'They're Looking For Scapegoats': What We Heard This Week
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MedPage Today published a roundup on Nov. 1, 2026, of comments from clinicians and researchers on recent medical developments. The topics included an American Diabetes Association report, trials involving aspirin and an investigational cancer drug, exam software problems, and policy and treatment questions.

MedPage Today published a weekly roundup on Nov. 1 featuring comments from clinicians and researchers on developments ranging from an American Diabetes Association report to clinical trial results and problems with medical testing systems. The excerpts capture individual reactions, but the roundup does not provide the underlying reports or enough detail to resolve the disputes and questions raised.

One of the quoted comments concerned the American Diabetes Association’s final report about five scientists who were ousted from this year’s annual meeting. Aaron Kelly, PhD, of the University of Minnesota, said, “They’re looking for scapegoats.” The roundup does not include the report’s findings or the association’s response, so Kelly’s characterization remains an attributed opinion rather than an established conclusion.

Other excerpts pointed to research results. Hugh Gallagher, MBBS, PhD, of Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust in England, commented after a trial found that low-dose aspirin did not reduce major vascular events among adults with chronic kidney disease. Nathalie Gaspar, MD, PhD, of Gustave Roussy in France, described positive phase III results for an investigational osteosarcoma drug tested in adolescents and adults as “Something we have not seen for years.” The roundup does not name the drug or provide trial data, safety findings or the size of the observed effect.

The collection also covered clinical practice and health-system issues. Internal medicine physician Aaron Gans said he received an “indeterminate” score on his board exam after widespread software glitches, and raised concern about a possible data-collection error. Other speakers discussed an AI tool to find very rare sperm in men with azoospermia, hurdles to reforming the No Surprises Act, potential interactions between GLP-1 drugs and lithium, and a reported link between SGLT2 inhibitors and higher hemoglobin and hematocrit levels.

At a glance
recapWhen: Published November 1, 2026
The developmentMedPage Today published its weekly collection of quotes from clinicians and researchers discussing recent medical news and concerns.

Research Results and System Concerns

The roundup brings together issues with different kinds of significance: evidence that could inform care, questions about how medical institutions respond to controversy, and technical or regulatory obstacles that affect patients and professionals. The aspirin finding, for example, challenges expectations about a treatment in a specific population, but the excerpt alone is not enough to guide individual decisions. The osteosarcoma results may be encouraging, yet the drug remains investigational and the report supplies no details needed to judge its clinical value.

The comments about exam software and the No Surprises Act point to a separate concern: systems used to assess clinicians or manage medical bills can create practical consequences even when the underlying medical evidence is not in dispute. By presenting short quotations rather than a single unified study, the feature signals what experts are discussing; it does not establish that their interpretations are shared or settled.

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Eight Topics in One Roundup

MedPage Today’s “What We Heard This Week” is a quotation-based roundup, not a report of one event or a review article. Its Nov. 1 edition presented comments attributed to experts on eight subjects. The format offers a snapshot of reactions but compresses the evidence and background behind each issue.

The range runs from trial findings to research tools and policy. Hemant Suryawanshi, PhD, of Columbia University Fertility Clinic said the limitation in cases of azoospermia is not necessarily a biological absence of sperm, in a discussion of an AI-powered tool intended to identify ultra-rare sperm. Joe Antos, PhD, of the American Enterprise Institute, said the current No Surprises Act system creates friction, while Jay Davis, MD, of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, called for more awareness of potential interactions between GLP-1 drugs and lithium. Michele Eisenga, MD, PhD, of University Medical Center Groningen, said increases in hemoglobin and hematocrit associated with SGLT2 inhibitors are “likely not just due to hemoconcentration.”

““They’re looking for scapegoats.””

— Aaron Kelly, PhD, University of Minnesota

Evidence Behind the Excerpts

The roundup does not provide links or full details for the individual studies and events it references. For the aspirin and osteosarcoma trials, it gives no sample sizes, numerical outcomes, adverse-event information or study limitations. The description of positive phase III results does not establish whether the investigational drug will be approved or change standard care.

It is also unclear from the excerpt what the diabetes association’s report concluded, what evidence supports Kelly’s accusation, or whether the association responded. The cause and scope of the exam software glitches, and whether they affected other candidates, are not detailed. The specific AI tool, its accuracy and availability, and the evidence for the medication-interaction and blood-count observations are also not supplied.

Full Reports Will Add Detail

The next step for readers seeking conclusions is to consult the underlying study publications, trial presentations and statements from the organizations involved. Those sources would be needed to assess the strength of the clinical findings and clarify what happened with the meeting report and exam scoring. The roundup itself does not announce a publication date, regulatory decision or policy milestone. Any follow-up on the trials, software problems or proposed policy changes remains dependent on developments from the researchers, institutions and agencies involved.

Key Questions

What did MedPage Today publish on Nov. 1, 2026?

It published a weekly collection of quotations from clinicians and researchers reacting to medical research, policy and health-system issues.

What did the aspirin trial find?

According to the roundup, low-dose aspirin failed to reduce major vascular events in a trial of adults with chronic kidney disease. The excerpt does not provide the trial’s numerical results or other details.

Was the osteosarcoma drug approved?

The roundup describes positive phase III results for an investigational drug, but does not say that it has been approved. It provides no drug name or trial data.

What remains unknown about the board exam software problems?

The excerpt says Aaron Gans received an “indeterminate” score after widespread software glitches and raised concern about a possible data-collection error. It does not explain the cause, the number of affected candidates or any remedy.

Source: medpagetoday.com

Wellness content on this site is informational and not a substitute for professional medical guidance.
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