Global Scans · Healthtech · Weekly Summary

• [New] By 2026, technology will no longer be an add-on but the actual nervous system of healthcare. Zymr
• [New] The opportunity to make meaningful change has never been greater, and in 2026, healthcare leaders will remain committed to realizing the full potential of technology and its greater purpose of better patient care. Healthcare IT News
• [New] Pharmavitae Analytics casts its eye out to 2026 with challenging trends in healthcare management set to crystallize, Big Pharma will add $29.5bn in revenues out to 2026, generating $351bn in prescription pharmaceuticals at a low single-digit compound annual growth rate of 0.9%. PM360
• [New] Trump's announcement comes as millions of Americans face higher healthcare costs in 2026 after Congress allowed generous COVID-19-era tax credits for federally subsidized Obamacare plans to expire. Reuters
• [New] In 2026, the healthcare IT workforce will face a convergence of technological innovation, regulatory evolution, and shifting workforce dynamics. HealthStream
• [New] Philips, a global health technology company, pointed to AI's potential for reducing healthcare workers' daily workload as one of the most promising advances. Euronews
• [New] AI and other new technologies are expected to transform healthcare in 2026, driving advances in diagnostics, drug development, and workload reduction for healthcare professionals. Euronews
• [New] As AI becomes more deeply embedded in claims processing, diagnostics and patient-facing systems, healthcare QA teams in 2026 will need to balance speed with extreme caution, building test strategies that reflect not just technical correctness but ethical and safety considerations. QA Financial
• [New] Coverage throughout 2025 made clear that AI and Generative AI will continue to dominate boardroom and engineering conversations in 2027, not because of hype, but because they now sit at the heart of delivery speed, operational resilience and regulatory scrutiny. QA Financial
• [New] Generative AI will dominate industries, from finance to healthcare. Life | Travel | Save
• [New] More than 6,000 Indian educators have recognized the potential of Generative AI in education transformation. Precedence Research
• [New] By the close of 2026, the dominant metric for enterprise AI success will shift from tokens generated to tasks completed autonomously. Jakob Nielsen on UX
• [New] AI and Generative AI will remain the defining forces in software testing in 2027, not as silver bullets, but as catalysts that expose weaknesses in process, data quality and organisational maturity. QA Financial
• [New] McKinsey envisions agents / robots generating $2.9 T US value by 2030, potentially freeing humans for leisure if distributed equitably. Genesis: Human Experience in the Age of Artificial Inte
• [New] In 2026, developers will express intent and specify outcomes while AI generates and maintains components, accelerating delivery cycles and improving quality. CapGemini
• [New] By 2035, advancements in biotechnology could allow us to cure diseases, reverse ageing effects, and enhance human performance through genetic modification. Futurist Keynote Speaker on AI Leadership, Future of Wo
• [New] In 2026, the next major shift in genomics will come from the arrival of a truly affordable long-read genome: Researchers need genomes that are both highly accurate and affordable enough to power large population studies, AI model development, and emerging clinical opportunities. Pubs - Bio-IT World
• [New] Popular drugs used for weight-loss and Type 2 diabetes could soon become far more affordable across Canada, as Health Canada reviews nine generic versions of semaglutide medications - the active ingredient in drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Toronto Star
• [New] While forecasts point to modest global oil demand growth and potential supply surpluses by 2026, gas demand is expected to rise around 3.5%, driven by power generation, industrial growth and LNG exports. tradearabia
• Australia's health technology sector in 2026 will be defined by smarter, more connected care. Healthcare IT News
• In 2026, healthcare AI will shift from generative content to agentic AI; intelligent agents capable of executing complex clinical tasks and seamlessly integrating into healthcare workflows will become mainstream, evolving from assistive tools to decision-making partners for physicians. Healthcare IT News
• By 2026, healthcare technology will start to catch up to the rest of the service industry. Patient Safety & Quality Healthcare
• The companies that build ambient data partnerships with health systems now will have an insurmountable advantage in evidence generation by 2028. Pharmaphorum

Last updated: 18 January 2026