⚕️ Medicare Negotiated Drugs Cost More. Kids Spend 30% After-school Hours on Phones. More Batteries for Electric Bikes.

Cześć 🎻

Spain commits €46M to green hydrogen workforce training to bridge critical skills gap. Salesforce and Sister Nivedita University unveil CRM and AI Skills Lab in Eastern India. Bühler introduces fast-track vocational training to upskill manufacturing technicians and bridge global talent gaps. Charta Health raises $22M for AI healthcare operations platform.

Udemy launched MCP Server, an AI-powered system that embeds learning into workflows. Roblox launched a new Learning Hub featuring interactive educational games in collaboration with Google, BBC, and Sesame Workshop. PhysicsWallah unveils Aryabhata AI model for exam prep.

Today's Topics

🏫 K12 Education. Kids spend over 30% of afterschool hours on smartphones ⚕️ Health Skills. Medicare negotiated drugs were 2.8x more expensive
🏭 Advanced Manufacturing. 3x growth in battery demand for electric two/three-wheelers

Thanks for reading!

Not a subscriber yet?

🏫 Kids Spend Over 30% of Afterschool Hours on Smartphones

Children spend more than 30% of their time at home after school on smartphones and tablets. The rise in this screentime can be attributed to several factors, but a prominent one is their increased presence on social media sites. Sites such as YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are visited daily by teens who “doom scroll” through short-form videos. Several countries are discussing policies to reduce this usage, with Australia implementing a ban on social media for children under the age of 16.

⚕️ Medicare Negotiated Drugs Were 2.8x More Expensive

Medicare's negotiated drug prices for 2026, such as for Jardiance and Enbrel, remain higher than their European peers. Medicare drug price negotiations have been promoted to improve drug affordability. However, proposed funding cuts and budget changes via larger legislative initiatives could limit access to essential drugs, increasing financial pressure on both patients and the broader healthcare system. Administrative simplification and transparency in the prescription chain are one of the few policy proposals to address high drug costs.

🏭 3x Growth in Battery Demand for Electric Two/Three-Wheelers

Global demand for lithium-ion batteries in electric two/three-wheelers increased to 45 GWh/year in 2024 from 15 GWh/year in 2017. Markets like India, where EV mobility is gaining significant traction, pollution-stricken areas have emerged as front-runners, as more companies venture into electric two/three-wheelers. This growing demand aligns with the push for sustainable urban transport in pollution-stricken cities across India, despite concerns about range and battery heating due to sun exposure. The Indian government's FAME II scheme lays out policies promoting EV adoption.

Like getting this newsletter? Request a demo for unlimited access to over one million charts

Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
Have some feedback or want to sponsor this newsletter? Let us know at hello@holoniq.com