contributions to Trump’s campaign, however, weren’t even listed — they’d fallen out of the list of his top 20 donors. As eff ective as Big Pharma’s


lobbying juggernaut is at infl uenc- ing politicians, the industry actually spends far more of its treasure on persuading a diff erent audience: the public. Attkisson reports the pharmaceutical in- dustry accounted for 75% of all TV ad spend- ing in 2020 . . . a staggering $4.58 billion. That propping up the networks with such gargantuan TV ad spending bestows an extraordinary degree of mainstream media


infl uence should be obvious. Much of the ad money was


spent to encourage consumers to ask their doctors to prescribe them new drugs, while giving short shrift to the drugs’ poten- tial serious side eff ects.


Yet Mellanie True Hills, the early


intranet executive who temporarily lost the use of her right hand after being forced to change medications, blames an entirely diff erent entity for the U.S. healthcare implosion. She calls them “the evil PBMs.”


S


Will AI Makes Us Healthier? Better Diagnostic


ome experts predict artificial intelligence (AI)


is on the verge of triggering the next great leap in human health and longevity. Among the key opportunities: New Drug Discoveries —


Chemists in Zurich, Switzerland, have developed an AI algorithm that provides scientists with a blueprint to produce never-before seen medicines. “For any protein with a


known three-dimensional shape,” ScienceDaily reports, “the algorithm generates the blueprints for potential drug molecules that increase or inhibit the activity of the protein.” Scientists are calling it a breakthrough for drug discovery.


64 NEWSMAX | DECEMBER 2024


Scans — AI may do a better job of analyzing CT and MRI scans. Current CT scans of the heart rely on injecting contrast dye, but not all patients tolerate the dye well. In April, researchers


at Cedars-Sinai reported on AI-analyzed scans that don’t use dyes at all. With over 15 million CT scans performed annually, that would mean lower costs and fewer invasive procedures. Research indicates the AI systems are already able to accurately detect heart problems. AI-Powered Wearable


Devices — From Oura rings that tell you how well you sleep to watches that take


your blood pressure and count your steps, wearable devices monitoring a patient’s health are a growing trend. The next generation of wearables will be AI- powered, off ering a quantum jump in health-monitoring technology and much earlier detection. Safer Surgical


Procedures — An AI- powered system developed by Johnson & Johnson creates 3D maps to help surgeons to safely and precisely navigate inside a patient’s heart during cardiac ablation procedures. It also generates useful case data to help attain better heart- procedure outcomes over time. Despite the promise of AI, John Chan, a Silicon Valley


biotech


entrepreneur who also works with machine learning, questions whether the huge healthcare Goliaths will fully embrace it. “There’s a moral obligation regarding what healthcare companies should do,” Chan tells Newsmax. “But then they have a business obligation because they are answerable to their stockholders. “There are a lot of


healthcare solutions that could and should have been developed,” he adds. “But they weren’t developed because of business reasons — it didn’t fit in their business model.” — D.A.P.


BAG/VIAVADO©ISTOCK / ROBOT HAND/KILITO CHAN/GETTY IMAGES / DOCTOR/THINKHUBSTUDIO/SHUTTERSTOCK


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