What could become the next big cancer treatment

Hello,

Welcome to Insider Healthcare. I’m Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and this week in healthcare news:

• We found the drugmakers that are all going after the same potential cancer treatment;
• A CB Insights report shed light on the newest unicorns and top corporate investor so far this year;
• We took a closer look at some of the new approaches companies have been taking to tackle mental and behavioral health – especially for youth.

If you’re new to this newsletter, sign up here. Tips, comments? Email me at lramsey@insider.com or tweet @lydiaramsey125. Let’s get to it…

---

Pharma’s next big cancer bet

One of our most popular stories this week is one Andrew Dunn pulled together on a promising new cancer treatment that’s caught the eyes of a number of drugmakers.

The hope is that these drugs, which go after the protein TIGIT, could improve existing treatments that use the body’s immune system to go after cancer.

So far, Andrew has spotted 13 companies in the race.

Get the full picture>>

Big Pharma is betting billions on the next cancer breakthrough. Here are the 13 drug companies leading the way.

---

The most active corporate VC

This week, we looked at the data coming out of CB Insights’ report on the first half of 2021.

Mohana Ravindranath found that there are 11 startups that have reached billion-dollar valuations for the first time in 2021. That includes companies like LetsGetChecked and Capsule.

The report also found that Optum Ventures, the venture arm of UnitedHealth Group, was the most active corporate VC of the first half of 2021.

Megan Hernbroth rounded up the 18 biggest investments Optum Ventures has made to date, including a lot of newcomers in 2021.

Here are the investments>>

The biggest US health insurer has a $600 million VC arm that places bets on the future of healthcare. Here are Optum Ventures’ 18 biggest investments, including startups reinventing home care and pharmacies.

---

New approaches to behavioral health

Companies are taking a lot of new approaches to medical care these days.

From virtual visits to video games, it’s evolving beyond prescription drugs and in-person clinics.

As part of our Future of Healthcare series (no paywall!), Allison DeAngelis mapped out what the future could look like for video games treating health conditions.

In particular, telehealth firms could be potential acquirers of the technology.

Some are taking new approaches and using them in care for kids and young adults. Jade Khatib this week laid out six startups worth keeping an eye on.

Check out the full list>>

6 startups to watch that are tackling youth mental and behavioral health

---

More stories we’ve been working on:

• ICYMI: Blake Dodge had the scoop on Apple tapping its watch mastermind Kevin Lynch to work on self-driving cars.
• Megan took a look at the presentation a startup used to raise $3.7 million for an entirely new approach to helping millennials plan for their deaths.
• Shelby Livingston found that Walmart’s medical group has filed to operate in 37 states as it gears up to deliver care online across the country. (It’s about double the amount of states it had filed in as of early June)
• Check out our new salary comparison tool to see how much you can make at everything from tech giants to digital health companies.

---

– Lydia