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Can A Simple Blood Test Really Spot Cancer Early? Don’t Bet On It Yet, Scientists Say.
Well-funded startups like Freenome and Grail say they’re making tests that spot cancer before you know you have it. They have divulged little about the science behind their vision — and many scientists are skeptical.
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Here’s How Accurate The Fitbit Alta HR Actually Is
We pitted Fitbit’s new ultra-slim wristband against a chest strap to see just how accurately it could measure beats per minute.
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A Pharma Company Is Sponsoring An iPhone App To Fight The Opioid Crisis It Helped Start
Purdue Pharma’s blockbuster painkiller, OxyContin, is widely blamed for setting off the opioid epidemic. Now the company is starting an iPhone and Apple Watch study that aims to get patients off their medications.
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We Tried The Fitbit Alta HR, An Ultra-Thin Heart Rate Tracker
The stylish fitness wearable gets an upgrade, and the app gets new sleep-tracking features.
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This Biotech CEO Doesn’t Have A PhD, But He Did Leave School Under A Cloud
Gabriel Otte has been identified on many websites, including his own company’s, as having a PhD. But he does not. The CEO of Freenome, which is backed by Andreessen Horowitz, left a PhD program at the University of Pennsylvania, where a professor raised questions about some of his research, BuzzFeed News has learned.
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This Health Startup Says Its Tech Can Reverse Diabetes
The co-founder of Trulia has a new startup, Virta Health, that wants to help type 2 diabetes patients bring their diet and weight under control — and therefore their disease — without surgery or medications.
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How Anti-Science Forces Thrive On Facebook
Welcome to the corner of the internet that’s hell-bent on convincing you that GMOs are poisonous, vaccines cause autism, and climate change is a government-sponsored hoax. The message is traveling far and wide.
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Fitbit’s Thinnest Tracker Will Now Track Your Heart Rate, Too
With the slim, fitness-focused Alta HR, and new sleep features on its app, Fitbit is trying to stay ahead of the game.
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This Startup Wants To Catch Cancer In Its Early Days
Freenome is raising $65 million to develop a test that could detect that you have cancer, even if you don’t know it yet, from a small blood sample.
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Mark Zuckerberg And Priscilla Chan Are Funding Scientists As Part Of Their Plan To To Tackle Disease
In its quest to “cure, prevent, or manage all diseases,” the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is committing more than $50 million to fund nearly 50 researchers.
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The Breathalyzer Device On "Shark Tank" Allegedly Ran False Ads
Breathometer, which charmed Shark Tank investors with a gadget that could detect your alcohol levels from your breath, just settled federal charges that its claims lacked scientific evidence. It must issue refunds.
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People Are Saying That Twitter Forced Them To Follow Trump’s @POTUS Account
So much for the peaceful transition of social media power.
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Oscar Health Tells Members It’ll "Be In Touch" If Obamacare Changes
In a blog post exclusively shared with BuzzFeed News, Oscar Health — whose co-founder is the brother of Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner — seeks to reassure members that their Affordable Care Act coverage will remain intact for now.
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Maker Of $34,000 Drug To Pay $100 Million Over A Monopoly Price Hike
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceueticals is settling federal and state charges that it bought a drug to protect a monopoly — allegations initially raised by “pharma bro” Martin Shkreli. The firm allegedly raised the price of its drug by 85,000%.
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Birth Control Startups Are Offering Deals To Prep For Trump’s America
In response to customers’ fears that birth control coverage will disappear if the Affordable Care Act is repealed, on-demand birth control startups are offering discounts.
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Trump’s Potential FDA Pick Attended McAfee For President Fundraiser
Jim O’Neill, an associate of venture capitalist Peter Thiel and a candidate for FDA commissioner under President-elect Trump, attended a fundraiser for aspiring Libertarian presidential candidate John McAfee last year.
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Donald Trump Just Called The Drug Industry "Disastrous"
The president-elect pledged to crack down on high drug prices during his first press conference of 2017.
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Here’s How Big Pharma Plans To Clean Up After Martin Shkreli
After a year of heavy criticism over high drug prices, the pharmaceutical industry views the incoming Trump administration with optimism — and uncertainty. “The image of the sector has been hijacked by some bad actors,” said PhRMA’s chief.
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DNA-Testing Startup Counsyl Lays Off 5% Of Its Workforce
The startup is laying off salespeople who were selling its cancer-screening test.
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Workplaces Are Tracking Their Employees’ Sleep
Employers aren’t just tracking your steps anymore, but your zzz’s.
