Health

Pfizer explores a sale of its hospital drugs unit: The move was spurred by activist investor Starboard Value, which has put pressure on Pfizer to reduce its debts after taking a $1B stake in the company.

Over 80% of ad spending in the US for technology and electronics (87.1%), retail (82.9%), and consumer packaged goods (80.2%) is directed toward digital media, according to EMARKETER’s August 2024 forecast.

Half of the drugs launched in the US last year underperformed: We examine why it’s critically important for drugmakers to deliver early returns on their new product launches.

Is the retail health clinic business model dead? Our forecasts project fewer consumers will visit a retail clinic such as CVS or Walgreens every year through 2026. We detail why below.

Nutritional supplements are popular in the US, but consumers don’t know how ingredients are vetted: The situation presents brand marketers with an opportunity to fill this knowledge gap and connect with shoppers.

OpenNotes, Abridge partner to enhance AI-generated visit summaries: Providing patients with easier-to-understand summaries could reduce the time clinicians spend responding to patients.

How Trump’s victory could cut into drugmakers’ revenues: We explore how the new administration will impact prescription drug pricing, vaccine sales, and pharma advertising.

CVS Health names health insurance exec Aetna head: The appointment comes as part of CVS’s mixed Q3 earnings report, the first under its new CEO.

Hims to offer a generic GLP-1 in 2025: It’s preparing for headwinds if the FDA halts compounded versions of weight loss drugs. But we think its diverse D2C offerings and strong subscriber growth should help insulate it financially.

US employees want better health benefits: But many employers are shifting healthcare costs onto their workers. This trend will remain until prescription drug spending comes down.

“Sleepmaxxing” is the newest health fad to go viral on TikTok: The social media-inspired trend entails using a range of products, services, and gadgets to optimize one’s sleep. But some ideas have gone too far and are potentially harmful.

Hispanic consumers seek health information from non-traditional channels: This is due to a lack of trusted health resources for this community. Healthcare and pharma marketers need to craft culturally relevant content.

Healthcare and pharma ad spending will eclipse $30B this year: Even as advertisers spend more on digital channels, traditional media will remain a big focus for healthcare and pharma due to the older demographics they target.

Eli Lilly’s blockbuster GLP-1 sales fell short of expectations in Q3: The pharma giant blames wholesalers for not buying more drugs. We think the rise of compounded GLP-1s is also a factor.

On today’s podcast episode, we discuss why mega-pharmacies are struggling, why 7-Eleven is closing and opening a lot of stores, and what the new model of convenience will look like. Tune in to the discussion with Senior Director of Podcasts and host Marcus Johnson and Senior Analysts Blake Droesch and Rajiv Leventhal.

Walgreens expands D2C telehealth to 30 states: We examine how the move aligns with Walgreens’ strategy to rightsize its retail pharmacy business.

Oracle unveils AI-powered EHR system: We think it could help the vendor capture market share from smaller players in the space because convincing Epic’s customers to switch platforms will be a tough sell.

Peloton stock jumps by double digits: The connected fitness company’s focus on profitability is paying off, with Q1 FY25 revenues cleanly surpassing expectations.

GoodRx moves into health and wellness e-commerce: We explore why GoodRx could be a good distribution channel for consumer health and pharma brands.

The vertical’s spending on digital advertising will surge 12.5% this year, driven by a 14.2% spike in pharma, per our estimates.