This Week In HealthTech - July 28, 2026
This week the CEO of Sword Health was whining on Linkedin about Hinge Health delivering gross margin expansion, suggesting that Sword’s own 70% gross margin is very noble but Hinge’s >80% gross margin is greedy and evil and a reflection of the pressures of being a public company. I politely offered in the comments that it’s possible to expand gross margins AND increase value for customers. He blocked me lol. Can’t wait to hear that guy’s first earnings call if they ever go public too.
Anyways, on to our stories for this week…
This Week in HealthTech is presented by:
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💊 Generic Pharma Tariffs
President Trump soft launched the idea of levying tariffs on generic medications manufactured outside of the US
While this specific policy might be a negotiating chip or posturing, it’s clear that the administration is working to realize its vision of reshoring critical industries, including the manufacturing base for healthcare and pharmaceutical products
This vision is a clear tailwind for groups investing in that infrastructure layer, and should make categories like contract manufacturing and development more investable over the next few years
🎪 The FDA’s Peptide Circus
The FDA held a meeting of its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee, which now includes several highly conflicted members with clear financial ties to the peptide industry
The panel ignored the FDA’s own recommendations, which cited a lack of safety and efficacy data to support authorizing compounding these peptides, instead turning to “harm reduction” and “medical freedom” arguments
I find the harm reduction logic disgusting because these very panel members are the reason the gray market exists - they’re the ones pushing these, often desperate, consumers to explore these unproven substances
We’ve seen the damage that these kooks can do when they’re attacking the medical establishment from the margins - the US is on track to lose its measles eradication status, due in no small part to vaccine skepticism. What havoc might they wreak now that they have the keys to the car?
💵 Medical Cost Inflation is Siphoning Inheritances
A report from the Washington Post highlights that the high cost of senior care is evaporating the savings of seniors, challenging the market narrative of the Generational Wealth Transfer that was set to take place over the coming two decades
With the cost of home care, assisted living, nursing homes, and memory cares at exorbitant levels (and rising!), an increasing number of seniors are forced to burn through their savings before they can benefit from the safety net of Medicaid
