Will they or won’t they?
Some major shifts may be afoot—and others thwarted—in the healthcare and retail landscape. Leading grocer and food as medicine player Kroger’s proposed merger with Albertsons (the largest potential U.S. supermarket merger in history) faltered under regulatory pressure and opposition. Meanwhile, despite recent moves in decentralized trials, retail pharmacy Walgreens Boots Alliance is reportedly exploring a sale to a private equity firm following a tough year—part of a larger pharmacy chain trend that is creating interesting opportunities for digital players like Amazon Pharmacy. On a related front, a bipartisan legislative effort targeting pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) is gaining momentum. Although its future in Congress is unclear, the proposed legislation would potentially force healthcare companies with PBMs to divest their pharmacies within three years.
These unfolding developments underscore parallel, critical junctures in the healthcare and retail sectors, as companies balance financial viability with evolving regulation. We’ll closely monitor what they do—or don’t do—and keep you updated. Stay tuned.
Headlines
Lilly To Offer Single-Dose Vials Of Weight-Loss Drug On Telehealth Platform Ro
Access on Ro may mitigate competition with compounded forms Reuters
AI Versus AI: The Emerging Arms Race Over Health Insurance Denials
Startups harness artificial intelligence to appeal health insurer denials STAT
Kaiser Permanente Digital Chief Moves To Mayo Clinic
Mr. Gopala will support the Center for Digital Health and report to Chief Administrative Officer Becker’s Hospital Review
Oula: Best in Business 2024
Rock Health port co Oula celebrated for innovation in U.S. maternity care Modern Healthcare
Recent Funding
- SpinSci, an AI-powered patient engagement solution, brings home $53M
- Cala Health nabs $50M for its wearable monitoring and treatment device for tremors
- Qnovia, developer of a smoking cessation therapy platform and device, inhales $16M
- Evidently picks up $15M for its AI-powered provider workflow automation solutions
- CoachCare, a remote patient monitoring and virtual health services company, raises $11M
- Healthcare data infrastructure and analytics solution Particle Health adds $10M
- 1m locks in $10M to develop its risk management platform for healthcare providers
- Healthcare data interoperability and development platform Tuva Health picks up $5M
- Sleep-focused ECG and sleep apnea diagnostic startup Huxley Medical inks $4.6M
- Anise Health, a culturally-focused digital mental health startup for Asian Americans, seeds $3M
- MoldCo, a startup treating the chronic conditions resultant of mold exposure, collects $3M