| | | | |  | | By Ruth Reader, Erin Schumaker, Carmen Paun, Daniel Payne and Toni Odejimi | | | | |  Hochul is cracking down on social media algorithms made for kids. | AP | New York’s the latest state to try to protect kids from potential mental health harms of social media. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation last week to require social media platforms to turn off personalized recommendation systems for kids, Ruth and our Rebecca Kern report. It’s the first law to focus on the algorithms used by platforms like Facebook and TikTok to serve up customized content to users. It specifically bans the use of content feeds that are machine-learning-designed for kids under age 18 unless their parents give consent. The backstory: With federal legislation stalled, states have taken a variety of approaches to regulate kids’ safety online. Some GOP-led states like Arkansas and Utah have required parental consent to use social media apps. California passed a law that requires companies to design their platforms with kids in mind. Courts have blocked all those laws after challenges from the tech firms. Why it matters: Legislators and public health officials are concerned that social media has contributed to the rise in mental distress among teens. Last week, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy said social media sites should come with labels warning of the mental health dangers they pose to kids. Legal questions: Social media companies have used free-speech arguments to bat down previous regulations. Tech industry groups say algorithms should be considered a form of speech. “Essentially, the government can’t come in and tell people how to organize their content because that’s a violation of editorial rights, which is also protected under the First Amendment,” Carl Szabo, the vice president and general counsel for tech trade group NetChoice, said. Some legal scholars, however, say algorithms aren’t considered covered speech, and the New York approach could hold up in court. “I don’t believe algorithms enjoy First Amendment protections when there isn’t a significant human component to the operation of the algorithm,” said Jeffery Atik, a professor at Loyola Law School.
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Brooklyn, N.Y. | Erin Schumaker/POLITICO | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Chinese researchers created what they call the first AI child. Now another group has developed an AI panda. The animal can chat and promote science, Global Times reports. Share any thoughts, news, tips and feedback with Carmen Paun at cpaun@politico.com, Daniel Payne at dpayne@politico.com, Ruth Reader at rreader@politico.com, Erin Schumaker at eschumaker@politico.com, or Toni Odejimi at aodejimi@politico.com. Send tips securely through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram or WhatsApp.
| | |  Sleep apnea treatments are cumbersome, but there may be another way, a new study found. | AP | The diabetes drug tirzepatide, sold under the brand names Mounjaro and Zepbound, could double as the first medication to treat sleep apnea, new research suggests. Obstructive sleep apnea is a disorder in which a sleeping person’s breathing repeatedly starts and stops, often because their throat muscles relax and block air from flowing into their lungs. The gold-standard treatment for sleep apnea is a continuous positive airway pressure machine, known as a CPAP, that’s used during sleep. But the treatment’s effectiveness depends on using the machine consistently, and some people find them cumbersome, uncomfortable and annoying to clean. What the study said: The study, which consisted of two double-blind, randomized, controlled Phase III trials, was published in The New England Journal of Medicine on Friday. The research was partially funded by Eli Lily, which manufactures the drug. Researchers evaluated 469 participants, predominantly white men, from nine countries who had been diagnosed with obesity and moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea. Each was assigned either a CPAP machine, a 10- or 15-milligram injection of tirzepatide or a placebo. After 52 weeks, participants in the tirzepatide group saw a significant decrease in the number of times their breathing stopped while they slept. Some participants who took tirzepatide improved to the point where they no longer needed their CPAP machine. “This new drug treatment offers a more accessible alternative for individuals who cannot tolerate or adhere to existing therapies,” Dr. Atul Malhotra, lead study author, professor of medicine at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and director of sleep medicine at UC San Diego Health, said in a statement. Why it matters: Obstructive sleep apnea complications can include daytime fatigue, heart problems, high blood pressure, liver problems and a higher risk for type 2 diabetes, according to the Mayo Clinic. The condition affects nearly 936 million worldwide, with men, older adults, people with a genetic history of sleep apnea and those with obesity at higher risk. “We believe that the combination of CPAP therapy with weight loss will be optimal for improving cardiometabolic risk and symptoms,” Malhotra said. “Tirzepatide can also target specific underlying mechanisms of sleep apnea, potentially leading to more personalized and effective treatment.” What's next? Future clinical trials will investigate the long-term effects of taking tirzepatide. The most common side effect in the study was mild stomach issues.
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Thiel's firm, Palantir, is winning government contracts. | Marco Bello/Getty Images | The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health is paying software company Palantir $19 million to help track its efforts to spur medical innovation — and ensure its various projects deliver a return on investment. The company will build a platform to connect ARPA-H’s growing roster —15 and counting — of programs on everything from cancer surgery to arthritis care. Creating a data infrastructure to better document and monitor the programs will also enable ARPA-H to use artificial intelligence to drive its investments in new technology, said Hirsh Jain, head of public health at Palantir. “This is about us really helping supercharge other investments they want to make,” he said. Why it matters: The National Institutes of Health, which houses ARPA-H, is facing budgetary pressures as lawmakers tamp down on spending. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee, has also called for a restructuring of NIH to make it more efficient (read: less expensive). So far, the NIH budget crunch hasn’t affected ARPA-H’s $1.5 billion budget. Still, leadership encourages program managers to be entrepreneurial in both innovation and cost. The backstory: Palantir, a software company founded by tech tycoon Peter Thiel to support U.S. intelligence agencies, is winning health contracts across HHS. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention signed a $443 million contract with the firm 19 months ago to streamline its disease surveillance and outbreak data, building on work the company did during the Covid pandemic. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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