Shelby Livingston

The Trump administration is promoting wearable health devices — with or without evidence HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. revealed his vision of every American using a wearable within four years. But most medical experts Endpoints News spoke with doubted CGMs are the key to solving Ame...

Wearables for everyone? I dug into the evidence behind the health tools RFK wants all Americans to use.

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Exclusive: Weight loss startup Calibrate swaps CEOs in latest leadership shakeup Calibrate names Rob Rebak as new CEO, replacing Rob MacNaughton, amid executive changes. CFO and Chief Clinical Officer also depart weight loss company backed by Madryn.

Scoop! Calibrate has replaced its CEO and made several other executive changes, the latest leadership reset at the once high-flying weight loss company.

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Exclusive: Drug compounder Empower was built on risky shortcuts, ex-employees and inspections allege Empower Pharmacy has used poor-quality ingredients, skirted regulations and pushed out or sued employees who raised concerns, an Endpoints News investigation found.

NEW: Empower Pharmacy, which calls itself the US’ “largest and most advanced” compounding pharmacy, has used poor-quality ingredients, skirted regulations and pushed out or sued employees who raised concerns, an Endpoints News investigation found.

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Devoted Health shrank its operating losses in 2024 as revenue exploded Venture-backed Devoted Health seems to be weathering the Medicare Advantage storm, according to an Endpoints News analysis of the company’s state filings for more than 30 health plan subsidiaries.

$13 billion startup Devoted Health grew revenue to $3.3 billion in 2024 and shrank its operating losses, according to my analysis of state insurance filings.

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Kennedy announces 10,000 job cuts at HHS, with major reductions expected at FDA, NIH and CDC HHS announces major downsizing, cutting 20,000 jobs total across FDA, CDC, and NIH. New Administration for Healthy America to be formed under Sec. Kennedy's reorganization plan.

10,000 job cuts hitting HHS as part of a gigantic agency reorg. @zacharybrennan.bsky.social has the breaking news: endpts.com/hhs-plans-to...

A California health tech company is letting AI run medical visits, from intake to diagnosis AI in healthcare has largely been used to reduce time-consuming administrative work, like documenting patient visits, responding to emails and billing insurers. But the industry is increasingly testin...

Akido Labs is letting AI take the reins at the clinic, all the way from intake to diagnosis.

"Our objective here is to pull the physician out of the room for as much time as we can, so that the physician can run many more visits in parallel," the CTO said.

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The new CEO of GoodRx wants to lean into brand names and speed up the drug discount company's growth GoodRx’s brand new CEO, Wendy Barnes, says her job is not so much to fix anything, but to speed up the company’s current plans — and to revive the stock price.

I caught up with GoodRx's new CEO Wendy Barnes.

“This platform should be valued considerably higher, given what we delivered historically and the plan that we’ve laid out for ‘25 and beyond. But we’ve got a job to do to school investors to help them to understand that.”

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We won!

Hims eyes growth in its weight loss business, despite end of semaglutide shortage Hims & Hers expects revenue from its weight loss business to soar in 2025, even though a recent FDA move could make it tougher for pharmacies and telehealth companies to offer certain compounded obesi...

No semaglutide shortage, no problem.

Hims execs said Monday evening that its weight loss biz is projected to drive at least $725 million in revenue for the company this year — almost a third of the revenue Hims expects to pull in across the entire company.

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High medical costs have eaten away at CVS Health's earnings all year. There’s no quick fix CVS Health ended 2024 as it started, with high medical costs in the company’s insurance business chipping away at its bottom line.

There's no quick fix to the problems plaguing CVS' health insurance biz.

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Novo Nordisk is feeling the competition from compounded GLP-1s, exec says Many Americans have flocked to cheaper, compounded versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs in lieu of brand-name treatments. That competition is cutting into demand for Novo Nordisk’s prescriptions, a com...

Competition from compounded GLP-1s is cutting into demand for Novo Nordisk’s prescriptions.

"Our latest market intelligence does tell us and show us that it is having an impact and it is growing faster than we had anticipated,” a Novo exec said Wednesday.

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Ozempic makes list for next round of Medicare drug price negotiations Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster GLP-1 products Ozempic and Wegovy are among the next 15 drugs subject to the government’s Medicare negotiation program under the Inflation Reduction Act, following repeated ...

Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster GLP-1 products Ozempic and Wegovy are among the next 15 drugs subject to the government’s Medicare negotiation program under the Inflation Reduction Act. See the rest of the list here:

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In first earnings since top exec’s murder, UnitedHealth Group diverts blame for healthcare frustrations UnitedHealth CEO Witty addresses healthcare issues post Brian Thompson's killing, emphasizes existing solutions and defends business model amid scrutiny. Company reports $15.2B net income.

Since the killing of UnitedHealth's top insurance exec and the subsequent outpouring of public frustration with delayed and denied care, a major question has circled the giant: Will it change how it does business?

So far, there’s little sign big reforms are in the works.

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How a new startup is reimagining health insurance, as employers search for new options XO Health launches health plan in 4 cities, offering employers alternative coverage with fixed-price care packages and reduced administrative hurdles.

I got the rundown from Swati Mathai, longtime Elevance Health exec, about her new health plan startup XO Health.

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In blow to compounders, FDA reaffirms tirzepatide shortage is over The FDA has reaffirmed that the shortage of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster obesity and diabetes medications is resolved, dealing a blow to pharmacies and telehealth services that have capitalized on providin...

Tirzepatide shortage is over, says FDA. That means compounding pharmacies making lots of copies of brand-name Zepbound and Mounjaro have to stop soon.

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The Trump administration could breathe new life into the food-as-medicine movement Food as medicine gains momentum with $328M in startup funding through Q3 2024, up from $276M in 2023, as Biden administration supports initiative and Trump's HHS pick signals potential policy shift.

New: While “prescribing” food is far from the norm, the next administration could change that. Some startups in the food-as-medicine space are already fielding calls from interested investors.

From me and @lydiapflanzer.bsky.social

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FDA’s No. 2, who was training as Califf’s replacement, said today she will leave the agency at the end of 2024 t.co/CrGcjj83Qu

Inside Isomorphic Labs: Demis Hassabis’ lab-free vision for biotech’s AI future LONDON — Demis Hassabis has no interest in a laboratory. The Nobel Prize-winning artificial intelligence pioneer is betting big on AI’s future in drug discovery. But he’s also grown exasperated at ...

NEW: A look inside Isomorphic Labs, the startup trying to change how drugs are discovered with AI.

I spent time with Iso CEO (and recent Nobel laureate) Demis Hassabis and other leaders in their London headquarters.

Here's my exclusive feature on what they're up to:
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Everyone's Mad at Health Insurers, But 'There’s Plenty of Blame to Go Around' The murder of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has put health insurance companies in the spotlight. But insurers are just one piece of America’s broken and expensive health care system.

A good one from @tradeoffs.bsky.social @dgorenstein.bsky.social tradeoffs.org/2024/12/12/h...

Eli Lilly has tapped telehealth startup Ro to distribute its single-dose Zepbound vials Through a new relationship with Eli Lilly, Ro patients can now get easier access to the drugmaker’s discounted, single-dose vials of blockbuster obesity drug Zepbound.Ro said Wednesday that it integra...

When you keep your enemies close... Eli Lilly and Ro have formed an unlikely partnership, with Ro now offering cash-pay Zebpound vials through its app.

Recall that Ro has offered compounded GLP-1 drugs, which Lilly and Novo have railed against.

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I care.

After UnitedHealthcare CEO killing, healthcare industry faces a new security reality The cold-blooded shooting death of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday sent shockwaves through corporate America, highlighting the threats increasingly faced by healthcare executives and ...

My latest: The killing of UnitedHealthcare's CEO has highlighted the threats increasingly faced by healthcare execs and prompted companies to rethink how they keep their top brass safe.

“This is a huge wake-up call,” the head of exec protection at Allied Universal said.

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