Ozempic For Everything, Walgreens Acquisition Closes, Apple Knows You're Pregnant Before You Do

Hey all,

Happy Tuesday! You’d think that after years in this industry, I’d be better able to navigate my own benefits. It took me months to discover my own medical benefits could cover my beloved Omnipod Dash, and I specialize in health benefits for a living. If someone who lives and breathes this stuff can't navigate the system without (completely) losing their mind, no wonder we're all slowly dying of preventable diseases and stress-induced everything.

Enjoy the rundown!

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)

(STAT) Ozempic for Addiction

An elite Pennsylvania rehab center, Caron Treatment Centers, is pioneering the use of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro off-label to curb cravings across a wide range of addictions, reporting dramatic reductions in urges for alcohol, opioids, and even gambling. Though the practice is not yet backed by rigorous clinical trials, Caron’s physician-researchers—who are themselves in recovery—see these medications as a potential breakthrough in a field long plagued by limited and stigmatized treatment options, even as cost, access, and FDA approval remain major hurdles. This mirrors patterns seen at Accomplish Health, where patients also noted reduced drug use, alcohol consumption, and compulsive behaviors like shopping. Full Article.

(Fierce Healthcare) Walgreens' $10B Sale to Sycamore Partners

Walgreens Boots Alliance shareholders have approved a $10 billion buyout by private equity firm Sycamore Partners, marking a major shift as the struggling retail pharmacy giant prepares to go private. The deal comes amid mounting financial pressure on Walgreens and its VillageMD unit, with executives hoping the move will facilitate a long-term turnaround outside the scrutiny of public markets. Walgreens will retain its name, brands, and Chicago headquarters, while exploring a potential sale of VillageMD to strengthen its financial position. Still no word from Sycamore on how they plan to outfox the PBMs or solve the sector’s structural mess. Full Article

(9to5Mac) and Apple’s AI Health Model WBM

Apple’s new AI model, WBM (Wearable Behavior Model), can detect health conditions like pregnancy or sleep disorders with up to 92% accuracy by analyzing high-level behavioral data from wearables rather than raw sensor inputs. Developed through the Apple Heart and Movement Study and trained on over 2.5 billion hours of Apple Watch and iPhone data, WBM outperforms traditional models in many areas by focusing on long-range patterns like gait, mobility, and activity trends—offering more stable and human-interpretable signals for health predictions. But sure, all this groundbreaking tech is great… if only I could convince my doctor to even glance at my wearable data, let alone consider it in a diagnosis or leverage it to personalize my treatment plan. Full Article