistant professor at UMass Chan Medical School, advocates for systematic, equitable parental leave policies in gastroenterology to alleviate gender disparities. Despite past surveys showing only 35% of training programs offering parental leave for all genders, Feld continues to push for structural changes to support both men and women. Her efforts, recognized by the 2024 Scrubs & Heels Break the Glass Ceiling Award, emphasize the importance of standardized family-friendly policies to foster a more inclusive, equitable work environment for all gastroenterologists.
Johnson & Johnson announced FDA approval of TREMFYA® (guselkumab) for treating moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) in adults. TREMFYA® is the first fully-human monoclonal antibody that blocks IL-23 and binds to CD64, showing significant improvements in UC symptoms and endoscopic healing. The approval is based on data from the QUASAR Phase 2b/3 study, which highlighted the drug’s efficacy in patients unresponsive to other treatments.
This virtual presentation discussed the increasing costs of gastrointestinal care and showcase Cleveland Clinic’s innovative strategy, including a partnership with Ayble, a new digital health provider.
Gastrointestinal Specialists of Troy, Michigan, has partnered with Oshi Health to enhance access to multidisciplinary care for patients with chronic gastrointestinal (GI) conditions. This collaboration aims to offer patients virtual access to comprehensive care teams, including dietitians, health coaches, and therapists, to manage conditions like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The initiative focuses on improving care coordination and patient outcomes.
In this episode of the Innovation series, Dr. Parikh interviews Asaf Kraus, CEO and founder of Dieta Health. Dieta’s core application is to use artificial intelligence to monitor a patient’s bowel movements and improve digestive health.