But a crowded obesity market demands product differentiation, fewer side effects, and benefits beyond weight loss to reap financial gains.

Pharma and health brands return to the Super Bowl, ditching drug pitches for brand storytelling campaigns.

Roche’s obesity drug results show up to 22.5% weight loss, hinting at future competition for Novo and Lilly.

Despite added personalization, Pfizer, Verily, and others will struggle to draw health-information seekers away from ChatGPT and Gemini.

Consumers are integrating AI into everyday health searches as tools grow more conversational, even though output reliability remains uneven. The balance of speed, accuracy, and trust will shape how people use AI for information and care.

Structure Therapeutics’ experimental obesity pill led to an average 12.1% weight loss after 36 weeks on a 120 mg daily dose, which stacks up well against competitors. Newcomers to the weight loss drug market still face key disadvantages, even with strong trial results. For smaller weight loss drug developers that may not have the risk appetite or resources to compete with larger players, the best way to cash in on a market dominated by two giants may be to pursue a partnership or acquisition.

The Trump administration announced lower Medicare prices for 15 prescription drugs via the Medicare drug price negotiation program. The new prices will take effect starting January 1, 2027. The biggest hit will fall on pharma companies with drugs selected in both rounds of Medicare negotiations. Revenue impacts will vary depending on each product’s time on the market and how far the negotiated price falls below prior net sales after rebates and discounts. For the government, savings on these drugs will be significant, but broader program savings won’t materialize until far more than 25 drugs see price cuts.

Pfizer beat Novo Nordisk in the battle to acquire obesity drugmaker Metsera in a deal worth over $10 billion. Regulators will keep a close watch on mergers to ensure competition in the obesity drug category that could reach $150 billion within 10 years. Leading weight loss drug manufacturers Novo and Eli Lilly will have to lean further into organic development and seek additional clinical indications beyond obesity, while Big Pharmas without weight loss treatments and smaller players could be better off pursuing partnerships and M&As.

Facing slowing GLP-1 drug sales, Novo Nordisk lowered its full year sales forecast for the third time this year as it continues to lose ground to Eli Lilly in obesity and diabetes. Novo’s next opportunity to close the gap with Lilly lies with the Wegovy pill. Novo is set to be first to market with a next generation weight loss pill and a potential new swath of customers who don’t like needles or prefer the convenience of a pill.

As healthcare and pharma ad spend shifts to digital, discover the CTV, social, and search trends redefining media strategy in our latest forecast.

Novo Nordisk entered the escalating acquisition battle for Metsera with a rival offer of up to $9 billion, topping Pfizer's earlier $7.3 billion bid. The Metsersa takeover clash signals how difficult and costly it will be for some companies to enter the weight loss drug category through M&A. Developing novel obesity drugs that offer a significant advantage over current GLP-1s is challenging (see: Pfizer), but it could be the better option for some pharma firms that want to avoid potentially messy, drawn-out bidding wars.

Consumers lack familiarity with direct-to-consumer (D2C) pharma services, but many are open to purchasing prescription medications from drugmakers. Pharma companies entering the D2C market must boost awareness of the channel. Pharma brands and marketers should inform pharmacists and doctors of drugmakers' latest D2C options, since they’re key sources for patients with medication cost and coverage questions. They should also create clear educational materials showing how consumers can save on D2C prescriptions, backed by data on limited insurance coverage for certain drug categories.

AstraZeneca reached a deal with the US government to lower prescription drug prices in exchange for a three-year tariff reprieve. If more Big Pharma deals with Trump mirror Pfizer’s and AstraZeneca’s, it signals the sector views the terms as favorable, since core revenue drivers remain largely untouched. Still, pricing pressure won’t subside anytime soon, with more drugs expected to be up for Medicare price negotiations. Big Pharma shouldn’t view these latest agreements as the end of the line, but rather as important learning moments for which drug pricing concessions will appease the administration.

Pharmacies and prescription drug discounter GoodRx are in talks with the Trump administration about joining its planned direct-to-consumer (D2C) prescription drug portal called TrumpRx. Pharmacy retailer and GoodRx participation could determine whether TrumpRx stays a niche effort or evolves into a consumer prescription drug marketplace. Pharma marketers joining the platform should build on existing pharmacy and GoodRx partnerships, and focus on creating consumer-friendly e-commerce and telehealth experiences.

The Trump administration will opt against imposing tariffs on generic drug imports, according to The Wall Street Journal. Trump’s reprieve for generic drugmakers signals that brand-name medication imports won’t be spared from tariffs. Big Pharma brands that want to avoid Trump tariffs will have to follow Pfizer’s lead in striking deals with the administration. That will include lowering prices and cutting out industry middlemen like PBMs and insurers for some drugs and immediately starting to build more US manufacturing capability.

Amgen debuted a new direct-to-consumer (D2C) prescription drug platform and cash-pay discounts beginning with heart disease med Repatha. It joins more than half a dozen pharma company D2C launches under pressure from the Trump administration to lower prices through direct sales. Drugmakers need to ensure physicians understand the new D2C platform value beyond price, such as easier access and better adherence for their patients. On the consumer side, messaging should emphasize the value and convenience of online ordering, 24/7 online customer service, and free shipping to home, especially for recurring prescriptions.

The Trump administration is putting off plans to impose a 100% tariff on drug imports as it continues negotiations with pharma companies to lower prices on their brand-name products. Earlier this week, Pfizer became the first to strike a deal with the administration that will cut many of its drug prices by 40% or more, and in return, receive a three-year delay on tariffs. Other drugmakers can win from a PR perspective and gain political favor by striking similar agreements that avoid the worst-case scenario of heavy tariffs, drawn-out legal battles, or regulatory cost controls on all of their pharma products.

The Trump administration is rolling out its own direct-to-consumer (D2C) prescription drug website called TrumpRx.com for Americans to purchase some prescriptions at lower negotiated rates. It’s also inked a specific deal with Pfizer to cut many of its drug prices by 40% or more, and in turn, receive a three-year delay on tariffs. Pharma companies are technically meeting Trump demands with D2C announcements, but the initial moves may not be enough to satisfy policymakers or consumers.

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.