With GLP-1 supply stabilizing after a 600% surge in U.S. use between 2018–2024, the obesity treatment market is on the brink of another transformation. A wave of late-stage drugs — spanning dual, triple, and non-GLP pathways — could rival bariatric surgery outcomes and reshape care delivery in 2026. Highlights include: Experts emphasize these therapies will not only expand choice for patients resistant to GLP-1s but also enable more personalized, long-term obesity care.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Oshi Health, the nationwide virtual multidisciplinary GI clinic, has launched Access+, a new program that provides GI practices with turnkey staffing support and virtual multidisciplinary care. Designed to relieve backlogs and reduce physician burnout, Access+ integrates Oshi’s GI-trained Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), dietitians, and behavioral health specialists directly into local practices’ workflows and EMRs. Key highlights:
New peer-reviewed data in Practical Laboratory Medicine confirms the analytical reliability of Geneoscopy’s scrape-free collection method used in the FDA-approved ColoSense® colorectal cancer screening test. Across more than 1,300 replicates, ColoSense showed high reproducibility under varied conditions — including different stool volumes, dietary interferences, freeze-thaw cycles, and transit times up to 120 hours. A prospective equivalency analysis demonstrated 94% agreement between in-lab FIT and traditional at-home FIT. Retrospective testing confirmed strong sensitivity for colorectal cancer and advanced adenomas. Unlike traditional methods, ColoSense eliminates patient handling of stool and standardizes testing in the lab, reducing variability and improving patient experience. Geneoscopy…
Pascale White, MD, traces her path from Barnard biology major to director of Health Equity in Action for Liver and Digestive Diseases at Mount Sinai. Inspired by her early academic foundations and medical training at NYU and Sloan Kettering, she pursued gastroenterology despite the field’s low representation of women (35%) and Black physicians (fewer than 5%). Today, she leads initiatives to expand access to colorectal cancer screening, mentors the next generation, and champions equity in digestive health — carrying Barnard’s ethos of “bold pursuit” throughout her career.
In this episode of the Gut Talk podcast, Amy Oxentenko, MD, outgoing ACG president and Mayo Clinic vice dean, reflects on her term leading the college. She discusses initiatives to address GI workforce shortages, FTE capacity research, and the growing trend of locum tenens practice. Oxentenko also highlights strides toward closing the gender gap, ongoing equity challenges, and the need for research to shape the specialty’s future. She shares optimism about innovation in GI, notes concerns about workforce sustainability, and offers advice for incoming leaders.
A JNCI decision-modeling study compared noninvasive colorectal cancer screening options using “efficient frontiers” (benefit: life-years or QALYs gained; burden: lifetime colonoscopies/patient hours). Among average-risk adults, biennial or triennial next-generation multitarget stool DNA (ages 45–75) was the only noninvasive strategy consistently on the efficient frontier. Annual FIT was typically near-efficient; multitarget stool RNA was near-efficient at best; and currently available blood-based tests were not efficient under any age/interval scenario. Sensitivity analyses that added colonoscopy (every 5–10 years) preserved these findings; results assumed 100% adherence and test performance from recent large trials. Authors conclude next-gen stool DNA should be prioritized among noninvasive…
A new review in Nature Mental Health strengthens the case that the gut microbiome directly shapes brain chemistry, stress responses, and behavior. Researchers at the University of South Australia highlight disrupted gut patterns in depression and schizophrenia, early clinical gains from probiotics, dietary changes, and fecal microbiota transplants, and evidence that psychiatric drugs alter gut flora. With nearly one in seven people affected by mental disorders, the findings position microbiome-based therapies as promising, low-cost, and scalable options for future mental health care.
The expiration of Medicare telehealth coverage on Sept. 30 has forced providers to cancel or shift appointments, leaving millions of seniors and disabled patients at risk of losing access. The lapse stems from Congress’s failure to extend funding, despite broad bipartisan support and a Senate bill with 65 co-sponsors. Patients with chronic conditions — especially those immunocompromised — face immediate disruptions, while providers navigate uncertainty over reimbursement. Advocates warn the disruption highlights the urgent need for permanent telehealth coverage.
OncoDaily GI spotlights the innovations transforming gastrointestinal oncology — from precision biomarkers to advances in equitable cancer care. The second week of October features breakthroughs across colorectal, hepatobiliary, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers, underscoring the momentum of science and collaboration in reshaping the field. Highlights include new evidence supporting curative surgery in recurrent colon cancer, deeper insights into colorectal cancer subtypes, and progress in pancreatic oncology through biomarker-guided immunotherapy, transcriptomic-driven chemotherapy, and early-detection models. Economic analyses in hepatocellular carcinoma strengthen value-based decision-making, while a European trial expands targeted treatment options for KRAS-mutant CRC.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a package of healthcare laws cracking down on pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and private equity firms. SB 41 bans spread pricing, prohibits PBMs from steering patients to owned pharmacies, and requires rebates to be passed to payers. The law takes effect Jan. 1, 2026. Newsom also signed AB 1415, requiring private equity firms to notify the state before healthcare M&A deals, and SB 351, barring interference in medical decision-making. Lawmakers say the reforms aim to protect patients, strengthen oversight, and curb rising costs.