The NIH’s abrupt dismissal of grant renewal applications for rare disease consortia — including the Consortium of Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disease Researchers (CEGIR) — is drawing sharp criticism from the AAAAI and patient advocacy groups. The decision, based on a minor technicality rather than scientific merit, threatens to dismantle critical research infrastructure and halt life-saving work for patients with eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases. Advocates are urging Congress to intervene, warning that the move sets a dangerous precedent and will directly harm patient care and innovation.
Author: Abhay Panchal
Guardant Health and Pfizer have entered a multi-year global collaboration to advance Pfizer’s oncology drug development using Guardant’s liquid biopsy technologies, particularly the Guardant Infinity™ platform. The partnership will focus on utilizing circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) to monitor therapy response and explore blood-based epigenomic analyses in clinical trials. The agreement includes access to Guardant tests in China, bolstered by Guardant’s earlier partnership with Adicon Holdings. The collaboration underscores growing interest in ctDNA as a surrogate endpoint for evaluating cancer treatment efficacy.
A Tech-Startup and a GI Giant Just Redefined Clinical ResearchWhat happens when the largest GI practice in the country partners with a digital-native startup? You get more than scale. You get a radical redesign of how clinical research works, where trials no longer live on the sidelines of care, but at its very center. On The Scope Forward Show, Dr. Jonathan Ng (Founder & CEO, Iterative Health) and Dr. Casey Chapman (CMO, GI Alliance) announced a first-of-its-kind alliance:→ 80 research sites across the globe→ A shared platform for trial execution at the point of care→ And a vision to restore agency to physicians while unlocking equitable access for patients “It’s not about trial…
UnitedHealth Group has adopted an aggressive approach to recover outstanding balances on loans issued to healthcare providers affected by the February 2024 ransomware attack on Change Healthcare. The attack caused a prolonged outage of Change Healthcare’s systems, causing massive disruption to revenue cycles as providers were unable to submit claims. Many providers were forced to exhaust personal funds to keep their businesses open, and many providers were pushed to the brink of closure.
In November, Cardinal Health acquired a majority stake in GI Alliance for $2.8 billion, one of the largest transactions in the gastroenterology space in recent years. Here are five key takeaways from the deal:1. The acquisition reflects a growing trend of pharmaceutical-focused healthcare companies entering the physician practice space, according to a blog post from VMG Health. Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health, traditionally known for distributing pharmaceuticals and medical products, is now among a new wave of buyers that includes insurers, pharma companies and medical equipment distributors. These entities are increasingly pursuing physician group acquisitions to create vertically integrated care platforms.
Gastroenterologist Mark Pimentel discusses his article, “SIBO and IBS: the hidden link keeping millions in pain.” Mark explains how small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is frequently misdiagnosed or overlooked due to its symptom overlap with other GI conditions, particularly irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). He outlines the evolution of diagnostic tools like hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide breath tests, the clinical relevance of new ICD-10 codes, and the FDA-approved treatment rifaximin. Mark emphasizes that the most effective treatment remains the elemental diet—now made more palatable thanks to food science innovation. He urges increased awareness, clinician education, and research to bring this…
Pfizer has discontinued its experimental oral GLP-1 drug, danuglipron, for obesity treatment after a clinical trial volunteer showed signs of potential drug-induced liver injury, which later resolved. Despite the setback, Pfizer affirmed its continued commitment to obesity research through other drug candidates. The move ends a turbulent journey for the program, which once drew investor optimism amid the rising popularity of GLP-1 therapies like Ozempic.
Dr. Bill Frist, a former U.S. Senate Majority Leader and transplant surgeon, reflects on the transformational impact of generative AI (GenAI) in healthcare. While healthcare has historically struggled with unstructured data and fragmented systems, GenAI offers a breakthrough. Frist identifies key areas of immediate impact and long-term promise. He also cautions about adoption barriers—trust, infrastructure, and change management—but believes GenAI could usher in the most humane, efficient era of medicine yet.
Eli Lilly’s Oral GLP-1 Drug Orforglipron Shows Strong Results in Phase 3 Trial Eli Lilly’s investigational oral GLP-1 receptor agonist, orforglipron, met key endpoints in its Phase 3 ACHIEVE-1 trial for adults with type 2 diabetes. Unlike injectable GLP-1 drugs, orforglipron is a once-daily pill with no food or water restrictions. Key Highlights:
Atmo Biosciences has taken a major step toward commercializing its ingestible gas-sensing capsule after RMIT University officially transferred all intellectual property and patents to the company in exchange for equity. The device, initially developed at RMIT, offers real-time insight into gut health by detecting gaseous biomarkers inside the gastrointestinal tract. Key Highlights: