INSIGHTS
May 12, 2025

Rebalancing weight care

Neurodegenerative diseases (e.g., Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, dementia) continue to pose significant challenges, from rising prevalence and costs to profound strain on patients and caregivers. Digital health companies are taking different approaches to alleviate that burden. Cognito Therapeutics raised $196M for its neurostimulation headphone tech designed to treat Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and MS. On the research front, Verily secured a fresh $15M grant to deepen its Out with the old, in with the new—last week marked a reset for digital weight care. As regulators reinforced the end of the compounded GLP-1 craze, legacy weight care leader WeightWatchers filed for bankruptcy, restructuring with fresh footing in telehealth. Meanwhile, Oura stepped into metabolic health with meal logging and glucose monitoring features, and Rock Health port co Omada—which offers virtual support for weight care and other chronic conditions—filed its S-1 in preparation to go public.

Together, these headlines tell the story of what’s next for weight care innovation. Medications, digital programs, and holistic care are the building blocks of a new foundation, while tailored biometric-driven approaches are gaining momentum. We’ll be watching to see what shakes out on top in weight care’s next era.

Join Rock Health Advisory for a webinar on Thursday, May 22, at 9AM PT / 12PM ET, where we'll explore insights from our latest consumer adoption survey. We’ll be joined by leaders from Samsung, ŌURA, SCAN Health, Calm, Elektra Health, and CVS Health for three conversations, each focused on building for a specific generational archetype. Register here and secure your spot!

Headlines

Function Health Acquires Ezra, Launches 22-Min, $499 Full Body MRI
Acquisition sets a new bar for functional medicine offerings HIT Consultant

Whoop Launches Two New Wearables With 14-Day Battery Life
Next-gen features include “Healthspan” tracking and medical-grade ECGs CNBC

Sutter Health Study Finds Ambient AI Reduces Documentation Time
Study finds Abridge platform improved overall clinician experience and time in notes HIT Consultant

CMS And NIH Launch Autism Research Project Using Medicare And Medicaid Data
HHS doubles back to real-world data platform for chronic disease research Fierce Healthcare

Who Is Dr. Casey Means?
U.S. Surgeon General candidate is currently CMO at Levels, a digital metabolic health company The New York Times

Bill Gates To Give ‘Virtually All’ His Money Away And End Foundation In 20 Years
$200B to eradicate preventable deaths in moms and babies, infectious diseases, and poverty CNN

Karen DeSalvo, Google’s Chief Health Officer, To Retire
Google’s Chief Clinical Officer, Michael Howell, to take the helm of healthcare initiatives Healthcare Dive

Recent Funding