MedCity Pivot

Breaking Media

We are at a watershed moment in healthcare. The entire industry is being compelled to question old assumptions and chart a new path forward - in a word, we need to pivot. This podcast hosted by the editorial team at MedCity News will highlight the strategies, the companies and the personalities spearheading this monumental transformation.

  1. Should Testosterone Replacement Therapy Be Less Regulated?

    FEB 22

    Should Testosterone Replacement Therapy Be Less Regulated?

    EPISODE SUMMARY In this episode, Arundhati Parmar interviews Shalin Shah, CEO of Marius Pharmaceuticals, about Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) and the long-standing regulatory classification that places testosterone as a Schedule III controlled substance. Shah explains that testosterone was scheduled in 1990 following Olympic doping scandals — despite opposition at the time from the FDA, DEA, and the American Medical Association. More than 30 years later, he argues that the regulatory framework no longer reflects current clinical evidence and may be doing more harm than good. The conversation explores: The scientific evidence surrounding cardiovascular and prostate safety The differences between injectable and oral testosterone therapies The stigma and logistical barriers created by controlled substance status How GLP-1 drugs intersect with hormone health and muscle preservation The possibility of expanding testosterone therapy access to women Whether the current regulatory environment may revisit testosterone scheduling At its core, this episode examines whether testosterone is being regulated based on outdated controversy rather than modern clinical science — and what that means for patients navigating care today. Episode Resources Connect with Arundhati Parmar aparmar@medcitynews.com  https://twitter.com/aparmarbb?lang=en https://medcitynews.com/ KEYWORDS Testosterone Replacement Therapy TRT regulation Schedule III classification Controlled substances Hormone therapy stigma Men's health Women's hormone therapy TRAVERSE study Cardiovascular risk Prostate cancer risk Oral testosterone Injectable testosterone Hematocrit levels GLP-1 muscle loss Hypogonadism FDA regulation Healthcare policy Hormone optimization   EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS 00:00–01:40 - Why testosterone became a Schedule III controlled substance in 1990 01:40–02:30 - Political backlash after Olympic doping scandals 02:30–03:56 - Testosterone as the only controlled hormone 03:56–04:58 - The physiologic role of testosterone across multiple organ systems 04:58–06:19 - Cardiovascular and prostate cancer risk: What the TRAVERSE study showed 06:19–07:04 - Physiologic vs. supraphysiologic dosing 07:04–08:49 - How controlled status creates stigma and access barriers 08:49–10:10 - Provider tracking, pharmacy hurdles, and patient friction 10:10–11:48 - Would deregulation increase abuse or doping? 11:48–13:20 - GLP-1 drugs, rapid weight loss, and muscle preservation 13:20–15:08 - Testosterone in women: The overlooked half of the population 15:08–16:22 - Injectable vs oral TRT: Mimicking natural diurnal rhythms 16:22–17:40 - Hematocrit elevation differences between injections and oral therapy 17:40–19:07 - Side effect profiles and hormone signaling differences 19:07–20:32 - Go-to-market strategy: Cash pay vs insurance coverage 20:32–21:24 - Stigma among payers and barriers to reimbursement 21:24–22:43 - Expanding label indications and idiopathic hypogonadism 22:43–22:22 - Could the current administration reconsider testosterone scheduling?

    23 min
  2. Separating Hype from Reality in AI

    JAN 13

    Separating Hype from Reality in AI

    Summary  Tune into MedCity Pivot Podcast with host Arundhati Parmar as three healthcare tech leaders—Serge Perras, Ton Roelandse, and Bertil Chappuis—decode AI's true potential in healthcare. Explore its role in enhancing efficiency and busting myths about AI supremacy.   Episode Highlights 00:00:19 - The high bar for AI safety in healthcare. 00:01:29 - AI's current hype and exaggerated promises. 00:03:57 - Misconceptions about AI replacing healthcare roles. 00:05:51 - Meaningful AI use cases: Prior authorization automation. 00:06:52 - AI in triage and its capacity enhancements. 00:08:10 - AI's role in modernizing healthcare infrastructure. 00:10:46 - Clarifying AI vs. RPA in tech solutions. 00:13:30 - Importance of governance and guardrails in AI. 00:16:38 - Humanizing healthcare through AI. 00:18:27 - AI's potential and challenges in medical coding. 00:21:31 - AI's impact on job roles and productivity boosts. 00:24:25 - Use of AI in personal life for everyday tasks.   Episode Resources Connect with Arundhati Parmar aparmar@medcitynews.com  https://twitter.com/aparmarbb?lang=en https://medcitynews.com/   Keywords Artificial Intelligence   Healthcare Innovation   AI Applications   Healthcare Safety   Technology Hype   Serge Perras   Abarca Health   Ton Roelandse   Trexin Consulting   Bertil Chappuis   Xtillion   Machine Learning   Generative Media   Super Agents   Risk and Reliability   Clinical Prediction Models   Automation Bias   Prior Authorization Process   Agentic Systems   Healthcare Infrastructure   Modernization   Robotic Process Automation (RPA)   Data Quality   Governance and Guardrails   Human vs AI Roles   Healthcare Workforce Transition   AI Augmentation   Patient Care   Medical Coding   Electronic Health Records (EHR)   AI Ethics   Data Fragmentation   AI Engineering   Healthcare Economics   AI's Net New Jobs   AI Sounding Board

    35 min

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About

We are at a watershed moment in healthcare. The entire industry is being compelled to question old assumptions and chart a new path forward - in a word, we need to pivot. This podcast hosted by the editorial team at MedCity News will highlight the strategies, the companies and the personalities spearheading this monumental transformation.

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