HealthTech Roundup! #010

Despite February's brevity, it certainly didn't hold back in delivering some exciting developments in the digital health, big tech, innovation, and government. So, let's dive into what this month had in store for us:

First up, fresh news bites 🥪:

• Pfizer has created Charlie, a generative AI platform which can help with content creation, editing, fact-checking, legal reviews, and marketing insights. Their aim is to make marketing personalised to HCPs and more efficient at 5x the speed.

• The European Union is close to its first-of-a-kind AI law. For healthcare and developers in the region, it means that any AI integration must be supported by real world evidence while prioritising safety and efficacy.

• Putting a computer inside someone’s brain used to feel like the edge of science fiction, but last month, Musk's Neuralink did just that. Now, the first patient who has been implanted with the chip can control a computer mouse with their thoughts. 

• In more neuro news, Bezos and Gates-backed Elemind, who are pioneering in "electric medicine" neuro-technology. Read it with: Researchers have unveiled groundbreaking tech that reads human emotion in real-time and aims to enhance human-machine interactions.

• Telstra Health launched Smart Connected Care, providing a single front door for HCPs to access an integrated ecosystem of digital health solutions: Smart Clinician (which will soon expand into Smart Scripts), Smart Manager and Smart Marketplace. 

• Canary Medical has completed a first-in-human trial of an implantable cardiac monitor which can help track the effectiveness of medications among patients with heart failure. 

Now, let’s take a look at what some of the 'movers and shakers' are doing 🚀:

• Epic - yeah, the electronic record folks - are co-developing with Abridge to boost generative AI for clinical documentation.

• Health insurer Bupa have launched a VC fund to back Australian healthcare startups. Its early focus includes predictive and preventative healthcare, genomics, home care and remote monitoring, with an objective to make the sector more personal and less fragmented.  

Finally, leaving you with a futurist tidbit 🤖:

• OpenAI broke the internet with the announcement of Sora, which has the ability to create 60 seconds of realistic video with less than two lines of text. This technology has the potential to: personalise HCP content, customise medication reminders, simulate emergency situations or surgeries, and change patient engagement and education. More to come on this.