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MedPage Today published a roundup on Oct. 18, 2026, of comments from researchers and clinicians about health and medical developments. The quotes address AI in healthcare, access to a new mRNA flu shot, pregnancy medication research, HIV care, heart transplantation and other topics; the roundup does not report a single new study or policy announcement.
MedPage Today published a weekly roundup of expert comments on Oct. 18, 2026, spanning artificial intelligence in healthcare, access to a new mRNA flu shot, and findings from several areas of medical research. The collection is a recap of remarks by clinicians and researchers, not a report of one new study, regulatory decision or clinical guideline.
The roundup’s opening quote came from Mishal Khan, PhD, of the UC Berkeley Labor Center, who said: “Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.” MedPage Today identified the comment as being about artificial intelligence in healthcare. The report did not provide further detail about the occasion for the remark or a specific AI system.
Other comments addressed access and medical care. Amesh Adalja, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said people seeking the new mRNA flu shot, mFlusiva, would need to use a website or call around. The roundup also quoted Kelly Killeen, MD, of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, criticizing the early-2000s makeover television show “The Swan,” and Fiona Cresswell, MBChB, PhD, discussing research on long-acting therapy for people with HIV.
The remaining remarks concerned research findings and their limits. Krista Huybrechts, MS, PhD, described findings on benzodiazepine use early in pregnancy and congenital malformations as reassuring while cautioning that the medicines are not risk-free. Other comments covered pulmonary vascular resistance after heart transplantation, cancer risk in people with sickle cell disease, and the limits of using body mass index alone to assess adolescent health.
What the Expert Comments Highlight
The collection brings together different health issues, but several comments stress the need to look beyond a single measure or headline. Khan’s observation about AI points to the fact that technology’s effects depend on how it is developed and used; the roundup does not specify particular consequences or assess a named product. Similarly, the comments on transplant outcomes and adolescent obesity caution against interpreting one measurement in isolation.
For readers, the value is a snapshot of questions that can affect care, access and interpretation of research. Adalja’s remark points to potential practical steps involved in obtaining mFlusiva, while Huybrechts’ comment illustrates the distinction between reassuring study findings and a conclusion that a medication carries no risk. These are expert reactions summarized by MedPage Today, not substitutes for the underlying studies or individual medical advice.
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Eight Topics in One Weekly Roundup
MedPage Today presents “What We Heard This Week” as a collection of quotable comments from its reporters’ coverage. The Oct. 18 edition includes remarks from experts affiliated with hospitals, universities and professional organizations in the United States and elsewhere. Its topics range from healthcare technology and vaccination access to pregnancy, HIV, transplantation, sickle cell disease, plastic surgery and pediatric obesity.
The source is a short roundup rather than a full account of the research behind each comment. It identifies speakers and gives brief descriptions of what they were discussing, but does not provide study titles, publication details, sample sizes or methods for the research references. The quotes should therefore be read as selected comments within broader coverage, not as complete summaries of the evidence.
““Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.””
— Mishal Khan, PhD, UC Berkeley Labor Center
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Evidence Behind the Brief Quotes
The roundup does not include enough information to independently evaluate the studies referenced in the comments. It does not identify their publication dates, full results or methods, and it gives no further details about the circumstances of Khan’s AI remark. The source also does not explain the website or call options for mFlusiva, or provide information about availability, eligibility or access arrangements.
Some quotations explicitly preserve uncertainty: Huybrechts said the pregnancy findings were reassuring but noted that benzodiazepines are not risk-free; Vijay Sankaran, MD, PhD, said the burden of proof on cancer risk in sickle cell disease remains to be met. The roundup does not establish that any quoted interpretation is a consensus position or a change to clinical practice.
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Follow the Studies and Access Details
The next step for readers seeking details is to consult the full studies or MedPage Today’s related coverage, since the weekly roundup itself does not provide links to the research in the supplied material. Further reporting would be needed to clarify how people can obtain mFlusiva and what evidence supports the individual research comments.
No specific follow-up announcement, publication date or policy decision is identified in the roundup. Until more information is available, the comments are best understood as a concise record of what experts said about current health topics, rather than a definitive update to medical guidance.
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Key Questions
What did MedPage Today publish on October 18, 2026?
It published its weekly “What We Heard This Week” roundup, collecting expert comments on health and medical topics.
Was the roundup announcing a new study or medical guideline?
No. The source presents selected quotes and brief descriptions of research topics; it does not announce a single new study, policy decision or clinical guideline.
What did the roundup say about AI in healthcare?
Mishal Khan of the UC Berkeley Labor Center said, “Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.” MedPage Today described the remark as being about AI in healthcare but did not identify a particular system or provide more detail.
What is known about access to mFlusiva from this report?
Amesh Adalja said people seeking the mRNA flu shot would need to use a website or call around. The roundup does not give further information on availability, eligibility or where the shot can be obtained.
No. Krista Huybrechts described the study findings as reassuring but explicitly said benzodiazepines are not risk-free. The short roundup does not include the study’s methods or full results.
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