The hottest Pharma Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

✨⚕️ Must AI cure cancer?

Faster, Please! • 1370 implied HN points • 24 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Pharma
  1. AI doesn't have to instantly cure cancer to be a huge win. Even steady improvements that make treatments more precise and drug discovery cheaper would be transformative.
  2. AI is already helping reverse decades of falling pharma productivity by acting as a better front-end filter — boosting candidate success rates, shortening timelines by roughly 20–25%, and cutting development costs by about 25–30% — which could unlock tens to hundreds of billions in value.
  3. Apocalyptic job-loss stories are overstated because they ignore new job creation, the gap between lab capability and workplace adoption, and political and economic constraints that will slow large-scale disruption.

Weekly Dose of Optimism #182

Not Boring by Packy McCormick • 210 implied HN points • 27 Feb 26
đź•ą Technology Pharma
  1. Big advances in clean energy are moving from lab to grid. Gigawatt‑hour iron‑air batteries are being deployed for multi‑day storage and startups are pursuing stellarator fusion plants, both pointing to more reliable, decarbonized power and new manufacturing jobs.
  2. Medical research is producing transformative, non‑traditional therapies. Phase‑3 psilocybin trials show strong results for treatment‑resistant depression and other studies suggest benefits for chronic conditions like post‑treatment Lyme, while vitamin B2/B3 genomics identified a simple, life‑saving therapy for NAXD in animal models.
  3. The internet economy is accelerating and reshaping commerce and payments. Fast growth in new businesses, app activity, and stablecoin payment volume, plus concepts like agentic commerce, suggest rising momentum — but widespread progress will depend on regulatory and permissioning systems.

Rethinking mental illness, sanity, and culture in light of the fact that the chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, Grace Lee, is literally insane

uTobian • 8195 implied HN points • 14 Apr 23
🏥 Health Politics Pharma
  1. Psychopaths who fit in are more dangerous than the stereotypical crazy ones because they are harder to spot.
  2. The American public health establishment includes individuals who seem well-adjusted but are responsible for significant harm, like downplaying vaccine safety concerns.
  3. The public health system is run by individuals who are well-adjusted to an insane society, perpetuating harm while appearing normal.

How to get rich combining generic drugs: lessons from Axsome

Trevor Klee’s Newsletter • 820 implied HN points • 21 Jun 25
đź’Ľ Business Pharma
  1. Combining generic drugs can create new treatments and opportunities for profit. It’s all about understanding how the drugs work together for better results.
  2. Developing a unique formulation is key. You need to offer something that can't be simply made with existing medications, like a special combination or dosage.
  3. Working closely with regulators and payers from the start is crucial. You need to show them why your combination is valuable and why they should support it.

Top Links 803 Big pharma's patent cliff. Stealthgas and the "dark fleet". The etymology of the "golden triangle".

Chartbook • 371 implied HN points • 18 Jul 25
đź’Ľ Business Pharma
  1. Big pharma is facing a 'patent cliff' where key drugs lose their patents, which could affect their profits. This is important because it might lead to cheaper medications for consumers.
  2. There is a growing topic around 'stealthgas' and the 'dark fleet', which likely refers to rising maritime activities that don't always follow regular regulations. Understanding this can reveal much about global trade and environmental issues.
  3. The term 'golden triangle' has an interesting history and meaning. Learning it can help understand cultural and geographical contexts, especially in economics and trade.
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"Growing concerns" that Ozempic will disrupt big tobacco, candy companies, and alcohol brands, according to Morgan Stanley

Curing Addiction • 142 HN points • 26 Apr 24
🏥 Health & Wellness Pharma
  1. The use of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic is showing potential to disrupt big tobacco, candy, and alcohol industries.
  2. Reports suggest that GLP-1 drugs are impacting consumer behavior, such as reducing spending at restaurants and consumption of cigarettes and alcohol.
  3. The rise of GLP-1 drugs is projected to have a significant market worth and could potentially reshape consumer sectors by influencing behaviors related to food and substance cravings.

GUEST POST: We cannot hate Purdue Pharma or the Sackler family, which owned it, enough

Unreported Truths • 25 implied HN points • 10 Jan 26
🏥 Health Politics Pharma
  1. Purdue and the Sacklers ran cold, data-driven marketing that pushed doctors to start and then titrate patients to higher, long-term OxyContin doses, using tactics like savings cards and targeted campaigns to create dependence and drive huge profits.
  2. The Sackler family pulled billions out of the company and used bankruptcy maneuvers to avoid full legal accountability, leaving only limited payouts to victims while the company rebrands and continues operating.
  3. Broader systems — medical organizations, advocacy groups, and parts of the media — promoted aggressive pain treatment and downplayed addiction risks, which let pharmaceutical marketing campaigns normalize heavy opioid use and fuel the overdose crisis.

Medicine is becoming more corrupt

Vinay Prasad's Observations and Thoughts • 184 implied HN points • 04 Nov 24
🏥 Health Politics Pharma
  1. Medicine is being influenced by money from pharmaceutical companies, which can lead to biased practices. This means that decisions in healthcare might prioritize profit over patient care.
  2. Big donations to universities can result in naming rights and influence, creating a potential conflict of interest. This raises questions about the integrity and independence of academic institutions.
  3. There's a concern that this trend towards corruption could compromise the quality of medical research and education. Without accountability, the focus might shift away from ethical standards and patient welfare.

Pandemic Reporting Failed to Seek Facts While Favoring Biopharma Public Relations

The DisInformation Chronicle • 665 implied HN points • 07 Mar 23
🇺🇸 U.S. Politics Pharma
  1. Pandemic reporting should prioritize seeking facts over favoring biopharma public relations.
  2. Journalists should uphold journalistic ethics and verify claims before publishing articles.
  3. Advocacy journalism threatens democracy by undermining informed decision-making and should be countered with fact-based reporting.

Fired by Pfizer: Former Harvard prof reveals he was dismissed from CDC committee for promoting a non-mRNA vaccine

The Dossier • 290 implied HN points • 12 Mar 24
🏥 Health Politics Pharma
  1. Martin Kulldorff was fired from the CDC committee for promoting a non-mRNA vaccine and disagreeing with the decision to pause the Johnson & Johnson Covid vaccine.
  2. Kulldorff's experience highlights the powerful influence of the Pharma-Government Health system in America.
  3. Kulldorff's stance against vaccine mandates and his opposition to Pharma influence showcases his courage and bravery in the scientific community.

Elicit

Fifty Years News • 38 implied HN points • 25 Sep 23
đź•ą Technology Pharma
  1. Preventing hallucinations and improving AI efficiency is important in AI development.
  2. Elicit has the potential to generate substantial revenue by assisting various industries in speeding up research processes.
  3. Elicit's systematic and transparent approach to research aims to have a significant positive impact on society by accelerating scientific discovery.

Why is Pharma Reducing Insulin Prices?

Discharge Summary • 0 implied HN points • 28 Mar 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Pharma
  1. Pharma companies like Eli Lilly, Novo Nordisk, and Sanofi are reducing insulin prices, capping payments, and making insulin more affordable.
  2. Advocacy efforts from patients and community members played a significant role in influencing legislation that led to these pricing changes.
  3. Legislation such as the Inflation Reduction Act and the American Rescue Plan impacted the insulin market, pushing pharma companies to lower prices to avoid significant financial penalties.