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.

The news: Pharma commercialization company Eversana bought digital health tech Waltz Health and is creating direct-to-consumer (D2C) and direct-to-payer models that cut out rebate negotiators, or pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Our take: D2C sales are the most palatable of the Trump administration’s drug pricing policies for pharma companies. But with limited in-house tech expertise, drugmakers need to partner with service providers. Health tech companies that offer D2C end-to-end solutions can create new revenue streams, while helping pharmas cater to Trump and patients’ demand for affordability and convenience.

The news: GenAI models can easily be influenced to perpetuate false health facts when they’re fed made-up medical terms and information, per a new Mount Sinai research published in Nature last week. Our take: As more consumers rely on open GPT models for health answers, misinformation and intentional disinformation pose growing risks to both personal and public health. There’s an opportunity for healthcare and pharma marketers to step up science-based AI marketing and communications, such as Pfizer’s custom genAI medical query tool Health Answers that sources answers from medical journals and peer-reviewed research.

The news: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled $500 million in federal mRNA grants, eliminating flu, COVID-19, and infectious disease research that used the technology. The Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) agency nixed 22 contracts, including ones with Moderna, Pfizer, and AstraZeneca.

The news: Roche is considering a direct-to-patient (D2C) sales channel for its prescription drugs, CEO Thomas Schinecker said in its Q2 earnings call. Our take: The complex US healthcare PBM and insurance system can’t easily flip to a pure-play D2C prescription sales market. However, we think it will become a reliable channel, especially for self-pay patients. Pharma marketers can court them with special pricing deals, a la Lilly and Novo, but ensure they stay on the right side of regulators.

The news: Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb will launch a direct-to-patient channel to sell their blockbuster blood thinner Eliquis at a reduced cash-pay price. Our take: Pfizer and Bristol Myers Squibb have anticipated the Eliquis patent loss and sales drop for years as part of the typical branded drug cycle. We see the new direct sales platform launch not as a play for new revenues, but rather a negotiating nod to the Trump administration. Only 10% of Eliquis patients are uncovered by insurance, so it’s a small market to court as a revenue-driving ploy. However, Trump has made it clear he’s open to using any levers possible to force lower drug prices, pushing pharma companies to offer good faith options and concessions.

The news:. A new report reviewed by STAT reveals that Pfizer and Eli Lilly pay their telehealth provider partners upwards of a few million dollars. Our take: Drugmakers in the D2C telehealth market likely won’t be too worried about the report’s findings. It will be difficult for regulators to prove that a pharma company’s payment to a telehealth partner is directly tied to prescription volume. Drug brands will need to boost awareness of their D2C offerings to justify the price they pay telehealth firms, however.

The news: US pharma imports returned to normal in April after a March stockpiling of drugs and medical products spurred by tariff threats from the Trump administration. The takeaway: Fluctuating tariff threats from the Trump administration means ongoing uncertainty for drugmakers. If the indecision lags for more than a few months, expect some pharma product stockpiling to return.

GenAI is changing pharma marketing from content creation to pharmacovigilance. Brand marketers and agencies are moving from experimentation to broad adoption of AI assistance and more efficient, effective, and relevant consumer communications.

FDA’s approval process for new COVID-19 vaccines will soon get tougher: But the impact to leading vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna might be minimal. Here’s why.

A trade war between two of the world’s largest consumer markets would cause significant disruption for consumers, retailers, and brands in Europe.

Pfizer’s push into weight-loss drugs suffers another setback: Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are cornering the market as pharma companies struggle to develop an effective weight-loss drug pill.

Novo Nordisk inks licensing agreement for oral weight loss drug candidate: Novo wants to find out if patients could benefit from a weight loss drug pill after they use one of its blockbuster GLP-1s.

Lawmakers investigate telehealth tie-ups with pharma: Despite more scrutiny over potential conflicts of interest, we expect even more Big Pharma D2C launches this year.

Pharma ramps up US manufacturing: It’s part of the industry’s response to President Trump’s threatened tariffs on drug imports. We explore some of the pros and cons around reshoring drug manufacturing.

Pfizer rolls out genAI search tool for patients’ common health questions: The drugmaker wants to be a trusted destination for consumers at all stages of their health journeys. We explore if Pfizer can pull it off.

Drugmakers plan price hikes on over 250 branded medications in US: Facing a hit under the Inflation Reduction Act, they’re taking matters into their own hands to offset lost revenue.

Healthcare and pharma companies will lean further into D2C in 2025: They’re cutting out health insurers and PBMs that bottleneck patient access to their products and services. But the industry’s push into D2C won’t be met without challenges.

Declining revenue, data breaches, and user mistrust jeopardize its future, leaving its vast genetic data trove in limbo as the company struggles to pivot.

Trump taps RFK Jr. to lead Health and Human Services: If confirmed, the vaccine skeptic’s appointment would hold serious implications for Big Pharma.