Silicon Valley healthcare startups can face pitfalls

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I'm Shelby Livingston, and I cover how healthcare is paid for and delivered in the US for the Insider healthcare team. Today in healthcare news:

• Founders of healthcare startups are under pressure to grow quickly, but doing so can have enormous consequences;
• Scientists are trying to figure out how well Moderna's coronavirus vaccine prevents transmission;
• A $145 million biotech is launching with two drugs for chronic pain and depression.

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Do you have comments or tips about health insurers or healthcare providers? Email me at slivingston@insider.com or tweet @ShelbyJLiv.

Silicon Valley's demand for rapid startup growth is a recipe for disaster in healthcare

• Founders are under pressure to grow their startups, an especially hard battle in healthcare.
• They're working within a complicated regulatory system that's designed to protect patients.
• The "move fast and break things" ethos doesn't apply when the outcome affects patients.

Catch up on the latest here>>

Do COVID-19 vaccines stop transmission? Top scientists are now recruiting thousands of college students to find out

• A study began on Thursday to see how well Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine stops the spread of the virus.
• Scientists plan to recruit 12,000 college students across 21 campuses for the clinical trial.
• They hope it will tell us how well vaccines prevent asymptomatic infections and stop transmission.

Read the full story>>

A top biotech VC and a Juno alum just launched a $145 million startup to take a new approach to chronic pain and depression

• Eliem Therapeutics is launching with two drugs that are already in human tests for chronic pain and depression.
• The biotech was formed from two startups RA Capital has been incubating.
• It is part of a larger push by RA Capital to build biotechs from the bottom up and retain more ownership.

Read the full story>>

More stories we're reading today:

• Fauci blames a new 'surge' in US COVID-19 cases on variants, travel during spring break, and states prematurely pulling back restrictions (Insider)
• A top official at a Chicago hospital that wrongly administered COVID-19 vaccines to Trump Tower employees has resigned (Insider)
• A billionaire pharma exec close to Andrew Cuomo also got priority access to early COVID-19 tests, report says (Insider)
• With Amazon and Ro on its heels, Uber expands its prescription delivery business (STAT)
• One of Belgium's top virologists is hopeful for this summer. He outlines 3 scenarios for what life might look like as vaccinations ramp up. (Insider)

- Shelby