Oprah And Morgan Freeman Get FDA Warning Letters, UnitedHealth Pretends To Help Indie Pharmacies, Health Tech Firm Needs Half-Billion Bridge Loan

Hey all,

Happy Thursday! The healthcare industry is having another one of those weeks where it announces reforms that sound promising until you start asking basic questions about execution. The FDA is issuing warning letters about celebrity drug ads (presumably with their current staff of overworked regulators), PBMs are graciously promising higher pharmacy rates by 2028 (because why rush when you can stretch out cost savings for four more years), and we're watching a health tech company borrow half a billion dollars to finance the transition to value-based care that our political system apparently can't be bothered to mandate directly. It's a perfect snapshot of American healthcare: well-intentioned initiatives hampered by inadequate resources, delayed timelines, and our collective inability to admit that incremental fixes aren't going to solve problems that require wholesale change.

Enjoy the rundown!

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)

(Bloomberg) FDA Letters Flag Oprah Video, Morgan Freeman Ad in Crackdown

The FDA has zeroed in on celebrity-driven drug promotion, issuing warning letters over ads featuring stars like Oprah Winfrey, Morgan Freeman, and Kenan Thompson. Regulators argue that these campaigns often glamorize treatments while downplaying risks, signaling a tougher stance on the growing trend of celebrity-led pharma marketing. But let’s be real—if a Kardashian or Morgan Freeman isn’t endorsing it, do I even believe the drug works? Full Article

(Modern Healthcare) Optum Rx boosts pay to independent pharmacies: Optum Rx, UnitedHealth Group’s pharmacy benefit manager, has raised brand-name drug reimbursement minimums for 2,300 independent pharmacies this month. By 2028, the company says it will extend higher rates to more than 24,000 in-network community drugstores as part of broader PBM shifts amid political pressure and rising drug costs. The only catch, of course, is how many independent pharmacies will still be around to enjoy those “higher rates” when they finally arrive in ‘28. Full Article

(Bloomberg) Health Tech Firm Seeks $500 Million Asset-Backed Loan From Ares

Aledade Inc. is negotiating a $500 million asset-backed loan from Ares Management Corp. to cover expenses while awaiting delayed Medicare payments. The company partners with over 20,000 clinicians in 46 states, using technology and support to help doctors transition to value-based care models. Doctors want to spend more time helping patients, but the current system doesn’t reward that, so by providing liquidity and financial stability, Aledade enables new clinical models to emerge where changing the way we pay for care truly changes the way we deliver it. Full Article