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Why are pharma companies betting big on AI clinical trial networks?
Iterative Health just closed a massive $77M Series C, led by Google Ventures and Intrepid Growth Partners.
The numbers tell an interesting story:
→ 100+ research sites across 4 continents
→ 40+ pharma and biotech partnerships
→ 3x higher patient enrollment rates
→ 2x faster site activation
→ 3 months less startup time for trials
But here’s what caught my attention:
They’re expanding from GI and hepatology into cardiology and obesity. Two of healthcare’s most expensive chronic conditions.
Think about this for a moment.
The average Phase 3 clinical trial costs $19 million and takes 3.5 years to complete. Patient recruitment accounts for nearly 30% of that timeline.
Iterative claims they’re randomizing more than two IBD patients every business day. That’s the kind of efficiency that makes CFOs smile and researchers breathe easier.
The real disruption? They’re not just speeding up trials, they’re fundamentally changing how we find and enroll patients.
Traditional recruitment: Wait for patients to come to academic centers.
AI-powered networks: Bring trials directly to community practices where patients already receive care.
With partnerships spanning GI Alliance, OneGI, and U.S. Heart & Vascular, they’re tapping into real-world patient populations that traditional trials often miss.
This isn’t just about technology. It’s about democratizing clinical research access.
When community physicians can offer trial participation alongside routine care, we solve two problems:
1. Faster drug development timelines
2. More diverse, representative trial populations
The $77M isn’t just funding a company. It’s funding a fundamental shift in how we bring new treatments to market.
For healthcare executives: Are you thinking about how AI-powered trial networks could accelerate your research programs?
For physicians: Could your practice become part of the solution to slow drug development?
The future of clinical research isn’t in ivory towers. It’s in the exam rooms where patients already trust their doctors.
♻️ Repost if you believe clinical trials need to meet patients where they are.
👉 Follow me, Jonathan Govette, for daily, real-time updates on healthcare technology and business news. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangovette/
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Author:
CEO/Co-Founder @ Oatmeal Health | AI Lung Cancer Screening | Almost Became a Doctor | Engineer | Follow to Share What I’ve Learned Along the Way
I help patients get the care they need earlier, preventing late-stage cancer.
That’s been the throughline across three companies and almost 20 years in healthcare. At ReferralMD, we fixed broken referral networks so patients didn’t fall through the cracks. At Oatmeal Health, it’s lung cancer: building the diagnostic and screening infrastructure so the 85% of cases caught too late get caught early instead.
Today as CEO of Oatmeal Health, I lead a team embedding AI into radiology workflows to turn routine lung CT scans into reimbursable cancer risk assessments. We partner with FQHCs to reach underserved communities, and with health systems and payers to make early detection economically sustainable. Think HeartFlow or Cleerly, but for lungs.
Between companies, I advised at Techstars and Plug and Play, mentoring founders building in digital health. That experience shaped how I think about what separates companies that ship from companies that stall: distribution, reimbursement, and clinical trust, not just technology.
I’m a CancerX alumnus, a 3x healthcare founder, and someone who believes the biggest problems in cancer aren’t scientific. They’re operational.
We’re hiring mission-driven builders at Oatmeal Health. If you want to work on something that matters, reach out.
When I’m not working, I’m traveling, mentoring, and keeping up with one very energetic husky. 🐾
Substack – The Oatmeal Bite:
Millions of patients get less care because of who they are, where they live, or how they look. I’m fighting to change that. CEO @OatmealHealth, a startup built for the underserved. The Oatmeal Bite: intel for clinicians, investors, and advocates.
Jonathan Govette
CEO of Oatmeal Health
Substack:
https://oatmealhealthjonathangovette.substack.com/
