It’s that time of year again to review the top 10 health breakthroughs of 2025. And boy, are they a doozy..
10. FDA approved non-hormonal treatments for hot flushes for menopause. Veozah (Fezolinetant) was released last year that works on one brain receptor that regulates the thermoregulatory center. It helps 50-65% of the time. Now a newer drug with similar properties is on the market called Lynkuet (Elinzanetant). It is a neurokinin 1 and 3 receptor antagonist. It had a 73.8% reduction in symptoms and helped sleep.
9. At home self sampling HPV kits. This works similarly to a pap smear in that you collect cells from your vaginal/cervix area using a swab. This is an alternative to in-office pap screening. It is convenient, accurate, private and FDA approved. These direct mail HPV kits had a 64.9% of adherence and 63.4% of overdue participants returning the kits.
8. AI powered Diagnostics. Machine learning enables early and more accurate detection of certain diseases for better decision making. One example is AI reviews of mammograms which are able to determine which suspicious findings are likely to be cancer, cutting the need for unnecessary biopsies. It may also help track the success of chemotherapy before breast cancer surgery and predict future cancer risk.
7. Wearable Health Technology. This doesn’t seem like anything new but wearable devices are getting more available and accurate. Choices are smartwatches, Fitbit, Woop, Aura rings and continuous glucose monitors (CGM) that give you real-time monitoring 24/7. They can track heart rate (rhythm and HR variability), activity level (calories, steps and exercise), sleep patterns and mental well-being (stress). They can also give you medication reminders and health coaching.
6. Gene Editing and CRISR Therapies. These are gene therapies that can correct inherited diseases at the source through the repair of gene mutations. This of course comes with some scrutiny and ethical concerns. This includes unintended genetic changes, potential non-therapeutic genetic enhancements and health equity access.
5. More mRNA vaccine technology. Beyond the COVID vaccines, there is now an RSV mRNA vaccine. We may be seeing flu and even personalized cancer treatments using this technology.
4. Regenerative Medicine. There are 3D -printed implants now to help heal spinal injuries while others are progressing with stem cell therapies. The long-term goal is to replace the need for organ transplantation.
3. Neffy Epinephrine nasal spray is used as an allergy rescue for kids without a needle. For long-term allergy relief, a sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) uses dissolvable tablets or drops under the tongue. These are used for environmental allergies like dust mites, ragweed and grass. A great way to reduce allergy severity without shots!
…dangerous plaque in the arteries gets overlooked by most conventional readings.
2. Cardiac computed tomography angiography (CCTA) using AI for better imaging. These scans have been available for a while but dangerous plaque in the arteries gets overlooked by most conventional readings. AI can enhance the imaging and allow a bright, easy to see shell of calcium to determine stable and unstable (non-calcified) plaque. If undetected and untreated, this non-calcified plaque often contains inflamed fat, is prone to rupture and can cause a heart attack or stroke.
1. GLP-1 Agonists.These drugs are quite popular in the mainstream. You know them as Ozempic, Wegovy, Semaglutide, Zepbound, and Mounjaro. They have known effectiveness in managing glucose control and weight loss. Now the research is investigating their promise for neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s. It reduces inflammation, clears toxic proteins (Amyloid/tau), protects neurons and improves insulin resistance.
Wishing you joy, good health and a happy New Year!
References: IDA Ireland. Top Medical Innovations Transforming Healthcare in 2025.
Giorgi, R. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists for major neuro-cognitive disorders. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry (JNNP). 2025.