#69 🍩 What the Health - 800+ injections of snake venom, Free Medicare Telehealth & $590M Bio deal
Whats happening in health tech & innovation?
Hello friends,
Happy Thursday. Tis conference season. As we embark on this busy few weeks ft. AusMedtech, ANDHealth's Summit and Digital Health Festival, let us be grateful for our epic Aussie health system and remember this key takeaway…
Headed to the Digital Health Festival next week?
WTH is hitting the ground with our first-ever stall! If you’re around, come say hey - we’d love to meet you IRL 💜 We’ll be at stand 633 - right next to our friends at AWS and the Startup Village.
If you want a last-minute ticket with a sneaky 50% discount - nab it here!
🥐☕️ Want to get caffeinated and hang with other WTHers & the AWS Crew before things kick off?
Come join us for brekkie at our warm up breakfast Tuesday!
We have a few spots left for founders
📆 Tuesday, 13 May
⏰ 7:45am - 9.30 am AEST
📍Melbourne, right next to the convention centre (on rego)
🥐 Breakfast, coffee & bants with the AWS & WTH Crews
Keen?
*Spots strictly limited to WTH Private Crew & Founders
🍩 TODAY’S ISSUE
Newsworthy
Sick Science
AI Updates
Startup Stuff
Events
Cool Content
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Noteworthy 🗞️
Funding
💊 Dimerix, an Aus biopharma company, partnered with Amicus Therapeutics, securing $30M upfront & up to $560M in potential milestones & royalties to commercialise its Phase III kidney drug
⚙️Advanced, a newly formed R&D platform, bagged $25M to back Aussie founders with fast, flexible R&D finance
🤖 Ascertain, an AI case management startup, raised $10M Series A from Deerfield & Northwell to scale its platform, which automates policy reviews, record summaries, referrals, & disability claim tasks
👃 Antler backed 8 new AI-first startups from its 12th Aus cohort, incl. Auric, a healthtech using biometrics & scent to personalise mood via its smart IoT device
🧠 NARI (National Ageing Research Institute) secured a $2.9M MRFF grant to develop & trial iSupport-D, a culturally tailored digital health tool for CALD carers & people with dementia
Newsworthy
💊 Eucalyptus is ditching its retail fertility & skincare lines to focus on online weight-loss drugs, as CEO Tim Doyle admits Kin “kind of sucked” & Software “barely makes money”
⚠️ Nanosonics CEO Michael Kavanagh warns Trump’s tariff plans could push Aussie medtech firms offshore
😴 ResMed confirmed its sleep devices are exempt from US tariffs, easing pressure as it expands in America & posts $1.3B in quarterly revenue
🤝 ANDHealth & AusBiotech signed a partnership agreement to enhance collaboration and support ongoing industry innovation between Biotech & Digital Health
🏪 Sigma Healthcare, the retail & pharmacy giant that merged with Chemist Warehouse, plans to open up to 30 new stores annually as demand for weight-loss drugs & low-cost medicines fuels double-digit sales growth
🌿 Montu, Aus's largest medicinal cannabis company, formed a new telehealth industry group chaired by former health minister Greg Hunt, to influence virtual care policy despite facing legal action over alleged unlawful advertising
🧪 Neuren Pharmaceuticals, an ASX-listed biotech, gained FDA approval to proceed with a Phase 3 trial of NNZ-2591, a new brain injury drug, sending shares up 16%
🧬 MTPConnect warns Aus must double its advanced therapeutics workforce by 2027 to capitalise on $5B+ in new facilities
📈 KPMG’s analysis revealed that care economy jobs in health & childcare dominate the list of the fastest growing occupations from 2014 - 2024
🛑 Compumedics ransomware attack exposed personal & clinical data of 2254 South Aussies sleep study patients, prompting SA Health to suspend access & notify affected families
Gov Goss
Soooooo, after a good weekend of democracy sausages, insanely long ballot papers and bad newsroom bants - the verdict is in & Australia officially made its decision…
With Labor safely cementing their reign ✅
In case you missed it - Albo celebrated by showing off his medicare card and committing to protect Medicare.🥹
What a bloody legend. 
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📞 Labor pledged $204M to rebrand Healthdirect as 1800 MEDICARE, expanding it into a free, after-hours GP telehealth service with 24/7 nurse triage
🩺 The AMA released its 2025 Federal Election Health Report Card, evaluating the health policy commitments of the major political parties
🤝 ANDHealth joined the $129M Care Economy CRC as commercialisation partner to scale care tech, data, & workforce solutions across sectors—backed by $35M in fed funding & 60 national partners
🧠 QLD Health partnered with Nicolab to deploy StrokeViewer across 36 hospitals -Aus’s largest AI stroke imaging rollout - providing care for 2M+ regional & remote residents
US & Beyond the Borders 🌎
🐍 Tim Friede, a man who injected himself >800 times with snake venom for 18 years has helped scientists create a potential universal antivenom
🧠 Teladoc acquired UpLift for $30M to expand insurance-covered virtual mental health care, despite BetterHelp’s 11% revenue drop, adding 1.5k providers & coverage for 100M lives as it shifts toward B2B growth
💊 Ro integrated with NovoCare® Pharmacy to offer all doses of FDA-approved Wegovy for $499/month - patients can now consult, get prescribed, & receive GLP-1 meds without leaving the app
📂 NIH froze grants to Harvard, Brown, & Cornell under Trump’s “Defend the Spend” push -part of a broader move to slash health research funding & block $3.2B+ in grants without notifying schools
🏥 CVS will exit the Obamacare individual insurance market in 2026, affecting 1 million Aetna members across 17 states
🏙️ The Round, a new £2B wellness-focused ‘village’ in Southwark designed by Foster + Partners, got approved for 3 WELL Gold towers with therapy rooms, nap pods, art classes, rooftop gardens, & zero-carbon design
Sick Science
🩸 Does endometriosis fast-track menopause?
A study published in Human Reproduction pooled data from 280k women across 5 countries & found that those with endometriosis were 7× more likely to undergo surgical menopause & reached natural menopause 5 months earlier on average. They also had higher odds of premature menopause (before 40) & early menopause (40–44), both surgically & naturally.
📡 AI-Powered Radar Enables Contactless Health Monitoring
Researchers from the Uni of Tennessee are developing AI radar systems capable of monitoring vital signs like heart rate & breathing without physical contact. These systems utilise millimetre-wave radar technology to detect subtle physiological movements, allowing for continuous, non-invasive health monitoring.
🧠 AI joins the frontline in youth crisis support
Researchers developed FAIIR (Frontline Assistant: Issue Identification & Recommendation), an AI assistant trained on 780k text conversations from Kids Help Phone, to help crisis responders identify mental health issues in real time. Crisis responders agreed with FAIIR's suggestions 90.9% of the time, & experts found its recommendations more consistent than original labels.
🧬 Immune Signals Linked to Mental Health Disorders
A large-scale genetic study led by researchers from the University of Bristol analysed 736 immune-related biomarkers to assess their potential causal roles in seven neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, depression, & bipolar disorder. The study identified 29 biomarkers with potential causal links to these disorders. Notably, 20 of these biomarkers are considered therapeutically tractable, meaning existing drugs or those in advanced clinical trials could target them.
🤖 AI Updates
🧬 DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis says AI could eliminate all disease within a decade
Talk about a WILD statement
🇺🇸 Trump’s Executive Order 14179 mandates all U.S. fed agencies appoint chief AI officers, prioritise U.S.-built & open-source tools, & develop genAI policies by 2026
🧠 CB Insights released its State of Digital Health Q1’25 report, highlighting:
Healthcare companies are the majority of new AI unicorns, incl. Abridge, OpenEvidence & HippocraticAI
Funding hit $5.3B, the highest since Q2’22, up 47% QoQ despite fewer deals
46% of funding came from $100M+ mega-rounds, mostly backing AI companies
AI startups pulled in 60% of all funding ($3.2B), up from 41% in 2024
📞 Zocdoc launches Zo, a voice AI agent that books medical appointments by phone 24/7, resolving 70% of calls in under 3.5 minutes
⌚ Samsung teamed up with Stanford Medicine to enhance its FDA-approved sleep apnea feature on Galaxy Watch, from detection to AI daily management
Startup Stuff 🚀
Got a Patient-Facing Health App Idea?
The Priority Digital Health Challenge 2025 is back, helping clinicians, founders & researchers turn bold digital health ideas into real-world impact. Backed by AWS, Cogniss & Validitron, the 12-month program supports solutions that improve care for patients & underserved communities - More here
Ready to Pitch on a Global Stage?
The SXSW Sydney Pitch 2025 is now open for applications. Finalists will go head-to-head in Oct, pitching ideas across AI, HealthTech, & more. Winners score global exposure, mentorship, & a trip to pitch at SXSW internationally – More here
Want to Turbocharge Your Startup?
The Startmate Accelerator is back for S25 - offering $120k funding, world-class mentoring, & a 12-week sprint to scale your product, users & growth. It’s built for early-stage ANZ startups ready to raise & run – More here
Building a MedTech Device That Could Change Lives?
NSW Health’s Medical Devices Fund is offering $500k–$5M to help bring innovative medical tech to market. Open to projects capable of potentially improving patient care, health & wellbeing, & generating economic, social or environmental benefits to NSW – More here
Got a Big Idea Backed by Science?
Cicada x Tech23 is hunting for 23 standout Aussie deep tech startups. If you’re building world-changing tech, this is your chance to get in front of top investors, industry leaders & media – More here
Need Funding for Therapeutic Development?
TIA’s Pipeline Accelerator vouchers offer up to $50k (with 50% co-investment) to subsidise access to leading research facilities. This round partners with Phenomics Australia, ANSTO’s NDF, & Bioplatforms Australia, expanding access to infrastructure.– More here
Looking to Boost International Science Collaboration?
ATSE, in partnership with the Aus Academy of Science, is offering grants of up to $1M each through the Global Science & Tech Diplomacy Fund to foster science & tech collabs with regional neighbours - More here
Events💥
8th May: ANDhealth Expert Workshop – How to Fundraise Like a Pro: The Y Combinator Playbook (Melb)
8th May: Making the most of patient experience information (online)
9th May: Own Your Flow - Breaking Up with Heavy Periods (online)
9th May: Heavy Menstrual Bleeding in Focus (online)
10th May: Cova Mother's Day Breakfast (Syd)
11th May: The International & Comprehensive Approach to the Management of Heavy Menstrual Bleeding (online)
13 - 14th May: Digital Health Festival
16th May: Connecting Women Lunch (Melb)
3 - 5th June: ARCS Annual Conference (Syd)
4 - 5th June: International Mental Health Conference (GC)
17 - 28th June: Towards One Healthcare System Summit (Canberra)
Consumable Content 💎
🎙️Raising Health: The paradox of the U.S healthcare with Marc Andreessen
🎙️The Mel Robbins Podcast: Advice from the #1 Longevity Doctor: Add 10 years to your life with 3 simple habits
Dr. Eric Topol, a cardiologist, longevity researcher, & one of the top 10 most cited medical researchers, discusses the science behind reversing the biological age of your organs, claiming “it has never been a more exciting time in medicine”
📖 Stanford Uni released “The 2025 AI Index Report” which discusses AI’s technical progress, economic influence & societal impact
Ethan Goh shared his take highlighting a paradox: AI outperforms doctors in diagnosis (92% vs 74%) & treatment, but adding GPT-4 doesn’t improve care- revealing workflow & system gaps. Despite major gains in benchmarks, real-world complexity, ROI concerns, & integration gaps suggest that medicine needs more than just smarter models—it needs smarter systems
📰 Graham Walker, shared his take on The American Healthcare Triangle, arguing that despite massive spending, the system fails to deliver fast or high-quality care, because complexity & opacity drive profits, not patient outcomes
💡Got Feedback? Something to include next time? Keen to get in touch?
We want to make this worthy of your time & the best possible.
💌 Hit reply or reach out to emily@whatthehealth.io to let us know
👋 Emily,
Mariah & team WTH
With thanks to our partners 💜
Want to get featured here in front of >9300 health-loving legends?
Shoot us a note for ad placement & partnership opportunities.