GLP-1 medications have emerged as a powerful weapon against obesity and diabetes, but at nearly $1,000 a month, they're forcing payors and patients into a difficult financial balancing act. This post explores how Medicare, commercial insurers, and employers are grappling with coverage decisions, why some plans are reversing course amid budget concerns, and whether tying access to lifestyle modification programs could offer a sustainable middle ground between innovation and co

Pharmacy Benefit Managers wield outsized influence over what medications cost and how accessible they are, negotiating deals between health plans, drug manufacturers, and pharmacies largely out of public view. This post unpacks how PBMs operate, the biggest criticisms of their business model, including spread pricing and vertical integration among the three companies controlling 79% of the market, and the legislation moving through Congress aimed at bringing more transparency

Cautious optimism defined this year's JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, fueled by a flurry of Merger Monday deals, anticipated Fed rate cuts, and growing big pharma appetite for smaller biotech companies. We break down the key 2024 takeaways: an improving M&A landscape favoring 'large acquiring small,' a shift away from COVID-19 products toward novel mechanisms of action like ADCs and CAR-Ts, and AI's accelerating, bidirectional role in reshaping healthcare innovation and inve