3 October 2025 Hello, Editor Donna is back, trying to catch up after a long and unanticipated leave that is not quite finished. We look at the effects of the US government ‘shutdown’ (not much except in telehealth), Pfizer’s ‘favored nations’ deal on drug prices (moving power away from the PBMs) and multiple big deals. We’re also gobsmacked that Veradigm still can’t get its reports together and Wojcicki bought back 23andMe. Sadly, one of our telehealth pioneers, John Boden, has also passed. More next week. Editor Donna is back. Here’s the catchup. From our last Alert:... Continue Reading
Search Results for 23andme
Editor Donna is back. Here’s the catchup.
...clever acronym of the spelled-out 23andMe. The Bankruptcy Court of Missouri approved the sale on 7 July and it closed on 14 July, after no further bids from Regeneron. Interestingly, none of the articles mention Wojcicki’s backers. 23andMe release, CNBC, HIPAA Journal. To this Editor, selling a company back to the CEO who had full financial control over the company but augured a $6 billion valued company into Chapter 11–nosediving after bad investments, a major data breach and turmoil around its data and privacy–is beyond absurdity. I’m surprised that the bankruptcy judge even permitted it given the history, but she... Continue Reading
TTA’s Summer “Break”: On Hiatus
...UHG shareholders OK reduced package for CEO Hemsley, new ASTP/HIT-ONC leader, NJ’s Cooper Health patient data breach, Net Health buys Limber Health (Omada listing up on Friday, possibly) Anne Wojcicki asks 23andMe bankruptcy court to reopen bidding on 12 June with fresh offer (Why, Anne, why??) Two other views on UnitedHealth Group’s annus horribilis, for your consideration (Going inside the black box) Weekend reading/viewing (for me too): Rural telehealth blackouts and value-based care’s ‘utopia’ (Set aside the time) Should free-falling UnitedHealth Group be broken up? Or break itself up to survive, before it becomes another GE? (updated) (Not a rant,... Continue Reading
TTA’s Summer #1: Hims buys Zava for EU/UK, Omada’s IPO, Wojcicki tries harder to buy 23andMe, UnitedHealth’s miseries explored, Centene sued on AZ network, more!
...uncovers inaccurate provider ‘ghost networks’. This just in: Hims acquires Zava, adds 1.3 million European/UK telemed customers (A way to grow and defy the bears?) Need to knows: Omada’s $158M IPO at flat valuation, AZ lawsuit on Centene plan’s ‘ghost network’ fatality, UHG shareholders OK reduced package for CEO Hemsley, new ASTP/HIT-ONC leader, NJ’s Cooper Health patient data breach, Net Health buys Limber Health (Omada listing up on Friday, possibly) Anne Wojcicki asks 23andMe bankruptcy court to reopen bidding on 12 June with fresh offer (Why, Anne, why??) Two other views on UnitedHealth Group’s annus horribilis, for your consideration (Going... Continue Reading
Anne Wojcicki asks 23andMe bankruptcy court to reopen bidding on 12 June with fresh offer (updated with $305M bid)
...plenty of time for Anne Wojcicki to line up a fully backed bid for 23andMe to best any rival. Buyers were in the pipeline in early April, though not a single bidder rumored in the April ‘early line’ made it anywhere near the finals. 23andMe advisers, who would have access to 23andMe’s board and debtors, would also have access to information about Ms. Wojcicki’s resources. She made multiple lowball bids for 23andMe prior to the bankruptcy, including a bid with New Mountain Capital that disappeared in a week before even being presented to the board. The court, which could have... Continue Reading
TTA’s Unofficial Summer kickoff: breaking up UnitedHealth to save it, post-GLP-1 weight gain, soft robots, NZ telehealth controversy, Midi Health widening women’s health, AssistIQ, Ambience, more!
...disaster!) From last week: The major news the week before US Memorial Day was the Hinge Health IPO, the first for digital health in two years–but the downside was that it was at a lower valuation. Denouements abounded with most 23andMe genetic assets bought by Regeneron, without a drink of Lemonaid. WeightWatchers’ time may have passed, new heads for Calibrate and Oak Street, and two more ‘arranged marriages’, Smarter Technologies and Fuze Health. An update on the VA EHRM in the budget. Masimo’s recovering, as is Ted of Strata-gee. News roundup 22 May: an inflight ‘save’ and AliveCor’s KardiaMobile, rolling... Continue Reading
TTA’s Blooming Spring 5: Hinge Health’s IPO, 23andMe bought by Regeneron, sans Lemonaid, WeightWatchers’ future, debuts of Smarter Technologies and Fuze Health, VA EHR update, more!
23 May 2025 The major news this week was the Hinge Health IPO, the first for digital health in two years–but the downside was that it was at a lower valuation. Denouements abounded with most 23andMe genetic assets bought by Regeneron, without a drink of Lemonaid. WeightWatchers’ time may have passed, new heads for Calibrate and Oak Street, and two more ‘arranged marriages’, Smarter Technologies and Fuze Health. An update on the VA EHRM in the budget. Masimo’s recovering, as is Ted of Strata-gee. Remember our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who have passed on this Memorial Day. Our... Continue Reading
News roundup: Hinge Health public @$32/share, lower valuation. Is WeightWatchers game over? Calibrate replaces CEO, new prez for Oak Street, NMC gets ‘Smarter’ rolling up 3 portfolio companies, another splash of investor ‘cold water’
...ask Anne Wojcicki of 23andMe. We close with a Gimlety view from three health investors. MedCityNews’ recent INVEST conference hosted three investors who opined on three important topics: Raffi Boyajian, Principal, Cigna Ventures; Aman Shah, Vice President of New Ventures, VNS Health; Dipa Mehta, Managing Partner, Valeo Ventures. Your Editor’s comments follow. Does every startup need to be AI-powered? Everyone may be pitching AI in their models, but it may not really mean anything. What really means something is building a good business first, then adding in AI to make it better, according to Aman Shah of VNS Health. When... Continue Reading
23andMe sold to Regeneron for $256M in court-supervised bankruptcy, sans Lemonaid. And is it worth it? (Updated 27 May for delisting)
Most of 23andMe bought for a lot more than one could have thought–and why? Yesterday, the board of 23andMe confirmed that they have a court-approved definitive agreement for the sale of their core genomics units to Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a publicly traded (Nasdaq) biotech company based in Tarrytown, New York. The purchase price of $256 million includes the Personal Genome Service (PGS) and Total Health and Research Services business lines–but not Lemonaid. 23andMe will be operated as a wholly owned direct or indirect subsidiary. The asset auction was completed on 16 May. The acquisition by Regeneron remains subject to approval... Continue Reading
TTA’s Blooming Spring 4: UnitedHealth’s CEO change doesn’t stop market pummeling, Omada’s IPO, Theranos redux, Holmes loses appeal, Synchron BCI and Apple, exec security cost, raises, more!
...management startup, Parkinson’s data, two good raises, and what payers pay to keep their execs safe. Short takes: Synchron BCI integrates with Apple devices, Shields Health partners with Duke on specialty pharmacy, raises for Cohere Health, Olio (More BCI action with Apple getting into it) Theranos’ revenge? Holmes’ partner Billy Evans founds a startup for diagnostic testing, denies it is ‘Theranos 2.0’; Holmes loses Federal rehearing appeal. (Is Holmes advising long distance? Letters from a Texas Jail?) News roundup: Omada Health files for IPO, UPMC-Redesign partner on chronic pain management, OK and PA AGs warn 23andMe users to delete data,... Continue Reading
Most Recent Comments