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The news: Eli Lilly said it won鈥檛 partner with telehealth companies that sell compounded weight loss drugs. Our take: Lilly鈥檚 demand may signal that it鈥檚 in a better position in the weight loss drug market than Novo to play hardball with industry partners such as Hims & Hers.

Hims & Hers expands in Europe via telehealth acquisition: Hims purchased a company with a similar business model overseas. We believe it鈥檚 a sign that Hims is losing its competitive advantage in the US weight loss drug space.

Online mental health visits are driving telehealth use: Pharma companies and healthcare providers should consider partnering with psychotherapy providers to offer mental health patients more options than meds alone.

The news: GoodRx is rolling out a subscription service for erectile dysfunction (ED) treatment. Our take: GoodRx is in a great position to compete with the top D2C telehealth players since consumers are already on the site or app searching for prescription drug discounts鈥攊t has over 6 million active monthly consumers who use a coupon code. GoodRx might also be more trusted than pure-play telehealth companies in the eyes of consumers since its services help people save money on their healthcare.

The news: Novo Nordisk is partnering with WeightWatchers to offer discounted Wegovy to cash-pay customers. Our take: WeightWatchers is recognizing that diet culture is being replaced by weight loss medications accessible via virtual care. To stand out from other Novo鈥檚 other telehealth partners, WeightWatchers should lean into marketing that positions the company as a pioneer weight loss brand that鈥檚 now meeting consumer demand for GLP-1s.

Eli Lilly sues telehealth companies over compounded weight loss drugs: Lilly is leaving no stone unturned when it comes to building a legal case to prevent compounded tirzepatide from being prescribed and sold.

Rapidly growing healthcare providers are reinvesting in online marketing: Incumbents must embrace social and search marketing to ward off competition from telehealth and D2C providers.

Eli Lilly adds Alzheimer鈥檚 treatments, resources to D2C platform: Lilly is progressing its D2C online offerings even as lawmakers ramp up scrutiny of drugmaker-telehealth partnerships.

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.

Use of digital health tools varies across generations: Here鈥檚 what marketers need to know about how different age groups engage with telehealth, connected health devices, and health data-sharing activities.

Healthcare stakeholders push Congress to make Medicare coverage of telehealth permanent: It鈥檚 set to expire at the end of March. We explore what鈥檚 at stake for seniors, many of whom are used to getting care remotely.

础尘补锄辞苍鈥檚 telehealth service offers upfront pricing for Prime members: This puts it in direct competition with companies like Hims & Hers and Ro. Here鈥檚 why they should be worried.

Walgreens expands D2C telehealth to 30 states: We examine how the move aligns with Walgreens鈥� strategy to rightsize its retail pharmacy business.

Senators probe Pfizer, Eli Lilly about their D2C telehealth platforms: But we don鈥檛 expect a slowdown in Big Pharma鈥檚 push into direct-to-consumer sales. Here鈥檚 why.

Some health systems scale back telehealth offerings: But trimming virtual care too much may cause patients to flee to competing healthcare providers.

Why it matters: Mental health is the leading reason for telehealth use, and women are more likely to use telehealth than men. We predict the number of telemental health users will reach 66 million this year and climb to 71.9 million by 2028. 34% of women used telehealth services versus 26% of men, per the latest CDC data published last year.

It just recently sued a few telehealth companies (not Hims) over allegedly instructing their providers to prescribe the knockoff versions. Lilly has collaborations with a range of telehealth providers through its LillyDirect D2C platform in which patients can get reduced-priced Zepbound. But Lilly could be turned off that Hims hasn鈥檛 committed to stop prescribing compounded medications.

All eyes will now be on Novo鈥檚 rival Eli Lilly, which has similar deals with Ro, LifeMD, and other telehealth players to offer discounted Zepbound鈥攂ut who said earlier this month that it鈥檚 not affiliating with Hims. Stay tuned.

Biogen, Talkiatry offer services to patients with postpartum depression: We examine whether drugmaker-telehealth tie-ups are what鈥檚 best for patients.

Amazon will sell GLP-1s through its D2C telehealth business. The ecommerce giant recently rolled out fixed monthly pricing for Prime members to access telehealth visits and treatments for conditions such as skincare, hair loss, and erectile dysfunction. Entering the weight loss drug market is a natural next step as Amazon pushes further into D2C healthcare.

Zooming out: Novo and Lilly previously dropped the price of their weight loss drugs for self-pay consumers who get prescriptions via the manufacturers' D2C platforms or telehealth partners. This started as a response to compounded weight loss drug prescriptions being offered for far cheaper than the pair鈥檚 branded GLP-1s.

颁辞苍蝉耻尘别谤蝉鈥� telehealth satisfaction varies from visit to visit: We explore the competitive telehealth market and examine how virtual care players are adapting to remain viable.

The FDA and FTC haven鈥檛 regulated telehealth companies and others that sell compounded weight loss drugs as closely as drugmakers themselves. That could change now that Big Pharma鈥檚 brand-name GLP-1s are available again and regulators ramp up scrutiny of companies advertising and selling copycat versions.