AI scribe tools that transcribe doctors’ notes save doctors only a minimal amount of time, according to a recent UCLA Health study. Healthcare AI scribe developers already face high provider churn due to a crowded market and the ease of switching between competing products. They must now prove their product's value extends beyond time savings (modest or significant) to include areas like improving patient care, enhancing the patient experience to drive retention, or ensuring more accurate clinical notes for billing and coding.
EHR giant Epic is being sued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who alleges the company blocks competition and restricts access to patient health data. The lawsuit adds to recent public and private sector signals that call for hospitals and patients to have better access to health data. While Paxton might have political motives outside of the health tech realm the lawsuit’s outcome could open the market to more Big Tech and digital health/AI players to create solutions that strengthen consumers’ and providers’ ability to access and share medical data across entities.
The majority (61%) of clinicians are very concerned about medical misinformation online, per an Inlightened survey in October. Clinicians see misinformation as a growing threat, but many need help stepping into the digital conversation.
Pharma TV advertising spending totaled $5.4 billion through November, surpassing 2024’s full-year spending of $5.1 billion, according to iSpot.tv data. Pharma advertisers are increasingly reallocating budgets to more targeted digital channels, but linear TV will remain.
Hims & Hers is officially bringing its subscription weight loss program to the UK. But rising prices of some GLP-1 medications in the UK may lower the incentive for consumers to sign up for a membership with a telehealth company offering prescriptions.
Millennials accounted for nearly half (46%) of all patient bookings on Zocdoc’s platform this year, per Zocdoc’s just-released annual report on consumer booking behaviors. Healthcare providers need to ensure that their online business profiles are updated, lean into digital tools for pre- and post-visit communication, and create social media content that offers information and guidance on caring for loved ones.
Eli Lilly’s next generation weight loss drug delivered significant weight reductions in new study data, outperforming its currently approved Zepbound. Lilly’s results signal a new phase for obesity drugs where weight loss can reach up to 30%, but side effects and clinical risks also rose alongside the results.
More than half (53%) of US physicians plan to significantly increase AI use over the next year, per a DHC Group and Sermo study in November. As physicians increasingly rely on AI for support, the information they encounter will be shaped by the quality of the science-based content that AI systems will surface.
Approved vaccines for infants to protect against a serious respiratory disease called RSV are getting new scrutiny from federal health agency officials, according to Reuters. Heightened federal scrutiny adds uncertainty for RSV manufacturers at a time when the childhood vaccine environment is already polarized.
Structure Therapeutics’ experimental obesity pill led to an average 12.1% weight loss after 36 weeks on a 120 mg daily dose, which stacks up well against competitors. Newcomers to the weight loss drug market still face key disadvantages, even with strong trial results. For smaller weight loss drug developers that may not have the risk appetite or resources to compete with larger players, the best way to cash in on a market dominated by two giants may be to pursue a partnership or acquisition.
More than half (54%) of US adults have heard about TrumpRx, but only 20% know what the administration’s planned website for direct-to-consumer drugs is about, per a recent BuzzRx report. Pharma companies see TrumpRx as a new way to reach consumers directly, but public awareness of the upcoming platform remains low.
Younger consumers are more likely than older generations to put off care or treatment due to cost, according to a September 2025 Pymnts survey. Younger consumers are generally healthier than older adults, which may make their medical needs feel less urgent. Provider organizations must show Gen Z why staying on top of their health matters—and that care doesn’t have to be expensive in many instances.
Online healthcare companies are increasingly marketing GLP-1 prescriptions to people who aren't overweight or obese, according to a recent Bloomberg story. Federal regulators are starting to crack down on telehealth platforms for their compounded GLP-1 ads. So far, the FDA and FTC have targeted companies claiming their copycat weight loss drugs are the same as brand-name versions and that allegedly mislead consumers with misrepresented products and reviews. These actions could signal that the feds will next go after entities that advertise GLP-1s for unapproved uses, such as for cosmetic purposes for people whose BMI isn’t at least 27.
The CDC’s vaccine advisory panel voted to change its recommendation on when babies should receive their first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Vaccine makers that develop products administered to children need to develop messaging that addresses the reasons parents give for bypassing routine childhood vaccines—namely, concerns over side effects, safety, and having to get too many shots, per KFF’s survey. Companies should work with state public health agencies—some of which are now issuing their own vaccine guidance to counter changing federal recommendations—to co-develop campaigns that clearly communicate both the benefits of vaccination and the risks of foregoing it.
AI isn’t replacing search—it’s moving earlier in the journey. OpenAI data shows only about 2% of ChatGPT prompts mention purchasable items, yet product suggestions appear in nearly one-third of prompts unrelated to shopping. For health and productivity queries, those rates jump above 40%. Meanwhile, AI minutes have quadrupled year over year while Google search usage remains slightly up, meaning AI is adding a new discovery layer, not cannibalizing intent-based search. For marketers, this creates a new upstream battleground where LLMs shape category awareness before comparison shopping begins. Brands must map the non-shopping conversations where their products naturally surface.
Marc Cuban Cost Plus Drug online pharmacy founder Mark Cuban wants the Trump administration to waive generic drug regulatory approval fees, the entrepreneur told Reuters. Cuban’s push into US manufacturing could help lower prices for some high-cost generic drugs by adding competition where little currently exists.
Medicare plans to pay health tech companies for wearables, apps, and telehealth technology that improves patient outcomes via a new pilot program aimed to begin in July 2026. The government’s willingness to pay for digital health solutions signals a meaningful shift toward making these tools part of standard clinical care. But health tech makers need to prove their tools improve patient outcomes to make it into the pilot program.
Most people who get their health coverage through the ACA marketplace anticipate being unable to afford rising premiums if enhanced tax credits lapse, with many expecting they’ll have to forgo insurance, per a just-released KFF survey. Unaffordable insurance—or no coverage at all—will force people into difficult choices, such as delaying care and treatment or cutting other essentials to pay for healthcare. With coverage gaps possible as soon as next month, insurers will need to help members navigate changing eligibility and costs to avoid losing them.
Pharma and biotech companies will soon be able to seek drug approvals with just one clinical trial instead of the standard two under upcoming policy changes from FDA chief Marty Makary, per STAT. While some drugmakers may benefit from the shift to a one-study standard by cutting both costs and timelines, vaccine manufacturers are facing pressure to produce more evidence of effectiveness.
Short-form video platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts contribute to poorer cognitive and mental health, or “brain rot”, among viewers, per an analysis by Griffith University researchers. Research has previously linked social media use to mental health risks, especially for adolescents and young adults, but the rapid spread of short-form video adds a newer and increasingly common point of exposure.