Why tech giants are struggling to upend healthcare

Hello,

Today in healthcare news: Why healthcare bets at big tech companies have a hard time getting off the ground, companies are hunting for pan-coronavirus drugs, and an interview with Moncef Slaoui on his latest venture after Operation Warp Speed.

Amazon and other tech giants want to upend healthcare, but time constraints, egos, and infighting are holding them back

• Big tech companies have a lot of potential to disrupt the healthcare industry.
• But companies like Alphabet and Amazon face challenges internally when standing up a health bet.
• That's largely because it creates tension with the corporate team and main products.

Read the full story from Blake Dodge and Hugh Langley here>>

Scientists are racing to develop coronavirus drugs that could fight the common cold and protect us from the next pandemic

• Companies like Novartis, Gritstone Oncology and VBI Vaccines are developing pan-coronavirus drugs.
• Coronaviruses cause everything from the common cold to COVID-19.
• The effort could be critical, as experts estimate coronaviruses will affect our lives forever.

Read the full story from Allison DeAngelis here>>

Moncef Slaoui is joining Centessa, a new drug company backed with $250 million. Here's how the former head of Operation Warp Speed plans to grow it into the next pharma giant.

• Moncef Slaoui has found his next job after leading Operation Warp Speed, the US government's coronavirus vaccine initiative.
• The longtime pharma exec was named chief scientific officer for Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a newly launched drug company with major ambitions.
• Centessa was formed by merging 10 existing biotechs and has raised $250 million in a Series A round.

Read the full story from Andrew Dunn here>>

More stories we're reading:

• What it's like to approach Year 2 of the pandemic as a COVID-19 "long-hauler" (Washington Post)
• Why the pandemic's focus on infectious diseases won't reshape the drug industry, according to 3 top life science VCs (Insider)
• Overdose deaths are rising as the pandemic carries on (Stat News)
• Tulane University suspended a Black doctor 5 months after she sued the school, alleging discrimination and a 'hostile work environment' (Insider)

- Lydia