While Britain’s National Health Service has warned that the country is just “weeks away” from drug shortages linked to the war in Iran, pharma experts say the US is in a more stable position. At least for now.

In response to US and Israeli attacks that began at the end of February, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway that’s important to many global supply chains and that roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil supply passes through. The global pharmaceutical supply chain relies on the petroleum that moves through the strait to manufacture medicines.

However, David Warrick, EVP of enterprise at supply chain risk management firm Overhaul, told Healthcare Brew the US has a “fairly healthy buffer” of medications, so there’s no immediate concern. In mid-2025, the White House ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to build a six-month stockpile of 26 essential medicines.

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, which represents global drugmakers, told Healthcare Brew the group is closely monitoring the war in Iran and working to ensure an uninterrupted drug supply.

Experts aren’t too concerned for the US—yet.—MA

It’s been over a year since the Trump administration began cutting $32 billion in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, leaving researchers with fewer resources and often also without jobs.

In a recent Stat survey of nearly 1,000 US-based NIH grantees, 35% saw all funding return after initial cuts, but 27% reported that none of their funding was restored and 26% said only some was.

“A lot of people have been defunded. A lot of young people have gotten out of [research] or decided not to go into it,” Eric Perakslis, chief science and data officer at health tech Pluto Health, told us. “And all of these things add up.”

‘Deeply damaged.’ Perakslis, who also previously worked at the FDA as chief information officer and chief scientist of informatics from 2011 to 2013, said the research ecosystem has been “pretty deeply damaged” by these cuts.

Here are some of the implications of cuts.—CM

Technologies like telehealth and AI have become ubiquitous in healthcare as the industry adapts to challenges like care deserts and burnout.

Most healthcare workers say their organization utilizes virtual care and AI, according to Morning Brew Inc. research. Only 5% respondents said their organization wasn’t using AI, and just 11% said their organization wasn’t using telehealth.

Health systems have found a variety of use cases. Most respondents (63% of 117) said their organization used telehealth for messaging or portal communication, while 26% said they used it for remote monitoring. Additionally, 43% said they use it for behavioral or mental health services. The Covid-19 pandemic spurred increased demand for virtual behavioral health visits, with 39% of outpatient telehealth visits being for mental health services between March and August 2021, according to KFF.

Find more insights from Chapter 2 of our new report here.—MA

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