| | | | |  | | By Ruth Reader, Toni Odejimi, Carmen Paun, Daniel Payne and Erin Schumaker | | | | |  The military wants to know whether psychedelics can help soldiers with hearing loss. | Getty Images | The Pentagon is investigating how psychedelic medicine can help servicemembers — beyond mental health issues. The agency has awarded $825,000 to Boston-based Delix Therapeutics for the development of a nonhallucinogenic version of the famed counterculture drug LSD to treat hearing loss. Delix is among several pharmaceutical companies developing drugs that are structurally similar to psychedelics but without the characteristic high. In the scientific world, psychedelics are known as neuroplastogens because of the way they can change connections in the brain. Studies show that when hair cells inside the ear die, it leads to hearing loss. Early data shows that Delix’s compound can repair the connection between those cells and the fibers that send sound to the brain, reducing further damage and possibly reversing hearing loss, the company says. The money will be used to understand the optimal drug doses that would yield the best result and whether repairing the disconnect could restore hearing. Why it matters: Nearly 3 million veterans receive some sort of disability compensation or treatment for hearing issues caused by their work, according to the Hearing Loss Association of America. Overall, an estimated 48 million Americans have some form of hearing loss. What’s next? Broader experimentation with drugs that build on psychedelic compounds and engineer out the trippy effects. Last year, the National Institute on Drug Abuse gave Delix $320,000 to study a nonpsychedelic version of the African tree-root ibogaine to treat substance use disorder.
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Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Shawn Zeller/POLITICO | This is where we explore the ideas and innovators shaping health care. Who knew that pizza and acrobatics could go together? Pizza chefs, apparently, who competed in an acrobatics freestyle category at a world pizza competition in Argentina, AP reports. We don’t know how edible the flying dough was at the end. 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.
| | |  It makes sense to move more physical therapy to the virtual realm, a study found. | | Virtual physical therapy for low back pain is a cost-effective alternative to the in-person variety. So says a report from the Peterson Health Technology Institute, our Phillip Kulubya reports. The institute, which assesses the economic impact and clinical benefits of digital health technologies, examined eight virtual services ranging from app-based exercise therapy to physical therapist-guided tech. The report says the latter, in which therapists meet with patients virtually while they exercise at home, shows the most promise. Some services offered body sensors and tailored feedback from artificial intelligence. The services came from companies like Omada Health, RecoveryOne, Sword Health and Vori Health. The institute believes the virtual services could boost adherence to therapy programs and increase access. Why it matters: Thirteen percent of U.S. adults suffer from chronic low back pain each year. The report found that physical therapist-guided solutions reduce pain and improve function for patients. The report also says patients can save money by substituting physical therapist-guided solutions for in-person PT. The researchers said that if just a quarter of patients switched from in-person therapy to one of the virtual services, it could save millions. What’s next? The virtual services are currently considered employee wellness benefits not typically covered by health insurance. The Peterson Institute’s executive director, Caroline Pearson, believes that insurers should cover the virtual solutions. “I think it’s really important that doctors are able to refer patients to virtual PT,” she said. The report suggests that virtual care companies coordinate with primary care providers so more patients can gain access.
| | | | JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE: As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | | | 
Bertagnolli touted her awards program for high-risk research at a symposium this week. | AP | | | “This is a health crisis that threatens the future of families, the social fabric of our communities and the productiveness [and] competitiveness of this country.” National Institutes of Health Director Monica Bertagnolli | | Awards for innovative research from the National Institutes of Health bring prestige and potentially millions in funding. The agency’s director, Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, lauded past winners this week and called on researchers to confront “a decline in American health” over the last decade at a two-day symposium featuring the NIH director’s awards program. The pandemic continues to affect the country's health, she said, but other factors matter as well, such as conditions like heart disease and diabetes and a rise in addiction. Past winners of the research awards presented findings at the symposium near NIH headquarters in Maryland. The research awards categories consist of the following: — The Pioneer Award, $700,000 a year for five years, is for scientists with outstanding records of creativity. — The New Innovator Award, $1.5 million in direct costs split into two multiyear segments, is for early career investigators pursuing highly innovative research projects. — The Transformative Research Award, about $1 million, supports individuals or teams proposing projects that are inherently risky and untested but have great potential and may require large budgets. — The Early Independence Award, $250,000 a year for up to five years, is for newly graduated scientists to enable them to begin work without postdoctoral training. Researchers at the symposium presented their findings on concepts such as gene and cell therapy, developments on medical devices for stroke patients and how marginalized communities are affected by health disparities. Among those featured were three recent winners of the New Innovator Award: — Chenxu Zhu, whose work was recognized in 2023, focused on genetic and cell changes during aging. — Diego Bohorquez, the 2021 winner, studied the gut and nerve receptors that cause sugar cravings in mice. He received the award in 2021. — Katharine White’s research looked at the behavior of cancer cells with an eye toward new therapies. She won in 2020. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
