Hi friends,
This week: Novartis scraps a drug deal with the NHS, EMIS and Optum are under the CMA microscope, and could ChatGPT save the NHS?
News Bites 🥪
🦄 The other funding gap: it’s not just unicorns that are leaving Europe - Pigeon occasionally considers flying south for the winter in pursuit of warmer climates. For Halitus CEO Sven Jungmann, it’s more about Europe’s risk-averse VCs and a high regulatory burden for European healthtech companies. Does he have a point?
📉 Meet the 5 European tech companies worth less than all the money they’ve raised - It’s only slightly concerning that two of the five are healthtechs, and there’s another well-known healthtech teetering on the brink…
🦹 The next challenge for ChatGPT? To save the NHS - Not all heroes wear capes. Will GPT replace your doctor? No(t yet). Will GPT decipher your doctor’s illegible scrawl? Yes. For this reason and this reason alone, Pigeon advises NHS leaders to cough up for the premium subscription.
💪 Maven Clinic buys fellow virtual women's health company Naytal - Pigeon thinks the acquisition of the UK women’s health platform is a bit of a coo* for Maven Clinic, and will considerably strengthen the support that the platform can offer members in its second biggest market outside of the US.
🚧 Lack of investment in community nursing ‘barrier to integrated care’ - Community nurses remind health system leaders that they could play a pivotal role in delivering fancy plans around integrated care if only those leaders a) remembered what community nurses do, and b) invested in the resources and technology they need to do it. Not too big of an ask, right?
💉 Novartis scraps drug trial in blow to UK life sciences ambitions - The Swiss pharmaceutical giant decides to scrap a trial to roll out cholesterol drug Inclisiran through GPs, because GPs had serious reservations about prescribing it. The best laid plans of pigeons and men etc… That said, maybe someone should have checked before letting Matt Hancock celebrate it so publicly at the time.
💾 63 system execs share their most valuable tech investments in the last 2 years - Not every hospital had the same priorities when it came to investing in tech – 63 US healthcare execs share their favourites. Pigeon’s lockdown tech investment was a Nintendo Switch, and we truly hope these execs got more mileage out of their purchases.
🤝 Watchdog fears healthcare tech merger could push up NHS costs - Two of the biggest companies in NHS tech go into a room, only one will come out. Will it cost the taxpayer? Will it stifle competition? Will it make NHS systems work better? Find out next time. Same Pigeon time! Same Pigeon channel!
🍭 Woolworths-owned HealthyLife launches telehealth service - Who doesn’t have fond memories of the UK Woolies pick and mix? Pigeon used to love queuing up for a bag of Fizzy cola bottles, flying saucers, sherbet lemons, GP referral letters, and medical certificates.
What to listen to 🔊
🐦 The hero we deserve - Join James, Jessica, Huw and Numan’s Chief Medical Strategy Officer, Sam Shah as they review the week’s healthtech stories (without the help of an AI).
🔊 #296 From business idea to reality with Founder and CEO Charles Fisher - Join us as we throwback to hear Charles Fisher, the founder and CEO of Unlearn.AI, share his fascinating journey, from the endless hours of coding to securing their first investment.
Events 📅
👩💻 Decoding the Future of Women - the Flagship Women’s Health Conference - Some of the biggest names in tech and women’s health innovation are set to appear at this event, which will explore the future of women’s health and the technologies that will drive it.
Opportunities 🕵️♀️
✍️ Senior Content Editor, Men's Health & Lifestyle, Peppy - Want to write content for one of the fastest growing healthcare platforms out there? Peppy could be the place for you.
💸 Account executive - sales, Doctify - Natural born salesperson? Healthcare review platform Doctify is looking for an account executive to spread the world and close some deals.
🏥 Head of Product, DrDoctor - Fresh off a £10m raise, DrDoctor is looking for a Head of Product to take them to the next level. With over 19million plus users, it’s a great role for a proven product superstar.
🧠 Strategic Commercial Manager, Kooth Digital Health - ready to help implement the commercial strategy for an organisation committed to improving digital mental health support? This is your moment.
*Groan all you like, but if you thought Pigeon was above replacing ‘coup’ for ‘coo’, you’ve not been paying attention.