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MedPage Today published a roundup of comments from clinicians and researchers on October 18, 2026, covering topics from AI in healthcare to flu vaccination and medical research. The quotes capture expert perspectives, not a single study or policy announcement; the roundup does not provide full details of the underlying research.
MedPage Today published a weekly roundup of expert comments on October 18, 2026, bringing together remarks on artificial intelligence in healthcare, a new mRNA flu shot, pregnancy research and several other medical topics. The collection offers a snapshot of issues being discussed by clinicians and researchers, but it is a quotes roundup, not a single study or policy announcement.
The headline quote came from Mishal Khan, PhD, of the UC Berkeley Labor Center, speaking about AI in healthcare: “Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.” The remark frames technology as something whose effects depend on how it is designed and used, rather than as a tool that is automatically beneficial or harmful. The roundup does not include further detail about Khan’s comments or the specific AI system under discussion.
Other quotes addressed access and clinical evidence. Amesh Adalja, MD, of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, said people seeking the new mRNA flu shot mFlusiva would need to use its website or call around. On research concerning benzodiazepine use early in pregnancy and congenital malformations, Krista Huybrechts, MS, PhD, of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, described the findings as reassuring while cautioning that the medications are not risk-free.
The roundup also included remarks on heart-transplant outcomes, sickle cell disease and cancer risk, HIV care, pediatric obesity screening, and plastic surgery. Ahmed Zayed said pulmonary vascular resistance should not be interpreted in isolation; Vijay Sankaran said evidence on cancer risk among people with sickle cell disease had not met its burden of proof. Those statements summarize the speakers’ views on research; the roundup does not reproduce the underlying data.
Expert Views Span Care and Technology
The collection matters as a concise record of several active questions in medicine, including how healthcare technology affects people, how patients access new products, and how clinicians should interpret emerging evidence. The quotes also show why a finding’s caveats matter: a result described as reassuring does not mean a medication is risk-free, and a measurement such as pulmonary vascular resistance may be less informative when considered alone.
For readers, the roundup is best treated as an entry point rather than a substitute for the studies or reporting behind each comment. It identifies the topics and the people weighing in, but does not establish the effectiveness, safety or availability of a treatment or screening approach. The range of subjects also means the statements cannot be read as one unified medical conclusion.
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Eight Topics in One Weekly Roundup
MedPage Today described the items as quotable remarks heard by its reporters and dated the roundup October 18, 2026. The selected comments covered eight areas: AI in healthcare; access to mFlusiva; the television show “The Swan” and plastic surgery; benzodiazepines in early pregnancy; pulmonary vascular resistance after heart transplantation; cancer risk in sickle cell disease; long-acting therapy and advanced HIV disease; and pediatric obesity screening.
Several comments refer to research, but the source material supplied here does not include study titles, publication details, sample sizes or full results. It identifies the speakers and gives brief descriptions of the topics. That distinction is important: a quoted interpretation is not the same as the complete evidence, and readers would need the underlying study or original reporting to evaluate methods and limitations.
““Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral.””
— Mishal Khan, PhD, UC Berkeley Labor Center
Study Details Are Not Included
The roundup does not provide enough information to independently assess the research referenced in the quotes. Study methods, numerical results and publication details are not included in the supplied material, nor does it say which AI tools or healthcare settings Khan was discussing. Adalja’s comment does not specify the website, access requirements, price or locations for mFlusiva.
Some statements are explicitly cautious. Huybrechts characterized pregnancy findings as reassuring while warning that benzodiazepines carry risks; Sankaran said the burden of proof on cancer risk in sickle cell disease remained unmet. The roundup does not resolve those questions. It also does not explain what access barriers patients may encounter or provide further detail on the other speakers’ topics.
Follow the Research Behind Each Quote
The next step for readers seeking clinical or practical guidance is to consult the original studies and fuller reporting on the topics named in the roundup. That material would be needed to understand the evidence, its limitations and whether it has implications for patient care. For mFlusiva access, readers would need current information from the relevant provider or official product channels; the quote alone does not establish availability or eligibility.
MedPage Today’s item is a weekly collection, not an announcement of a planned follow-up or new research release. No next publication date or additional development is specified in the supplied source material.
Key Questions
What did MedPage Today publish on October 18, 2026?
It published a weekly roundup of quotes from medical experts on topics including AI in healthcare, a new flu shot and several areas of medical research.
Was the roundup reporting one new medical study?
No. It brought together comments on multiple subjects and research topics. The supplied material does not include full reports or study data.
What did the AI quote say?
Mishal Khan said, “Tech is not good or bad, but neither is it neutral,” while commenting on artificial intelligence in healthcare. The source does not identify a specific AI tool or application.
What did the roundup say about benzodiazepines in pregnancy?
Krista Huybrechts described findings from research on early-pregnancy use and congenital malformations as reassuring, while stressing that benzodiazepines are not risk-free. The roundup does not provide the study’s full results.
Does the article explain how to get mFlusiva?
No. Amesh Adalja said people seeking the mRNA flu shot would need to use a website or call around, but the roundup does not give specific access instructions or availability details.
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