More Vertical Integration, Tirzepatide vs. Semaglutide, & GLP-1 compounding data

Hey all,

Happy Monday! There was a lot of GLP-1 data last week and I thought Blake’s LinkedIn post pointed to another concerning example of vertical integration in healthcare. Enjoy the rundown!

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroCard)

Vertical Integration in Specialty Care (Blake Madden On LinkedIn)

Vertical integration in healthcare is accelerating as companies like Cencora and Cardinal Health invest billions to acquire specialty physician groups, aiming to dominate the lucrative specialty drug segment growing 8-10% annually. Deals like Cencora’s $4.6B acquisition of Retina Consultants of America and Cardinal Health’s $3.9B investment in GI Alliance reveal how distributors are securing control over the entire care pipeline. We all know what the American healthcare industry really needs: even more vertical integration to fix all the problems it created in the first place. Full Article.

Lilly Dominates Novo in Head-to-Head Obesity Drug Study (BioPharma Dive)

Eli Lilly's Zepbound demonstrated superior weight loss efficacy over Novo Nordisk's Wegovy in a landmark head-to-head trial, with patients losing an average of 20.2% of their body weight compared to 13.7% with Wegovy over 18 months. While Novo Nordisk maintains a strong development pipeline, these results further cement Eli Lilly's leadership position in the obesity drug market and highlight the growing gap between the two competitors. Full Article

Ro Study on Compounded GLP-1s (Ro.com)

Patients in Ro’s Body program using GLP-1 medications lost an average of 15.8% of body weight over 12 months, with 80% showing metabolic improvements. This data strengthens the case for GLP-1 efficacy. It also highlights the need to address their high costs and further debate around compounded alternatives as a means to expand access. Full Article.