Costs will shape 2026 midterm votes, with both parties targeting insurers and pharma to lower costs. The industry has a chance to defend its role—and show real affordability gains.

Eli Lilly became the first healthcare or pharma company to reach a $1 trillion valuation. Pharma’s entry into “the trillion-dollar club” is largely driven by success in the obesity treatment category that’s poised to reshape consumer health and wellness. However, Lilly’s particular rapid growth signals that while first-mover advantage in a high-demand disease area matters, it doesn’t guarantee staying on top. Pharma manufacturers can make up for not being first by committing to innovative drug development that drives more efficacious products, pursuing new clinical indications, and correctly anticipating market developments that may impact supply and demand.

Most consumers aren’t too familiar with the CDC’s recent COVID-19 vaccine guideline changes, and those who have heard about them say the updates are unlikely to affect their decision to get the shot, according to an October 2025 Pew Research Center survey. Vaccine makers can partner with medical groups and pharmacies to disseminate information through traditional and digital media. Communication shouldn’t challenge CDC guidance or politicize the issue, but should explain where to get the shot, note any insurance changes, and outline special considerations for people with certain medical conditions.

Eli Lilly will no longer offer CVS Health’s prescription drug benefit plan for its employees, per Bloomberg. Lilly may have been considering another pharmacy benefits manager outside of this news. But it’s more likely that CVS’ choice to promote a rival drug (Wegovy) over Zepbound was Lilly’s breaking point—showing that even employee benefit plans can be used as leverage in the battle for weight loss drug dominance.

B2B digital ad spending is rising as marketers lean into formats that build visibility and engagement. Video and display are growing faster than search, reshaping strategies to reach decision-makers.

TV ad spending will shrink across every industry this year. Retail and CPG still dominate in size, but other sectors lean on TV more heavily, exposing the uneven role it plays in media strategies.

The sources of ad spending growth are shifting as telecom and financial services surge, while retail and CPG slow but still dominate in scale. Every industry is leaning harder into digital, with social and display ads commanding more budget than ever.

Younger generations' trust in drug companies is dropping. A new survey shows that many pharma companies are failing to connect with this audience on social media, where they look for health information. To win them back, pharma brands should create social media videos that highlight their history of innovation, rather than focusing on specific products. They can also partner with doctor influencers to create content that removes the stigma around topics like mental health and educates people on treatment options.

How can industry ad buyers calibrate their ad spending and budget allocations against the market, and how can media companies and solution providers assess whether their ad revenues are in line with industry trends?

NBCUniversal has sold out all advertising inventory for Super Bowl 60 months earlier than expected, marking record demand for football advertising. Digital sales tied to the game are up 20% YoY as brands invest across NBC, Peacock, and Telemundo. Prices held at $7–8 million per 30-second spot, aligning with Fox’s 2024 benchmark. NBCU’s 2026 slate—which also includes the Winter Olympics, NBA All-Star, and FIFA World Cup—positions the company to capture significant share of sports ad budgets. With ROI on Super Bowl ads nearly doubling since 2020 and consumer enthusiasm rising, NBCU’s cross-platform dominance highlights live sports’ unmatched ad pull.

The news: Direct-to-consumer (D2C) telehealth startup Remedy Meds is acquiring competitor Thirty Madison in an all-stock deal valued at over $500 million. Our take: By adding affordable weight-loss drugs to its men's and women's health treatments, the newly combined company will directly compete with Hims and Ro. However, their larger customer base will likely draw the attention of GLP-1 drug manufacturers like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. Both pharma companies are actively trying to shut down the market for compounded weight-loss drugs. Transparent marketing and staying on top of potential regulatory changes to compounded GLP-1 allowance will be key to sustaining customer loyalty.

Consumer trust in the US healthcare system and its key players has eroded. Brands now face patients who distrust traditional guidance—often due to political polarization—and seek answers from unverified sources. Here’s how brands and marketers can win back patient trust and rebuild deteriorating reputations.

The news: Eli Lilly is hiking the UK price of its diabetes and weight loss drug Mounjaro by as much as 170% starting next month, depending on the dose size. The drugmaker also said it’s been working on raising prices of its medications in Europe and other developed countries. Our take: Drug pricing is so complicated that it could benefit pharma manufacturers, because it will be hard to know whether they’re truly equalizing prices or just finding ways around the Trump administration’s demands that other drugmakers could copy.

The news: Merck is teaming with McKinsey for a generative AI (genAI) program that streamlines clinical study reports (CSRs). The takeaway: GenAI is ideal for time-intensive precise medical writing and frees content creators for oversight and strategic tasks. While Merck and some others are already using it for regulatory filings, those who stall or keep their pilots in the experimentation phase risk losing valuable time-to-market advantages.

The news: President Trump sent letters to 17 pharma companies, demanding they take action to lower drug prices in the US within 60 days. Our take: We think it’s unrealistic to expect pharma companies to willingly cut their profits despite Trump’s escalated demands. Drugmakers called out in the letter will likely wait out Trump’s deadline and see what he threatens next, knowing they could always legally challenge the most-favored nation order. We also expect more pharma companies to make some of their medicines available through the D2C channel, perhaps seeing it as a reasonable good-faith concession that they hope will get Trump to back off the most-favored nation pricing.

The news: Due to confusing guidance from the federal government, medical associations and several states are creating their own vaccine recommendations for the public, per a Reuters report. Our take: Next, pharma brands and marketers—particularly vaccine makers—must preserve the integrity of their products by creating ad campaigns that directly address the safety concerns called out by RFK Jr. and his team.

The news: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired all 17 members of an advisory panel that makes vaccine recommendations to the CDC. Our take: Eroding trust in public health entities could create an opportunity for the private sector to fill the void. This may include physician-led associations such as the AMA, individual doctors and pharmacists, and even drugmakers to collaborate on disseminating evidence-based information around vaccines to the public.

Novo, Lilly, and PBMs take steps to reduce GLP-1 drug prices: Players in the weight loss drug market are likely OK with cutting back on prices considering the potential to reach tens of millions of patients.

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

At-home injectable drugs have been getting more approvals: Amneal Pharmaceuticals is the latest to gain approval for its migraine treatment. Pharma companies can help spur uptake for at-home injectables like it with more education and support.