The FDA’s recent crackdown on pharma TV advertising could disproportionately affect Black, Hispanic, and Asian consumers, per a recent Video Advertising Bureau (VAB) report. President Trump recently directed federal health agencies to increase pharma TV advertising enforcement and to change rules to make drugmakers disclose every side effect. Pharma marketers would have to change the ads, spend extensive time and money to change them, or pull them off the air. Marketers and agencies need to think about shifting budgets to digital channels, especially social media and influencer marketing, which are also valuable information health sources for Black, Hispanic and Asian consumers.
On today’s podcast episode, we discuss how “The Savings Wrangler” campaign was dreamt up, how GoodRx will measure its success, and what new spaces the medication savings company is moving into. Join Senior Director of Podcasts and host, Marcus Johnson, Senior Analysts, Rajiv Leventhal and Beth Snyder Bulik, and Chief Marketing Officer at GoodRx, Ryan Sullivan. Listen everywhere and watch on YouTube and Spotify.
President Trump threatened pharma companies with a 100% tariff on drug imports unless they start building US manufacturing plants by October 1. The winners of Trump’s latest threat/demand are generic drugmakers that appear to be spared, and highly profitable Big Pharmas that were likely planning investments in US manufacturing and R&D anyway to stabilize supply chains. But smaller pharma players may be forced to pull back from US commerce in favor of international markets, explore a sale, or cut a strategic partnership with bigger drugmakers in which their treatments could be produced at the larger company’s US facilities.
Paid search clickthrough rates for healthcare ads plummeted 51.4% year over year—the steepest drop across all industries measured, according to our Industry KPI data provided by Skai. The rise of AI-generated health info and consumer burnout from constant drug ads are likely driving down engagement. Healthcare and pharma companies need to ensure their online content is tailored for AI relevance. They must also continuously review whether their ads are being over-exposed to the same audience.
The pharma industry moved up from last place in Gallup’s annual survey of US industry reputation, although 58% of consumers still view the industry negatively. Healthcare fared better landing in the middle of the list, but still notched a 51% negative rating. Consumers are still angry about high pharma drug prices, but they’re increasingly aware that insurers, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), and hospital systems are part of the problem. There’s an opportunity for pharma to continue to spotlight how PBMs drive up drug prices, for instance. But companies should also amplify more recent efforts, like creating US jobs by building more manufacturing plants in the US and making some medications more accessible in direct-to-consumer programs, to win back public goodwill.
AstraZeneca is launching a direct-to-consumer (D2C) website and dropping the cash-pay prices of two key drugs, following Bristol Myers Squibb’s announcement a day earlier. Pharma D2C is no longer a niche play and we expect direct sales to play a bigger role in future drug sales. The new models bypass insurers and pharmacy benefit manager middlemen, which should lead to better prices for consumers. Drugmakers and agencies also need to focus on creating well-designed, patient-centered website experiences that mirror online retail experiences—or risk losing out in what’s about to become a crowded pharma D2C marketplace.
Bristol Myers Squibb is expanding D2C drug sales with the launch of a new telehealth platform and a steep cash-pay discount for its psoriasis treatment Sotyktu.. The rise of drugmakers' telehealth platforms is reshaping the traditional path to prescriptions. However, the opportunity for pharma is building direct ties to consumers via affordability and convenience, while also navigating Trump administration involvement and regulatory scrutiny. Drugmakers need to design simple, transparent D2C telehealth websites that follow the letter of the law, minimize consumer confusion, and earn patients’ trust.
Eli Lilly quietly cancelled a clinical trial for an experimental drug to slow muscle loss in obesity patients taking its GLP-1 weight loss drug. Lilly’s kiboshed trial is a reminder that weight loss drugmakers need to look beyond drug solutions and support patients’ efforts to maintain muscle mass. They could proactively package fitness coaching and strength training downloadable apps for GLP-1 users, or partner with physicians and employers to support their GLP-1 behavioral programs with compliance-safe resources around lifestyle needs like fitness and nutrition.
Capital Rx, a company looking to disrupt the pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) space, raised $400 million, including a $252 million Series F funding round. More employers are jumping from one of the Big 3 PBMs to a smaller disruptor that promises pricing transparency and a greater share of rebates. The recent growth of PBM startups like Capital Rx and Rightway will give other players the confidence to enter a previously impenetrable market, particularly as scrutiny of the Big 3 intensifies.
Oura Ring sales have surpassed 5.5 million since first being offered in 2015, with over half of those sales coming since June 2024. Oura could leverage its vast market appeal and endorsements from mega-celebrities to develop a wrist-worn device that would help the company compete against Apple, Samsung, and Google/Fitbit in the broader health wearables space. But Oura could be at a disadvantage against those companies if it’s going to lean on its smart ring as a do-it-all health-tracking product, since some of those capabilities (e.g., displaying pace, distance, and heart rate during a run) are more conducive to having a device with a screen.
The worldwide average session duration for apps in the Entertainment category was 7.3 minutes between April 2022 and June 2025, more than twice the time spent per session on the next-highest category, according to a June 2025 report from Airship.
The FDA is considering a change to the labels of Tylenol and other drugs containing acetaminophen. The new label would warn that using these drugs during pregnancy might be linked to a higher risk of autism and ADHD in children. Marketers in this space will want to be transparent in ads and promotional materials that their medicine contains acetaminophen since consumers are far less familiar with ingredients than prescription drug brands. Campaigns should avoid using language overstating the certainty that acetaminophen isn’t linked to autism and re-emphasize that pregnant women should always consult their doctors before taking the medicine.
Walmart is adding pharmacy home delivery for specialty drugs that need to be refrigerated, such as GLP-1s, insulin and liquid antibiotic amoxicillin. Walmart’s move to add GLP-1 drugs to its pharmacy delivery services will be a customer pleaser and could force other players operating in retail and prescription drug markets to make similar moves as consumers grow increasingly frustrated with their drugstore experiences.
A new schizophrenia drug from Bristol Myers Squibb will get the same price tag in the UK when it launches next year, complying with President Trump’s demand to equalize US drug prices with other developed countries. Trump has public sentiment on his side, with most Americans eager for lower drug costs. We think drugmakers’ public pledges for price cuts and fairer global equality for select brand name drugs can appease both the Trump administration and consumers. Even limited price cuts can have outsized significance in the context of regulatory and public scrutiny.
Pfizer agreed to pay as much as $7.3 billion to acquire anti obesity drugmaker Metsera. The company is buying its way into weight loss drugs after unsuccessful attempts at internal development. Pfizer will need to find its niche in an underexplored area of weight loss treatments, such as marketing its monthly shot for people who don't want to inject themselves weekly or take a pill every day.
A federal health advisory panel has narrowed the recommendation for childhood measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine, but indefinitely postponed an expected vote on the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Public trust in federal health authorities was already shaky, but every new clash between Kennedy’s anti-vaccine advocates and medical experts makes pharma marketers’ and agencies’ jobs harder. Public health guidance can no longer rest solely with federal agencies. Vaccine makers need to support state and local health agencies, amplify community vaccination efforts, and partner with physicians and trusted online health voices to reinforce safety messages for parents.
Two-thirds (67%) of people with chronic health conditions take action after seeing pharma advertising for treatments, per a recent Swoop survey. Patients are active, informed pharma consumers. But federal efforts to limit TV and social media ads could shrink drugmakers’ reach. Marketers should lean into lower-profile digital touchpoints—like search and brand websites—where our data shows patients most often begin their health journeys. Marketers and agencies also need to boost visibility in unpaid media. Partner with advocacy groups to engage patients both online and offline, and double down on support programs and online resources to build and maintain trusted relationships.
More consumers are turning to AI tools and social media platforms to research and select doctors, according to a new survey from rater8. Healthcare providers need to ensure that their business profiles are regularly updated online to be noticeable in local search results. They should also encourage their patients to leave online reviews while consistently responding, as this activity could boost relevance for AI algorithms. Social media content is also important, and should include testimonials from satisfied patients, along with posts from doctors that demystify complex medical information.
British pharma company GSK plans to invest $30 billion in US drug manufacturing and R&D, coinciding with President Trump’s UK state visit and a broader pullback on UK investments by other drugmakers. Since taking office, Trump has issued executive orders and warnings aimed at spurring more US manufacturing and lowering drug prices. While his approach is boosting manufacturing, it doesn’t necessarily translate to lower drug prices. For increased US manufacturing to truly benefit consumers, it needs to be coupled with reforms in how drugs are priced, negotiated, and reimbursed. Without cooperation from the full supply chain—from pharma companies to providers, pharmacy benefit managers, insurers, and federal and state governments—manufacturing growth alone won’t guarantee lower prices for patients.
America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) released a statement that its member health insurers will cover vaccines that were previously recommended by the CDC’s advisory committee with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026. AHIP’s commitment is the first real market signal that major insurers will keep paying for children’s immunizations, as well as updated formulations of COVID-19 and flu vaccines, even if the government’s vaccine advisory panel changes its recommendations. Insurers should partner up with medical associations, pharmacies, and vaccine makers to disseminate information at a local level that makes folks aware of their right to vaccine coverage under their health plan.