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After a full day of meetings at Julie, a startup that sells a morning-after pill, CEO Amanda E/J Morrison jumped a flight from New York to Boston and headed to a small, private college, where a trivia night awaited her. Dozens of students shuffled into a classroom with plates of chicken tenders, Texas toast, and bright blue boxes of the emergency contraceptive.Morrison had worked with the Planned Parenthood Generation Action club at Suffolk University to sponsor the event, part of Julie's efforts to win a new generation of consumers. However, she had another, more pressing reason for being there. Julie is doing more campus events to clear up some of the confusion about emergency contraception — namely, that it isn't medication abortion.Standing at the head of the classroom, Morrison read off a projector screen, "Emergency contraceptives like Julie are legal in how many states? 25, 48, 50, 37." Students tapped their answers into a quiz app. "It's 37," Lily, a spirited sophomore, whispered to her teammates.In a minute, the correct answer appeared on screen, and the quiet chatter rose to a clamor. Half the teams said 37 states."Fifty states, guys. It's everywhere," Morrison said.When asked why she said 37, Lily said, "Just the way things are going."In states that outlaw abortion, some patients and politicians worry that contraception could be in legal jeopardy, too. There's no federal law preserving access to birth control, rather, a patchwork of state laws and court decisions holding it in place. Another Trump term <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/29/trump-birth-control-contraception-00159555">could change that</a>.For Julie, "that's the million dollar question of this election," Morrison said.<div type="image" title="TK" height="2000" width="2667" msid="114460252" hostid="261" sizebytes="193282"></div>"We're not worried about some big ban happening in the first hundred days. But how those decisions trickle down — what is presented in Congress as a bill, how the Supreme Court reacts, what trickles down to the states — becomes a real secondary concern," she said.Founders of women's health startups feel doubly invested in this election, one of the closest presidential races of the century. Half a dozen founders and investors of women's health companies, all women, told Business Insider that if Vice President Kamala Harris wins, it's business as usual. They said another Trump victory creates uncertainty for reproductive health startups, from period trackers to online abortion clinics to embryo banks.<div type="image" title="TK" height="1610" width="2147" msid="114460254" hostid="261" sizebytes="109206"></div>While Harris's presidential campaign has been marked by unrelenting support for reproductive healthcare, including contraception and abortions, Trump's position has been a moving target.The former president suggested <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/29/trump-birth-control-contraception-00159555">in May</a> that he was "looking at" restrictions on birth control, then walked that position back in a social media post later that day. During the September presidential debate, he called himself a "leader" on IVF, a move that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/09/12/trump-ivf-gop-roe-abortion-00178760">angered</a> parts of his base that have sought to restrict fertility treatments. He said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-says-he-would-veto-federal-abortion-ban/">in October</a> that he'd veto a national abortion ban after deflecting the question for months but would support states ordaining their own abortion bans.Trump's waffling on reproductive rights has put founders of women's health startups on notice. "It is one of the major issues that we're discussing and that our CEOs are focused on — how to continue to provide care to women, especially women of childbearing age," said Trish Costello, founder of Portfolia, an investing platform that pools money from female accredited investors.The day after the presidential debate, Mika Eddy was vibrating with the weight of the election. The race's outcome could drastically change reproductive rights, foreign policy, gun safety, and climate law — all issues close to Eddy, a 35-year-old Californian and mother of two.But Eddy also has skin in the game as the chief executive officer of Malama Health, a startup helping women with gestational diabetes access better care. Its doula network assists patients on Medicaid with applying for benefits such as diabetes-friendly meals and medical transport.Eddy worries that if Trump wins, he would restrict access to the coverage and benefits that her users rely on, weakening one of Malama Health's key services."There is this common misperception that, 'we're in California, we're in a liberal state, and so we're safe.' And I don't think that's the case," Eddy said.For some founders of women's health startups, this election is more than a political contest; it has ramifications for their livelihoods. With so much at stake, they're planning how to handle a scenario where states or courts might impose more limits on reproductive rights.<div type="image" title="US Vice President Kamala Harris taking pictures with some young teen girls." height="3000" width="4000" msid="114460257" hostid="261" sizebytes="755478"></div><a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/abortion-telemedicine-startup-hey-jane-roe-v-wade-2022-10">Hey Jane</a> is a telehealth startup that connects patients to medical providers who offer online appointments and delivers abortion pills to their doorsteps. A year after the Supreme Court overruled Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right to abortion, Hey Jane started selling birth control and treatments for urinary tract infections, yeast infections, and herpes, both oral and genital. The new products cushion the business against a "plan E" scenario of a national abortion ban, said Carli Sapir, a Hey Jane investor and founding partner of Amboy Ventures."We're thinking about how to make sure those other verticals are in a good place to continue carrying the company forward," said Sapir.This time last year, one of Hey Jane's rivals, Choix, shut down <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vcs-backing-online-abortion-sites-say-its-good-business-2021-9">after three years in service</a>. The company said in a <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/choix-closes-virtual-doors-launches-130300919.html">press release</a> that "the stigma and politics surrounding abortion care posed significant fundraising challenges." It raised a $1 million seed round in 2022.While direct providers of abortion, like Hey Jane, could see major restrictions or shutdowns to their core businesses if Trump returns to the White House, a wider range of companies expect to feel the ripple effects. Startups that seem removed from the front lines, such as those involved with period tracking and fertility treatments, are also preparing for potential challenges.<div type="image" title="Then-President Donald Trump addresses the anti-abortion &quot;March for Life&quot;" height="750" width="1000" msid="114460247" hostid="261" sizebytes="53678"></div>If a national abortion ban were to occur, apps like Flo Health or Clue might face increased scrutiny, according to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-lux-capital-deena-shakir-wrote-childrens-book-2024-9">Deena Shakir</a>, a general partner at Lux Capital. These apps track when women have their periods and when they miss them. In today's post-Roe America, privacy experts worry that such data could be used to suggest that someone has had or is thinking about having an abortion, potentially putting women at risk of prosecution in certain states.The stakes could be equally high for companies involved with fertility treatments.The demand for services like in vitro fertilization, or IVF, and surrogacy has been climbing for years as people have kids later in life and infertility rates increase. That's birthed a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fertility-startups-booming-despite-market-downturn-2023-6">global fertility market</a> that includes companies that operate clinics to provide services like egg freezing and IVF, companies that run labs and tests, and firms that help people pay for the procedures.However, the industry's future is uncertain following attacks on abortion access. The end of Roe v. Wade opened up the legal terrain for states to interfere with access to other reproductive care, said Lauren Berson Sugarman, founder and chief executive officer of Conceive, a startup that offers personalized fertility guidance, including text support from nurses and peer groups.In Alabama, the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children. That put patients and fertility clinics on edge that they could be criminally charged for destroying extra embryos. A handful of Alabama clinics paused IVF treatments while patients throughout the South began moving their embryos to jurisdictions with more stable legal protections."We see a lot of patients come to us and say, should I move my embryos out of a red state? Because what happens if they come after IVF?" said Berson Sugarman.The push for "embryo rights" could have wide-reaching repercussions for startups like Maven Clinic or Carrot Fertility, which offer fertility benefits for employers, and TMRW Life Sciences, a biotech company creating robots for the safe storage of frozen sperm, eggs, and embryos.Moreover, it could influence the type of research that startups conduct and where. Alice Zheng, a principal at women's health investor RH Capital, explains how the shifting legal landscape might affect companies like Vitra Labs. As a biotech startup working on developing eggs from stem cells for IVF, "they're doing really cutting-edge research for fertility, but they need to think very carefully about where they set up shop," Zheng said. "Some of their research might involve certain types of tissue, which is more closely scrutinized in some areas than others."<div type="image" title="TK" height="2000" width="2667" msid="114460250" hostid="261" sizebytes="243576"></div>Two years ago, in the hours after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion, Morrison's phone started ringing and didn't stop. Investors wanted to know if the ruling would kill Julie's launch in Walmart stores that fall. Job candidates wondered if the company would still exist in six months. Morrison's mom called, concerned for her daughter's future."For probably two weeks straight, I was just doing reassurance calls," Morrison said.While emergency contraception is not the abortion bill and is currently legal in all 50 states, it is continuously confused with the abortion pill, which can have damaging consequences. In June, the medical journal JAMA Network Open published a <a target="_blank" href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2820370?%20utm_source=For_The_Media">study</a> that found retail pharmacy fills of Plan B, a leading morning-after pill brand, fell by 65% in states with near-total abortion bans the year after the Dobbs decision, partly due to clinic closures and confusion about its legal status.That confusion could threaten Julie's sales, and puts the onus of the company to better educate consumers. It sponsors events like trivia nights and sorority house brunches. It has enlisted TikTok influencers to share videos of their drugstore hauls showing how easy it is to buy Julie. In one video, a young woman going back-to-school shopping walks off with a two-count pack of the emergency contraceptive pill. The caption reads, "double majors, not double strollers."Other startups are urging consumers to fight for reproductive rights at the polls. Eddy's Malama Health has reminders to register to vote in its app and will tell users where their nearest polling station is closer to election day. The company asks for their ZIP codes during onboarding, Eddy explained."When you have a baby, you're like, 'I want to vote, but I don't know where to go,'" Eddy said. She hopes the emails will get more pregnant women and new moms to head to the polls. Eddy added that the emails won't support a candidate and are meant as a "nonpartisan resource."<div type="image" title="TK" height="2000" width="2667" msid="114460255" hostid="261" sizebytes="192114"></div>Julie's content isn't political, either. It's not trying to change any minds about abortion rights. The goal is simply to spread awareness among young adults that emergency contraception helps prevent pregnancy, not end it. This way, Morrison said, a woman who is anti-abortion and has unprotected sex can feel confident taking Julie knowing that she isn't compromising her abortion stance.It was past 9 o'clock on a weekday, and the competition at trivia night was heating up. Students in teams of two or three screamed with delight as they watched their names climb the leaderboard. They competed to win prizes like sex toys and T-shirts with the phrase, "A Better Morning After.""Morning-after pills end pregnancy. True or false," the club president called out.Thirty seconds later, the screen showed that every team had answered correctly.Morrison pumped both fists in the air, beaming her approval.<a target="_blank" rel="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/melia-russell">Melia Russell</a> is a senior correspondent at Insider covering startups and venture capital. She can be reached via the encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 603-913-3085 and email at <a target="_blank" href="mailto:mrussell@businessinsider.com">mrussell@businessinsider.com</a>.<a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/rebecca-torrence">Rebecca Torrence</a> is a correspondent at Business Insider writing about healthcare startups and venture capital. Send her an email at <a target="_blank" class="" href="mailto:rtorrence@businessinsider.com">rtorrence@businessinsider.com</a>.

'The million-dollar question of this election': Women's health startups are confronting a shifting legal landscape   

<ul class="summary-list"><li>CVS just announced it's changing how prescription drugs get priced at its pharmacies.</li><li>The new program includes a set markup for medication costs, a step toward drug pricing transparency.</li></ul>CVS just <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cvs-health-highlights-path-to-accelerating-long-term-growth-through-building-a-world-of-health-around-every-consumer-302005311.html">announced</a> plans for a major shift to how drugs are sold in its pharmacies — and it's a sign the retailer is bending to market pressures.The retail pharmacy chain is set to launch a program that will flip how its pharmacies get reimbursed by pharmacy-benefit managers and insurers. Under that program, called CostVantage, CVS's pharmacies will get paid based on the cost of the drug plus a set markup and a service fee. It's not clear if it will always lead to lower costs for customers at the pharmacy counter.The new program offers a far simpler model than how CVS's pharmacies have traditionally been reimbursed. At least in part, it's a response to models like billionaire Mark Cuban's online pharmacy <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-cuban-cost-plus-drugs-company-online-pharmacy-challenges-2023-1">taking hold in the market</a>.CVS has been facing increased pressure to provide transparent drug pricing in the past two years as consumers turn to companies like Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs for lower drug prices. Blue Shield of California, for example, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.healthcaredive.com/news/blue-shield-california-pharmacy-benefits-cvs-caremark-pbm-disruption/694620/">said it's ditching a CVS unit</a> and replacing it with Cuban's company for some prescription-drug tasks. Cuban declined to comment for this story.The billionaire's drug-pricing model, which made waves across healthcare when the company launched at the start of 2022, looks remarkably similar to the program CVS is now adopting.Federal lawmakers and the US Federal Trade Commission have also been <a target="_blank" href="https://www.whitecase.com/insight-alert/where-things-stand-drug-pricing-halfway-point-2023">scrutinizing</a> the prescription-drug supply chain. They've been especially focused on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/07/ftc-votes-issue-statement-withdrawing-prior-pharmacy-benefit-manager-advocacy">pharmacy-benefit managers</a> and the lack of transparency around how much drugs cost.CVS's new model "provides our PBM and payor clients a foundational step towards more pricing clarity for consumers," said Prem Shah, executive vice president, chief pharmacy officer and president of pharmacy and consumer wellness at CVS Health, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cvs-health-highlights-path-to-accelerating-long-term-growth-through-building-a-world-of-health-around-every-consumer-302005311.html">in a statement</a>.<div type="image" title="CVS Pharmacy" height="808" width="1200" msid="105762696" hostid="261"></div><h2>How Mark Cuban changed drug pricing</h2>Cuban's pharmacy buys drugs directly from manufacturers and sells them to consumers at a 15% markup, plus pharmacy fees.The company's patients pay for the drugs out of pocket, skirting middlemen like PBMs or insurers, and generally <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-mark-cuban-cost-plus-drug-company-2022-3">paying far less for their medications</a> as a result. Cost Plus says it has more than 2 million members.Cost Plus isn't the first company to try to revolutionize how consumers pay for pricey drugs. GoodRx has offered coupons for drug discounts for more than a decade.Still, GoodRx works with PBMs to get those discounts rather than with the pharmacies, and has made some enemies in the process. The drug-discount startup took a revenue hit last year when an unnamed grocer, rumored to be Kroger, renegotiated a number of its drug pricing contracts at once and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/goodrx-earnings-prescription-discounts-pbms-grocer-2022-5">forced GoodRx to stop offering discounts</a> for those drugs at the grocer.Kroger announced in July that it's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kroger-offering-drugs-through-mark-cubans-cost-plus-pharmacy-2023-7">now partnering with Cost Plus</a>.GoodRx's stock tumbled more than 6% on Tuesday, while CVS gained 3.8%.Other healthcare firms have been feeling the pressure to provide lower prices, too. Walgreens <a target="_blank" href="https://www.walgreensbootsalliance.com/news-media/press-releases/2023/walgreens-launches-rx-savings-finder-help-patients-save-prescription">announced a new drug-discount app last week</a> that helps patients find savings for their prescriptions. Cigna's pharmacy-benefits unit, Express Scripts, announced a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/express-scripts-introduces-new-option-to-give-clients-maximum-simplicity-in-drug-pricing-301986745.html">transparent pricing option</a> last month.CVS is the biggest US pharmacy chain by prescription revenue, followed by Walgreens, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.drugchannels.net/2023/03/the-top-15-us-pharmacies-of-2022-market.html">according to Drug Channels</a>.It's not clear if CVS's new program will result in lower prices overall for consumers. Some drugs will cost more under CostVantage, while others will cost less, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/prescription-drug-costs-cvs-pharmacy-56acb623">according to the Wall Street Journal</a>. The costs could also depend on the terms of an individual's insurance plan, and whether they choose to use it.But the announcement looks to be a step in the right direction for drug pricing transparency.CVS said it <a target="_blank" href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cvs-health-highlights-path-to-accelerating-long-term-growth-through-building-a-world-of-health-around-every-consumer-302005311.html">plans</a> to launch the program in full through contracts with commercial payers in 2025.

How Mark Cuban forced the biggest US pharmacy to upend its business

<ul><li><keyword id="3143174" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="pharmeasy" source="Orion">PharmEasy</keyword> currently has a workforce of 6,100+ employees, but it is planning to hire more people for its new development centers.</li><li>PharmEasy offers a range of services such as teleconsultation, medicine deliveries, and sample collections for diagnostic tests.</li><li>The company acquired Thyrocare in June 2021, which opened the door for its public listing this year.</li></ul>Online pharmacy company PharmEasy, which is working towards an initial public offering (IPO) soon, is looking to hire over 200 engineers for its new development centers in Hyderabad, Pune and the national capital region surrounding New Delhi. The Mumbai-based startup currently has a workforce of over 6,100 employees. Seven-year old PharmEasy claims that the initiative to launch a new development centre coincides with the increased digital adoption due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The company claims that this increased customer demand has also increased the demand for tech skills across the spectrum. “The new facilities will serve as a significant hub for driving development and innovation,” Abhinav Yajurvedi, chief technology officer (CTO) of PharmEasy. Founded by Dharmil Sheth, Dhaval Shah, Harsh Parekh, Hardik Dedhia, and Siddharth Shah, PharmEasy caters to the chronic care segment and offers a range of services such as teleconsultation, medicine deliveries, and sample collections for diagnostic tests. It operates a business-to-business (B2B) pharma marketplace with 6,000 consultation clinics with 90,000 partner retailers pan India. PharmEasy’s parent company API Holdings became the first Indian startup to acquire a publicly listed company, after it acquired A Velumani-led diagnostics chain Thyrocare Technologies for ₹4,546 crore ($612 million) in June. This acquisition has opened doors for the seven-year-old startup to list on the stock exchange directly. ALSO WATCH: PharmEasy's Founder Siddharth Shah Gets Candid On His Success Formula <div type="Youtube" id="mEdywVC7sPg" title="PharmEasy&amp;#39;s Founder Siddharth Shah Gets Candid On His Success Formula" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/mEdywVC7sPg/mqdefault.jpg"></div> The company is looking at a dual listing or a reverse listing option, co-founder Siddharth Shah told Business Insider in a recent interview. A dual listing is a corporate structure in which two companies function as a single operating business through a legal equalisation agreement. A reverse listing, on the other hand, is acquisition of a private company by an existing public company, so that the private company can bypass the lengthy and complex process of going public. PharmEasy has also appointed five independent directors to its board, bringing the total tally to 12. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; table-layout: fixed; width: 468pt;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Person </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Past experience </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Vineeta Rai </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Former IAS officer </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Subramanian Somasundaram </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Titan’s former CFO </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Dr Jaydeep Tank </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Gynecologist </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ramakant Sharma </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Founder of Livespace </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Deepak Vaidya </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Has decades of experience in the field of Pharmaceuticals, Micro-Finance, Healthcare and Private Equity </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/reliance-infra-reliance-industries-zomato-and-other-top-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-september-13/slidelist/86156619.cms">Reliance Infra, Reliance Industries, Zomato and other top stocks to watch out for on September 13</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/the-first-transgender-person-elected-bishop-in-a-major-christian-church-wants-to-inspire-hope-and-expand-peoples-minds-about-trans-people/articleshow/83528986.cms">The first transgender bishop in a major Christian church wants to inspire hope and expand people's minds about trans people</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/entertainment/news/superhero-movies-have-a-deep-connection-to-9/11-and-it-shows-how-nyc-and-disney-capitalized-on-our-collective-grief/articleshow/86116230.cms">Superhero movies have a deep connection to 9/11, and it shows how NYC and Disney capitalized on our collective grief</a>

Online pharmacy startup PharmEasy is looking to hire 200 engineers in Hyderabad, Pune and Delhi before the IPO

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This post originally appeared in the Insider Today newsletter.</li></ul>Hello! Elon Musk and Taylor Swift might not appear to be natural allies, but neither of them seems to like that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-says-taylor-swift-concerned-about-jet-tracking-accounts-2024-2">college kid who tracks celebrities' private planes online</a>.In today's big story, we're looking at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-in-2024-2024-2">startups worth betting your career on</a>.What's on deck:<ul><li>Markets: Regional lender NYCB's plummeting stock price is stoking fears of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nycb-regional-bank-fears-commercial-real-estate-turmoil-fears-2024-2">further banking turmoil</a>.</li><li>Tech: Hundreds of layoffs at Amazon's <a target="_blank" href="https://businessinsider.com/post/preview?svapi&amp;post_id=65c2605b72404cb055752f64">One Medical and Pharmacy units</a>.</li><li>Business: A new huge sports streaming service <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/espn-warner-disney-fox-launch-sports-streaming-platform-change-tv-2024-2">could upend the TV landscape</a>.</li></ul>But first, you should try applying there!If this was forwarded to you, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter/insider-today">sign up here.</a><h2>The big story</h2><h3>Career makers</h3><div type="image" title="A four-square collage of startup founders." height="450" width="600" msid="107499511" hostid="261" sizebytes="20968"></div>Which startup would you recommend a friend or family member should work at?That was the prompt for Business Insider's VC and startups team as it compiled <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-in-2024-2024-2">a list of early-stage companies to bet your career on</a>.The team was armed with plenty of information, having worked on lists identifying the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/most-promising-startups-2023-according-top-vcs-2023-7">hottest startups</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/100-best-early-stage-seed-vc-investors-startups-2023-5">backers</a>. But a challenging startup environment — where layoffs and a funding drought have plagued the industry — made an already tough task even more difficult.The team still managed to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startups-to-bet-your-career-on-in-2024-2024-2">come up with 44 startups across a range of industries</a>. The list doesn't have specific parameters, Leena Rao, the deputy editor of BI's VC and startups team, told me.When it comes to picking a startup to work at, the sweet spot is often a mid- to late-stage company. It offers more job security than a young startup, but better upside (see: equity) than one ready for an exit.Startups that made the cut include AI community Hugging Face, newsletter platform Beehiiv, and women's health company Maven, to name a few.<div type="image" title="Venture Capitalist Businessman walking quickly towards a bright opening, money falling from briefcase" height="500" width="1000" msid="107499514" hostid="261" sizebytes="42250"></div>The world of startups is in a fascinating dilemma.At first glance, things are bad. Like, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/startup-mass-extinction-event-has-begun-venture-capital-2023-6">dinosaurs-staring-at-an-asteroid-careening-toward-Earth</a> bad. Even the people who are supposed to invest in startups <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/venture-capital-fundraising-decline-leads-to-layoffs-restructuring-quitting-2024-1">are giving up</a>.But as bleak as the industry looks, some firms are still doing great.Artificial intelligence is the most obvious sector full of hope, and features prominently on this year's list.The success in AI juxtaposed with the issues other startups face has created an even wider gap between the "<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vcs-2023-startup-fundraising-challenges-2023-12">haves" and the "have nots,"</a> as BI's Ben Bergman previously wrote.How that impacts future innovations will be interesting. With so much money pouring into AI startups, founders' attention will naturally be drawn to the tech when thinking about their next project.So, if you think AI hasn't penetrated your industry yet, just wait. Either a startup is working on it, or an investor is looking for one that will.Meanwhile, the volatility among startups comes at a time of broader instability for the tech industry.<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tech-new-normal-constant-layoffs-job-cuts-google-amazon-meta-2024-1">Waves of layoffs hit Big Tech</a> throughout 2023 – and even though the pace of redundancies has slowed down, there's still a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/post/preview?svapi&amp;post_id=65c2cdb804b5f0737c71da78">grim feeling in the industry</a>. Executives at <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/meta-earnings-q4-2023-mark-zuckerberg-hiring-2024-2">Meta</a> and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-earnings-hints-more-layoffs-despite-strong-financial-results-2024-2">Amazon</a> hinted at not being as aggressive with hiring plans going forward on earnings calls earlier this month.Meanwhile, some longtime tech employees are questioning whether their <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/news-today-december-22-google-culture-ai-bard-2023-12">companies' once-beloved culture</a> has changed forever.All of that creates an interesting ecosystem for talent, as opportunities to work at high-flying startups and more secure roles in Big Tech are on track to become harder to come by.<h2>3 things in markets</h2><div type="image" title="Flagstar Bank" height="1536" width="2048" msid="107499517" hostid="261" sizebytes="136350"></div><ol><li>NYCB is stoking fears of more banking turmoil. The regional lender's shares tumbled 22% Tuesday to trade at their lowest level in a quarter of a century after Moody's downgraded it to "junk" status. Some investors are worried that its struggles signal a <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nycb-regional-bank-fears-commercial-real-estate-turmoil-fears-2024-2">looming commercial-real-estate crisis</a>.</li><li>Cathie Wood's Ark Invest hasn't been a good bet for investors, according to Morningstar. An analysis by the research company found Ark Invest <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/funds/cathie-wood-ark-invest-wealth-destroyed-tech-stocks-morningstar-arkk-2024-2">destroyed $14 billion in wealth over the past decade</a>. Ark Innovation, the firm's flagship ETF, is down 8% on the year and roughly 70% from its peak in early 2021.</li><li>Paul Tudor Jones sounds off on the "debt bomb" looming over the US. The billionaire investor said the government's pace of borrowing and spending is what's behind the country's economic growth. "<a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/bonds/us-debt-economy-outlook-government-spending-deficit-paul-tudor-jones-2024-2">We've got an economy on steroids, and it's unsustainable</a>," he said in a recent interview.</li></ol><h2>3 things in tech</h2><div type="image" title="A photo illustration of a hand holding a phone with the YouTube logo on the screen." height="401" width="600" msid="107499519" hostid="261" sizebytes="10922"></div><ol><li>YouTube has become one of the biggest pay-TV services in the US. With more than 8 million subscribers, YouTube TV is the fourth largest pay-TV service, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-tv-fourth-biggest-pay-tv-cable-broadband-bundle-google-2024-2">scoring a major win for YouTube and parent company Google</a>. The company also appears to be interested in expanding its offerings; On Monday, YouTube said <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-apple-vision-pro-app-roadmap-2024-2">an app for Apple's Vision Pro</a> is "on our roadmap."</li><li>Amazon's One Medical and Pharmacy units cut a "few hundred" jobs. The layoffs are part of <a target="_blank" href="https://businessinsider.com/post/preview?svapi&amp;post_id=65c2605b72404cb055752f64">a cost-cutting mandate</a> that could save One Medical $100 million as Amazon exerts more control over the unit.</li><li>Move over, App Store — there's a new marketplace in town. OpenAI launched GPT Store specifically for builders to share their generative AI projects. BI's Samantha Stokes took a look at <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/openai-gpt-store-most-popular-apps-2024-2">13 of the most popular apps</a> available.</li></ol><h2>3 things in business</h2><div type="image" title="An illustration of a young couple without kids." height="300" width="600" msid="107499520" hostid="261" sizebytes="21514"></div><ol><li>DINKs are living the new American dream. Dual income, no kids couples are<a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/parents-dinks-winning-childfree-economy-finances-income-vacation-retirement-kids-2024-2"> living it up with vacations, financial stability, and the freedom of choice</a>. As the stigma around foregoing children lessens, DINKs are emerging as an aspirational class for young people.</li><li>iHeartRadio's broken promises (Taylor's version). Two years ago, iHeartRadio, which owns 850 radio stations nationwide, promised to only play "Taylor's Version" of Taylor Swift songs. An analysis of data from six iHeart stations shows that <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/post/preview?svapi&amp;post_id=65c24edf178f29663ab0377e">the company broke that promise</a>.</li><li>ESPN, Warner Bros., and Fox are teaming up to launch a new sports streaming service. The three companies <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/espn-warner-disney-fox-launch-sports-streaming-platform-change-tv-2024-2">revealed their "all-in-one premier" joint venture</a> in a press release cosigned by Bob Iger, Lachlan Murdoch, and David Zaslav on Tuesday. If priced suitably, the platform could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/espn-wbd-new-sports-streaming-service-could-kill-cable-tv-2024-2">kill off cable TV for good</a>.</li></ol><h2>In other news</h2><ul><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-republicans-2-big-losses-one-night-still-a-mess-2024-2">House Republicans failed to pass two votes on Tuesday: impeaching Mayorkas and aid to Israel</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/bluesky-social-media-app-invite-open-ceo-jay-graber-interview-2024-2">Bluesky is finally open to everyone. But will anyone come? We ask its CEO</a>.</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nikki-haley-loses-nevada-gop-primary-none-of-these-candidates-2024-2">Even without Trump on the ballot, Nikki Haley loses Nevada GOP primary to 'None of These Candidates'</a></li></ul><h2>What's happening today</h2><ul><li>Today's earnings: Uber, Alibaba, The Walt Disney Company, and others <a target="_blank" href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/earnings-calendar">are reporting today</a>.</li><li>Fortegra is expected to announce its final IPO pricing.</li></ul>The Insider Today team: <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/dan-defrancesco">Dan DeFrancesco</a>, deputy editor and anchor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/hallam-bullock">Hallam Bullock</a>, editor, in London. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/jordan-parker-erb">Jordan Parker Erb</a>, editor, in New York. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/george-glover">George Glover</a>, reporter, in London.

The job market for startups and Big Tech is in a weird spot 

<ul><li><keyword id="6397414" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ananth-Narayanan">Ananth Narayanan</keyword> was one of the most high profile exits from Flipkart, after it was acquired by Walmart. </li><li>Narayanan has now joined e-pharmacy startup <keyword id="3873233" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Medlife">Medlife</keyword>. </li><li>Medlife, which was started in 2014, reportedly does 20,000 deliveries in a day.</li></ul>Ananth Narayanan, who quit Flipkart owned Myntra after the acquisition by Walmart, has now joined Medlife as its <a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/people/former-myntra-jabong-ceo-ananth-narayanan-joins-medlife-1564991124569.html">CEO</a>. There were rumours that Narayanan left his position as Myntra Jabong’s CEO because of his misalignment with Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy. Even while Narayanan was working for the company, reports said that he could join the Indian OTT platform Hotstar. However, he is now part of <keyword id="2868700" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="online-pharmacy">online pharmacy</keyword> startup. Medlife was founded in 2014 by Tushar Kumar and Prashant Singh, and helps patients and doctors manage their files online. The company claims to perform 20,000 deliveries across India and is reportedly in talks with pharma giant Cipla for a funding round. Cipla could invest <a href="https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/cipla-in-talks-to-back-e-pharmacy-medlife/articleshow/70489577.cms">₹170 crore </a>in the e-pharmacy startup. There were also reports that <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/softbank-in-talks-to-invest-70-million-in-indian-e-pharmacy-medlife-119061301247_1.html">SoftBank</a> too was looking at investing in the startup. Bengaluru-based Medlife had also acquired its competitor <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/medlife-acquires-myra-to-take-epharma-service-to-22-cities/articleshow/69193813.cms">Myra Medicines</a> earlier in May 2019, expanding its deliveries to 22 cities in India.

Former Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan joins online pharmacy Medlife

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> is looking to invest nearly $100 million in Apollo <keyword id="6379262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pharmacy">Pharmacy</keyword>, the Indian pharmacy chain, two people familiar with the plans <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/amazon-eyes-a-big-pharmacy-bet-to-take-on-reliance-tata-group/articleshow/79634211.cms">told</a> the Economic Times Wednesday.</li><li>Amazon's plans to expand in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> come after the launch of its own <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-starts-selling-prescription-medication-in-us-2020-11">Amazon Pharmacy</a> service in the US November 17, allowing people to buy prescription <keyword id="14721" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Drugs">drugs</keyword> through its website.</li><li>The potential <keyword id="6355120" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="investment">investment</keyword> would come amid competition in India from Mukesh Ambani's Reliance, which recently bought a majority stake in <keyword id="22508" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="online">online</keyword> pharmacy Netmeds.</li><li>Indian trader groups say online drugstores can contribute to medicine sales without proper verification.</li></ul>Amazon is reportedly considering a nearly $100 million investment in India's pharmacy chain Apollo Pharmacy, close on the heels of its launch of an online pharmacy to deliver prescription drugs in the US.The company is looking to face up to Reliance Industries Ltd and Tata Group in India's fast-growing drug market, the Economic Times <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/technology/amazon-eyes-a-big-pharmacy-bet-to-take-on-reliance-tata-group/articleshow/79634211.cms">reported</a> Wednesday, citing two people aware of the plans. Amazon already delivers medicines in India and the potential investment would come amid rising competition from Mukesh Ambani's Reliance, which bought a majority stake in online pharmacy Netmeds.Both Amazon and Apollo Hospitals, which owns Apollo Pharmacy, declined to comment to Reuters.The growth of e-pharmacies has left many Indian trader groups feeling threatened. They say online drugstores can contribute to medicine sales without proper verification and the entry of large players can cause unemployment in the sector.Amazon's plan to further expand in India comes after it launched its US <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-starts-selling-prescription-medication-in-us-2020-11">Amazon Pharmacy service</a> November 17, increasing its competition with drug retailers such as Walgreens, CVS Health and Walmart.US customers can now buy drugs through Amazon's main website.Amazon Prime members would get benefits from the service including two-day delivery and big price cuts on generic and brand-name drugs, the company <a href="https://press.aboutamazon.com/news-releases/news-release-details/introducing-amazon-pharmacy-prescription-medications-delivered?tag=bisafetynet2-20">said</a>.Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-web-services-memo-outage-customer-talking-points-2020-12?r=kd-sub">Read the leaked talking points that Amazon Web Services employees are using to explain its recent massive cloud outage: 'There is no compression algorithm for experience'</a>Since 2018, when the company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-pharmacy-pillpack-acquisition-merger-latest-push-into-healthcare-2018-6">bought a small drug-delivery startup called PillPack</a>, industry watchers have been expecting Amazon to move into delivering drugs.In June 2019, Amazon <a href="https://www.investopedia.com/news/amazon-launches-its-own-line-overthecounter-drugs/">launched a brand of over-the-counter medication,</a> and in August 2020, the company <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-halo-app-wristband-launch-detect-mood-speech-body-fat-2020-8">launched a health-monitoring wristband called Halo</a>.Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-pharmacy-prime-test-of-public-trust-2020-11">reported</a> in November that as the <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> firm expands into healthcare, it would need to be careful not to scare consumers who may be concerned about their data privacy.

Amazon is reportedly eyeing a $100 million investment in the Apollo Pharmacy chain, further expanding its healthcare plans

<ul><li>Currently, under a pilot run in Bengaluru, <keyword id="8628111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon-Pharmacy">Amazon Pharmacy</keyword> is offering home medical supplies, healthcare packages, prescription medication, and healthcare devices.</li><li><keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword>’s foray into medicine delivery comes at a time when India already has startups like NetMeds, Medlife, 1mg, Pharmeasy, along with Reliance Jio eyeing to enter the market. </li><li>Globally, in 2018, Amazon had acquired the US-based online pharmacy startup Pillpack for $753 million.</li></ul>Global e-commerce giant Amazon has launched online pharmacy services in India. Currently, under a pilot run in Bengaluru, Amazon Pharmacy is offering home medical supplies, healthcare packages, prescription medication, and healthcare devices, according to <a href="https://entrackr.com/2020/08/exclusive-amazon-launches-online-pharmacy-service-in-bengaluru/">Entrackr.</a> “As a part of our commitment to fulfill the needs of customers, we are launching Amazon Pharmacy in Bangalore allowing customers to order prescription-based medication in addition to over-the-counter medicines, basic health devices, and Ayurveda medication from certified sellers. This is particularly relevant in present times as it will help customers meet their essential needs while staying safe at home,” said an Amazon spokesperson. India’s health-tech industry is expected to grow to $372 billion by 2022 and is expected to create 40 million jobs by 2030, according to a report by Invest India. Amazon’s foray into medicine delivery comes at a time when India already has startups like NetMeds, Medlife, 1mg, Pharmeasy, and others, which have made a mark in the segment. Additionally, Reliance Jio has also been eyeing the medicine delivery segment and has reportedly been in <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/with-ril-eyeing-netmeds-deal-epharmacy-in-for-consolidation/articleshow/77341675.cms">talks with NetMeds</a> for a possible acquisition. So while Amazon and Reliance could possibly be preparing for another face-off, Amazon comes with the experience of medicine delivery from its global operations. In 2018, Amazon had acquired the US-based online pharmacy startup Pillpack for $753 million. Through the acquisition, the e-commerce giant has been looking at selling prescribed medicines to health plans and employers. Globally, its medicine unit is called Amazon Care. In the US, Amazon Alexa is also <a href="https://intelligence.businessinsider.com/post/what-amazons-2019-health-push-means-for-2020-2019-predictions-we-got-wrong-why-new-fda-commissioner-will-push-digital-health-forward-2019-12">HIPAA</a> (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of the US) compliant, which means that it can access healthcare information and book doctor’s appointments or access reports of individuals. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/masayoshi-son-best-bet-for-future-profit-is-paypay-in-japan-built-on-vijay-shekhar-sharma-paytm-model-in-india/articleshow/77518892.cms">Masayoshi Son’s best bet for future profit is PayPay in Japan⁠ — built on Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s Paytm model in India</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/ecommerce/news/indian-e-commerce-industry-has-got-amazon-walmart-and-facebook-betting-on-it-but-it-wont-be-an-easy-ride/articleshow/77193430.cms">India's e-commerce industry has got Amazon, Walmart, and Facebook betting on it – but it won't be an easy ride</a>

Amazon's India foray into medicine delivery is in-line with its global healthcare bets

<keyword id="8187544" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-digital">Tata Digital</keyword> Limited, a subsidiary of Tata Sons Private Ltd will acquire majority stake in digital health company <keyword id="2962726" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="1mg">1MG</keyword> Technologies Private Ltd (1MG). Incorporated in 2015, 1MG is a leading player in the <keyword id="1324270" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="eHealth">eHealth</keyword> space and enables easy and affordable access to a wide range of products like medicines, health &amp; wellness products, diagnostics services and tele-consultation to customers. The company operates three state-of-the-art diagnostics labs, has a supply chain covering over 20,000 pin codes across the country and through its subsidiaries is also engaged in the business of B2B distribution of medicines and other healthcare products. The investment in 1MG is in line with <keyword id="6355725" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="tata-group">Tata Group</keyword>'s vision of creating a digital ecosystem which addresses the consumer needs across categories in a unified manner. E-pharmacy, e-diagnostics and tele-consultation are critical segments in this ecosystem and have been among the fastest growing segments in this space, as this sector enabled access to healthcare through the pandemic, said a joint statement by Tata Digital and 1MG. Pratik Pal, CEO of Tata Digital, said: "The investment in 1MG strengthens Tata's ability to provide superior customer experience and high quality healthcare products &amp; services in e-pharmacy and e-diagnostics space through a technology led platform." Prashant Tandon, <keyword id="1718234" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Co-Founder-CEO">Co-Founder &amp; CEO</keyword>, 1MG, said: "We are delighted to join hands with one of <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>'s most iconic &amp; respected conglomerates. This marks a significant milestone in 1MG's journey to make high quality healthcare products &amp; services accessible to customers across India." SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/here-are-the-coolest-ios-15-features-coming-to-iphones/slidelist/83362145.cms" style="">Here are the coolest iOS 15 features coming to iPhones</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/paraguay-could-become-the-second-country-to-adopt-bitcoin/articleshow/83363776.cms" style="">After El Salvador, Paraguay considers Bitcoin adoption</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/careers/news/google-microsoft-apple-and-many-others-are-hiring-for-various-it-roles-in-india/articleshow/83365305.cms">Google, Microsoft, Apple and many others are hiring for various IT roles in India —data scientists and cloud architects in high demand</a>

Tata Digital to buy majority stake in online pharma startup 1MG

Hello,Welcome to Insider <keyword id="6354525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthcare">Healthcare</keyword>. I'm Lydia Ramsey Pflanzer, and this week in healthcare news:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/optumhealth-ceo-plans-to-make-clinics-a-100-billion-business-2021-4"></a>Blake Dodge's scoop on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5">Amazon's bricks-and-mortar pharmacy ambitions shook up healthcare stocks</a>;</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/novavax-faces-pivotal-moment-with-covid-19-vaccine-2021-5"></a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jefferies-list-of-biotech-pharma-potential-ma-deal-targets-2021-5">Dealmaking is heating up heading into the summer</a> - for <keyword id="45082" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="biotech">biotech</keyword> and digital health;</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-is-betting-on-primary-care-companies-agilon-and-privia-2021-5">How Wall Street is betting on primary care companies</a>.</li></ul>If you're new to this newsletter, <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-healthcare">sign up here.</a> Tips, comments? Email me at <a href="mailto:lramsey@insider.com">lramsey@insider.com</a> or tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/lydiaramsey125">@lydiaramsey125</a>. Let's get to it...First, I hope you all have a great, restful long weekend.As you might expect, your next edition of this newsletter will hit your inbox on Tuesday. See you then!<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5"></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5">A market-moving exclusive</a></h3>On Wednesday, <keyword id="6379262" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pharmacy">pharmacy</keyword> stocks were rocked by <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5">Blake's reporting</a> that <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> is considering setting up physical pharmacies.It's something that tends to happen every time news breaks about Amazon's pharmacy plans - most recently when the tech giant <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-push-into-pharmacy-competition-pharmacies-health-plans-startups-2020-11">unveiled its Amazon Pharmacy brand in November</a>.The idea of going into bricks-and-mortar is still just that - an idea. There's no concrete plan yet, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5">Blake reported</a>. My curiosity: Could Amazon pick up more of the future pharmacy market through a bricks-and-mortar presence?I'd imagine it'll still take a lot to win over customers who've been going to pharmacy giants for years. How much better would the experience have to be? <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5"></a><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5">Read the scoop here&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-amazon-pharmacy-considering-physical-stores-2021-5">Amazon is weighing a push into physical pharmacies to grab a bigger slice of the $370 billion prescription market</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jefferies-list-of-biotech-pharma-potential-ma-deal-targets-2021-5"><div type="image" title="A scientist working at Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals" height="2983" width="3978" msid="83062871" hostid="261"></div>Gearing up for a dealmaking summer</a></h3>For both <keyword id="2147060" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="digital-health">digital health</keyword> and biotech, it seems summer could be a big time for mergers and acquisitions. This week, we got the scoop on another digital health deal - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/grand-rounds-doctor-on-demand-are-acquiring-included-health-2021-5">Grand Rounds and Doctor on Demand are buying Included Health, a startup that's taking a new approach to LGBTQ-friendly healthcare</a>. I'm curious to understand what's driving the "consolidation tsunami," as we're calling it. Is there pressure for digital health companies to do it all? Or is it all about sustaining growth? Send me your thoughts at <a href="mailto:lramsey@insider.com">lramsey@insider.com</a>.Meanwhile, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jefferies-list-of-biotech-pharma-potential-ma-deal-targets-2021-5">Allison DeAngelis reports</a> that biotech <keyword id="101447" type="EVENT" weightage="60" keywordseo="MA">M&amp;A</keyword> is set to heat up in the next few months. She outlined the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jefferies-list-of-biotech-pharma-potential-ma-deal-targets-2021-5">22 biotechs most likely to be bought</a>, according to analysts at Jefferies. <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jefferies-list-of-biotech-pharma-potential-ma-deal-targets-2021-5">See the full list&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jefferies-list-of-biotech-pharma-potential-ma-deal-targets-2021-5">Top biotech analysts say M&amp;A is set to heat up this summer. Here are the 22 drug companies that are likely to get bought.</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-clearing-raise-20-million-in-seed-funding-2021-5"><div type="image" title="Clearing pitch deck" height="998" width="1331" msid="83062873" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-clearing-raise-20-million-in-seed-funding-2021-5">How founders raise millions</a></h3>This week, Megan Hernbroth got her hands on a pair of pitch decks that highlight a fascinating expansion of the direct-to-consumer healthcare market. Brightside, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-mental-health-startup-brightside-series-a-pitch-deck-2021-5">a mental health startup that uses therapy and medication to treat conditions like anxiety and depression raised $24 million,</a> the company said Thursday. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-mental-health-startup-brightside-series-a-pitch-deck-2021-5">See the presentation it used to raise its latest round&gt;&gt;</a>And Clearing <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-clearing-raise-20-million-in-seed-funding-2021-5">is trying to make chronic pain management more accessible by going directly to consumers</a>. It's been a few years since companies originally started shipping dermatology formulations and prescriptions hair loss treatment straight to patients' doors using virtual care and online pharmacies. Now it seems that startups are going after trickier conditions to treat. My big question now: Where will the line be? Can everything be done in a direct-to-consumer way? <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-clearing-raise-20-million-in-seed-funding-2021-5">Take a look&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pitch-deck-clearing-raise-20-million-in-seed-funding-2021-5">See the presentation a serial entrepreneur used to raise $20 million from Bessemer and Founders Fund for his solution for Americans living with chronic pain</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-is-betting-on-primary-care-companies-agilon-and-privia-2021-5"><div type="image" title="woman at doctor's office" height="2000" width="2666" msid="83062874" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-is-betting-on-primary-care-companies-agilon-and-privia-2021-5">Wall Street's take on primary care</a></h3>There's now a crop of publicly-traded companies focused on primary care, and it's interesting to see where Wall Street thinks they're headed. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/analysts-despite-earnings-stock-price-drop-one-medical-has-potential-2021-5">Analysts for instance think One Medical is poised for a comeback,</a> Patricia Kelly Yeo reports. That's despite the company posting losses in the first quarter that were twice as much as expected. Meanwhile, Wall Street's betting big on companies like Privia and Agilon Health. These are companies that instead of owning primary care practices work with them to change how the practices are paid. The companies' term for what they're doing is "physician-enablement."<h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-is-betting-on-primary-care-companies-agilon-and-privia-2021-5">Get the full breakdown&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-is-betting-on-primary-care-companies-agilon-and-privia-2021-5">Why Wall Street is betting on a couple of under-the-radar companies that want to transform how primary-care practices get paid</a></h3>More stories we covered this week:<ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-succeeds-in-teens-study-2021-5">Moderna says its coronavirus vaccine is effective in teens</a>, Andrew Dunn reports. The biotech plans to apply in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moderna-covid-19-vaccine-succeeds-in-teens-study-2021-5">early June</a> for an expanded OK.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-care-industry-franchises-pulling-out-all-stops-in-hiring-2021-5">Home-care companies are pulling out all the stops to recruit more workers</a>, Kelly reports. That <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/home-care-industry-franchises-pulling-out-all-stops-in-hiring-2021-5">includes</a> gas cards, company cars, and guarantees of full-time work. </li><li>Allison had the scoop on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/prescription-video-game-maker-akili-raises-160m-series-d-2021-5">prescription video-game startup Akili raising a fresh $160 million</a>. </li></ul>- Lydia

What's shaking up the future of the retail pharmacy

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Kyle Robertson has been replaced as CEO of <keyword id="13970261" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="cerebral" source="Orion">Cerebral</keyword> by Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Mou.</li><li>Robertson cofounded the mental-health startup in 2020.</li></ul>Kyle Robertson has just been replaced as CEO of the mental-health startup Cerebral, according to a statement sent to Insider.Cerebral is replacing Robertson with Dr. David Mou, the company's chief medical officer, the company said in the statement. Jessica Muse, Cerebral's chief operating officer, is keeping her operations title and taking on the role of president. Dr. Thomas Insel, former director of the National Institute of <keyword id="11902572" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="mental-health" source="Orion">Mental Health</keyword>, will join Cerebral's board. In recent months, Cerebral, which provides mental-health therapy and medications online, has faced mounting scrutiny for how it prescribes controlled substances to treat conditions like anxiety and ADHD. The highly regulated medications have the potential for addiction and are not often prescribed to people without an in-person visit with a clinician.In a major change to its business, Cerebral said this week that it would stop prescribing most of these highly regulated drugs, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cerebral-to-stop-prescribing-most-controlled-substances-2022-5">Insider exclusively reported</a>.In a memo on Wednesday, Robertson called the board's move to replace him illegal, and said directors were trying to blame him for the company's issues, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fcerebral-replaces-founder-as-ceo-a-move-he-says-is-illegal-11652897865">the Wall Street Journal reported</a>. Robertson didn't immediately respond to messages from Insider seeking comment for this story.On Tuesday, the Journal <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/reviews/out?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wsj.com%2Farticles%2Fcerebral-board-members-agree-to-replace-ceo-amid-federal-probe-into-prescription-practices-11652840097%3Fst%3Dlbhn2gvi7hnqs6t%26reflink%3Ddesktopwebshare_permalink">reported</a> that Cerebral's <keyword id="12136584" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="board-of-directors" source="Orion">board of directors</keyword> had agreed on a plan to replace Robertson after some of the members lost confidence in his leadership. They felt the company aggressively pushed into treating ADHD and that Robertson was reluctant to follow advice from medical staffers, per the Journal.As of Tuesday evening, Robertson hadn't agreed to resign, but lost access to the company's Slack messaging system without notice, the Journal reported."We thank Kyle for his service," Mou said in the statement. "His vision resulted in what Cerebral is today: a leading provider of urgently needed mental health services to people who were unable or unlikely to obtain treatment." <div type="image" title="Cerebral's Dr. David Mou." height="801" width="1067" msid="91649239" hostid="261"></div><h2>Cerebral has faced increased scrutiny in recent months</h2>Robertson cofounded the company after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. It launched in January 2020, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oak-hcft-investment-in-mental-health-startup-cerebral-2020-10">gained momentum</a> during the pandemic as doctor visits shifted online. In particular, it began prescribing controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines like Xanax to treat conditions like anxiety and stimulants like Adderall to treat ADHD.Prior to the pandemic, federal law prohibited clinicians from prescribing such highly regulated drugs to patients without first seeing them in-person. Those rules were relaxed during the pandemic, and Cerebral was one of a handful of companies that began prescribing controlled substances after online visits.In the two years since launching, Cerebral has attracted cash from venture-capital firms including SoftBank and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/oak-hcft-investment-in-mental-health-startup-cerebral-2020-10">Oak HC/FT</a>. It was <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-12-08/softbank-vision-fund-2-backs-cerebral-at-4-8-billion-valuation">valued at $4.8 billion in December</a> after raising a $300 million round led by SoftBank's Vision Fund 2. <div type="image" title="Cerebral's Jessica Muse, the chief operating officer." height="430" width="574" msid="91649240" hostid="261"></div>But in the past few months, the startup has faced questions about its prescribing practices from <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-03-11/cerebral-app-over-prescribed-adhd-meds-ex-employees-say?srnd=premium&amp;sref=jmdlngds">news outlets</a>, industry observers, and a former executive who filed a <a href="https://aboutblaw.com/2KI">lawsuit</a> in April. National pharmacy chains had expressed concerns that clinicians at Cerebral and another company are writing too many prescriptions for stimulants, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/walmart-cvs-pharmacies-have-blocked-or-delayed-telehealth-adderall-prescriptions-11651082131?mod=Searchresults_pos5&amp;page=1">The Wall Street Journal Journal</a> reported in April.Federal agencies have also taken notice of Cerebral. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/dea-cerebral-questions-license-issues-2022-5">US Drug Enforcement Administration</a> and the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-investigating-mental-health-startup-cerebral-2022-5">US Department of Justice</a> are investigating the startup, as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/doj-investigating-mental-health-startup-cerebral-2022-5">Insider first reported in May</a>. That culminated in Cerebral's about-face on controlled substances on Monday. A <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cerebral-to-stop-prescribing-most-controlled-substances-2022-5">leaked email first reported by Insider</a> said the company's clinicians will stop prescribing most controlled substances to new patients starting May 20 and to existing patients starting October 15.In joining Cerebral's board, Insel, the former federal mental-health official, touted the startup's ability to expand access to care."I look forward to joining this endeavor with the assurance that the company will focus fully on this unprecedented opportunity to deliver the highest quality mental health care to millions of people who have previously not had access and therefore could not benefit from effective medical and psychological treatments," he said in the statement.Do you have a tip about Cerebral that you want to share? Contact Blake Dodge (+1 252-241-3117) and Shelby Livingston (+1 843-412-6857) using the encrypted app Signal.

Cerebral just replaced CEO Kyle Robertson as the mental-health startup faces increased scrutiny

<ul><li>Nearly 180 professional colleges, including engineering institutes and business schools, have shut down during the academic year 2020-21, the highest number of closure of technical institutions in the last nine years, according to <keyword id="9657430" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="all-india-council-of-technical-eduction">All India Council of Technical Eduction</keyword> (AICTE) data. </li><li>Besides the closure of 179 institutes, at least 134 institutes did not seek approval this year in view of large number of seats lying vacant over the last 5 years thus making it unviable for continuing the institution. </li><li>Also, at least 44 institutes could not get approval or their approvals were withdrawn due to punitive action by the technical education regulator.</li></ul>Nearly 180 professional colleges, including engineering institutes and business schools, have shut down during the academic year 2020-21, the highest number of closure of technical institutions in the last nine years, according to All India Council of Technical Eduction (AICTE) data. Besides the closure of 179 institutes, at least 134 institutes did not seek approval this year in view of large number of seats lying vacant over the last 5 years thus making it unviable for continuing the institution. Also, at least 44 institutes could not get approval or their approvals were withdrawn due to punitive action by the technical education regulator. While 92 technical institutes had to close down in the 2019-20 academic session, the figures were 89 (2018-19), 134 (2017-18), 163 (2016-17), 126 (2015-16) and 77 (2014-15). Progressive closure means institute cannot admit the students for the first year during the academic year, however, the existing students will continue till completion of their course and their degrees are treated as valid. In the academic year 2020-21, a total of 1.09 lakh seats approved by AICTE have been reduced in pharmacy and architecture institutions. "As per recent <keyword id="6354977" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Supreme-Court">Supreme Court</keyword> judgement, for functioning of existing and setting up of new <keyword id="9657431" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="architecture-and-pharmacy">Architecture and Pharmacy</keyword> colleges, approval of only '<keyword id="217401" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Council-of-Architecture">Council of Architecture</keyword>' and '<keyword id="55171" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pharmacy-Council-of-India">Pharmacy Council of India</keyword>' respectively will be mandatory from academic Year 2020-2021," a senior AICTE official said. "As a result, the approval of AICTE has been made non-mandatory.Consequently, many of these colleges have withdrawn their affiliation &amp; approval from AICTE resulting in bulk reduction of seats. Effectively, the seats of pharmacy and architecture have now been taken over by their respective regulatory bodies," he added. According to official statistics, over 69,000 seats in 762 colleges have been reduced due to reduction in intake or closure of a particular course or division. "The approval process for year 2020-2021 was a considerable departure from the previous years on several counts. Due to the imposition and subsequent extensions of lockdown, the approval process was delayed. It was initiated in the month of May and completed in June end. "Moreover, the rigorous scrutiny which was undertaken physically at various regional offices was conducted via an online process. This involved using online video-conferencing for stakeholders to connect, verification of infrastructure and campus facilities virtually and uploading digitally signed documents. Even though new Management and Polytechnic Engineering Institutes have added seats, there has been reduction in AICTE approved Seats," the official said. The AICTE has also granted approval to 164 new institutes for the 2020-21 academic season, adding up to 39,000 seats. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/mahindra-and-mahindra-finance-managing-director-gets-candid-about-the-rights-issue/articleshow/77212386.cms">EXCLUSIVE: M&amp;M Financial Managing Director gets candid about the rights issue, the bleak prospects for this year and why there should be no more loan moratorium</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/india-stock-brokers-hit-by-sebi-direct-market-access/articleshow/77198064.cms">India's broking industry just got the shock of its life – SEBI may soon allow investors to trade directly on the exchanges</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/these-10-indian-colleges-have-produced-indias-most-funded-startup-owners/slidelist/77140792.cms">These 10 Indian colleges have produced India’s most funded startup owners</a>

Nearly 180 professional colleges in India shut down this year

Hello,We on the <keyword id="6354525" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="healthcare">healthcare</keyword> desk are just brimming with pride this week after learning that our very own <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/megan-hernbroth">Megan Hernbroth</a> won an award from the <a href="https://spjnorcal.org/2021/02/03/spj-norcal-honors-2020-excellence-in-journalism-award-winners/">Society of Professional Journalists, Northern California chapter</a>! Her award was for her excellent reporting on the downfall of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/inside-story-what-went-wrong-softbank-backed-zume-pizza-2020-1">Zume Pizza, a pizza-robot company backed by SoftBank</a>.The next time you chat with Megan, be sure to say congratulations! Even better? Come join her in a discussion next week with top <keyword id="48981" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="VCs">VCs</keyword> about the future of healthcare. It's on February 10 at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/business-insider-webinar-on-the-future-of-healthcare-2021-1">Sign up to attend here. </a>Are you new to this newsletter? <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-healthcare">Sign up here for daily dispatches from Insider's healthcare team</a>.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-variants-threaten-vaccines-and-pandemic-outlook-2021-1"><div type="image" title="Texas Vaccine" height="4272" width="5696" msid="80712820" hostid="261"></div></a><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-variants-threaten-vaccines-and-pandemic-outlook-2021-1">Variants threaten our vaccine progress</a></h3>In the span of just a few weeks, we've gotten definitive data on three more <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> <keyword id="79555" type="TECHNOLOGY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Vaccines">vaccines</keyword>, showing that they work. That brings the tally of effective shots to at least half a dozen.The latest one is Russia's coronavirus vaccine, Sputnik V. It's 91.6% effective at preventing COVID-19, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-coronavirus-vaccine-phase-3-interim-results-lancet-2021-2">according to data published Tuesday.</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/andrew-dunn">Andrew Dunn</a> spoke <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-uk-approval-not-priority-russia-covid-19-vaccine-sputnik-v-2021-2">with the leader of Russia's program, who said the shot won't be available in the US or UK any time soon.</a>And J&amp;J filed its vaccine data for <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jj-submits-covid-19-vaccine-for-us-emergency-use-authorization-2021-2">an emergency use authorization</a> on Thursday. We should get a more complete picture of the vaccine in the coming weeks, before an outside panel of experts publicly scrutinize the data later this month.J&amp;J's results-the one-dose vaccine is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jj-one-dose-covid-vaccine-late-stage-trial-results-2021-1">66% effective at preventing COVID-19</a>-are prompting a change in tone in the conversation around vaccines. Because the vaccine is still very good at preventing more serious cases of COVID-19, as well as deaths and hospitalizations, US health experts have started to emphasize that those are good reasons to get the shot, we've noticed. Plus - early results from vaccine trials are still coming in. Medicago laid out for Andrew <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/medicago-chief-scientist-interview-updates-on-covid-19-vaccine-2021-2">its plan to test a plant-based COVID-19 vaccine in 30,000 people after encouraging early results</a>. That trial is slated to start this month.In the meantime, the initial rollout of vaccines carries on in the US. The federal government is opening up more access to the shots at retail <keyword id="6395462" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="pharmacies">pharmacies</keyword>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/shelby-livingston">Shelby Livingston</a> reports that CVS Health and Walgreens stand to make <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-analysts-expect-cvs-and-walgreens-to-make-big-profits-from-covid-19-shots-2021-2">more than $650 million apiece from the rollout</a>. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wall-street-analysts-expect-cvs-and-walgreens-to-make-big-profits-from-covid-19-shots-2021-2">Read the full story here&gt;&gt;</a>There's a major elephant in the room when it comes to talking about the progress we're making with vaccines: <keyword id="112799" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="variants">variants</keyword>. Increasingly, vaccine developers are preparing upgrades to COVID-19 shots to better fend off emerging coronavirus variants. CureVac and GlaxoSmithKline, for instance, said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/covid-vaccine-variant-vaccines-gsk-curevac-mrna-2021-2">they're making 'next-generation' vaccines that they say can tackle multiple COVID-19 variants at once</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/catherine-schuster-bruce">Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce</a> reports. AstraZeneca, working with Oxford University, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-variants-coronavirus-strains-mutations-2021-2">says it's developing a COVID-19 vaccine to target variants that could be ready by the fall.</a>Regulatory bodies are bracing for the need for coronavirus vaccine upgrades.On Thursday, the Food and Drug Administration said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/fda-guidelines-upgraded-covid-19-vaccines-responding-to-variants-2021-2">it wants to make it quicker for vaccine developers to upgrade their shots to respond to virus variants</a>. It'd be similar to how we get annual flu vaccine updates to counter new flu strains. Andrew has a comprehensive read on how vaccine developers are thinking through tweaks to existing COVID-19 shots. <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-variants-threaten-vaccines-and-pandemic-outlook-2021-1">Read the full story here&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-variants-threaten-vaccines-and-pandemic-outlook-2021-1">Top vaccine developers are upgrading COVID-19 shots as mutations threaten our progress in curbing the pandemic</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/6-major-biotechs-tackling-future-pandemic-pathogens-2021-2"><div type="image" title="Coronavirus vaccine" height="1333" width="1777" msid="80712822" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/6-major-biotechs-tackling-future-pandemic-pathogens-2021-2">The pandemic is changing how biotech VCs are investing</a></h3>One constant refrain I've heard over the past year is how much the pandemic has reinforced where people were expecting the healthcare industry to head. (More care will move online and to patients' homes, especially).But in some ways, the pandemic has led investors to reevaluate how they invest in a particular space. For instance, ARCH Venture Partners cofounder Bob Nelsen told <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/allison-deangelis">Allison DeAngelis</a> about <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/arch-venture-partners-185-billion-fund-strategy-inspired-by-pandemic-2021-2">how the biotech firm - known for backing companies like Juno and Grail - is taking a new approach to mental health investments.</a>VCs, too, are looking at companies tackling infectious diseases in a new light. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/patricia-kelly-yeo">Patricia Kelly Yeo</a> pinpointed 6 biotechs that are gearing up to tackle future pandemics (while, of course, working on ways to confront the current pandemic). <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/6-major-biotechs-tackling-future-pandemic-pathogens-2021-2">Read the full story here&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/6-major-biotechs-tackling-future-pandemic-pathogens-2021-2">VCs have finally started paying attention to infectious diseases. Meet 6 up-and-coming biotechs tackling the pandemic pathogens of today and tomorrow.</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/23andme-cofounder-anne-wojcicki-interview-explains-decision-spac-ipo-2021-2"><div type="image" title="DNA Testing 23andMe" height="1333" width="1777" msid="80712824" hostid="261"></div></a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/23andme-cofounder-anne-wojcicki-interview-explains-decision-spac-ipo-2021-2">The highs and lows of going public</a></h3>It was a busy week for newly public healthcare companies, and a couple that are looking to join them.<ul><li>Sana Biotechnology started trading, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sana-biotechnology-ipo-list-of-early-investors-who-own-stock-2021-1">popping to a $6.5 billion valuation on its first day of trading</a>. </li><li>Talkspace filed its S-4 as it prepares to go public via SPAC. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/talkspace-stock-ipo-analysis-factors-that-could-determine-success-2021-2">The document shed a more comprehensive light on the mental health startup's financials and its competitors (of which there appears to be many).</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/talkspace-stock-ipo-analysis-factors-that-could-determine-success-2021-2"></a></li><li>Newly public Clover Health tumbled 12% on Thursday after <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/clover-health-stock-price-doj-investigation-hindenburg-research-short-seller-2021-2-1030044470">short-seller Hindenburg Research said Clover was facing a DOJ investigation.</a> (Clover, for its part, issued a rebuttal on Friday, <a href="https://medium.com/clover-off-the-charts/in-response-to-short-seller-firms-questions-47798b0b76da">which you can read here</a>.) </li></ul>It's this roller coaster that 23andMe has to look forward to, after <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/23andme-spac-ipo-richard-bransons-spac-3-billion-deal-2021-2-1030044105">saying it plans go public via SPAC IPO.</a>The consumer genetics market itself, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/genetic-testing-company-strategy-after-layoffs-23andme-ancestry-helix-2020-2">is a turbulent one that in 2019 and early 2020 hit a lull</a>. Megan and I spoke with 23andMe CEO Anne Wojcicki on Thursday to get a sense of what's ahead for the company as it goes public. <h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/23andme-cofounder-anne-wojcicki-interview-explains-decision-spac-ipo-2021-2">Read the full story here&gt;&gt;</a></h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/23andme-cofounder-anne-wojcicki-interview-explains-decision-spac-ipo-2021-2">We spoke with the CEO of 23andMe about the future of the consumer-genetics industry and why she wouldn't have considered a SPAC deal 6 months ago</a></h3>I'll leave you with a few more dispatches from the week you won't want to miss:<ul><li>Megan <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/exclusive-see-msk-startup-sword-health-series-b-pitch-deck-2021-2">got an exclusive look at the presentation that had VCs clamoring to invest in SWORD Health, a startup taking a new approach to physical therapy.</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/blake-dodge">Blake Dodge</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/author/hugh-langley">Hugh Langley</a> looked at the work <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-is-building-a-smartphone-camera-health-sensor-2021-2">Google Health is doing with Android phones to take on Apple. It's a sign of what the secretive team could do in healthcare.</a></li><li>Megan reported on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/lgbtq-healthcare-startup-folx-series-a-niche-primary-care-2021-1">$25 million raised by Folx, an LBGTQIA+ healthcare startup, noting what its growth reveals for other upstarts that want to make more specific primary care models. </a></li></ul>Tips on the news of the moment, or how to make the perfect macaron on the first try? Fill me in at <a href="mailto:lramsey@businessinsider.com">lramsey@businessinsider.com</a>. You can reach the whole healthcare team at <a href="mailto:healthcare@businessinsider.com">healthcare@businessinsider.com</a>. - Lydia

Variants are threatening our vaccine progress

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The Justice Department is suing <keyword id="80487" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="walmart">Walmart</keyword>, accusing it of playing a role in the opioid epidemic.</li><li>Walmart preemptively sued the federal government in October.</li><li>The lawsuit alleges that Walmart pharmacies did not properly screen prescriptions, understaffed pharmacies, and pushed employees to fill prescriptions quickly.</li></ul>The Department of Justice is suing Walmart for its role in the opioid epidemic, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-sues-walmart-alleging-role-in-fueling-opioid-crisis-11608661856?mod=e2tw">The Wall Street Journal first reported.</a>The lawsuit against the <keyword id="6354851" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="retail">retail</keyword> giant accuses Walmart of not properly screening prescriptions for opioids, understaffing pharmacies, and pushing employees to fill prescriptions quickly, all of which contributed to rising rates of addiction and abuse, WSJ reported."The Department of Justice has alleged that Walmart Inc. unlawfully dispensed controlled substances from pharmacies it operated across the country and unlawfully distributed controlled substances to those pharmacies throughout the height of the prescription <keyword id="4922230" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="opioid-crisis">opioid crisis</keyword>," <a href="https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-files-nationwide-lawsuit-against-walmart-inc-controlled-substances-act">a DOJ press release reads</a>.The suit is seeking billions of dollars in civil penalties, accusing Walmart of violating the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). Penalties could be over $67,000 for each unlawful prescription that was filled, and over $15,000 for each suspicious prescription not reported.<a href="https://sec.report/Document/0000104169-20-000078/#exhibit991form8-kx12222020.htm">Walmart responded</a> by calling the investigation "tainted by historical ethics violations," and said that the lawsuit contains "factual inaccuracies and cherry-picked documents taken out of context."Walmart <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-sues-doj-dea-preemptive-claims-it-fueled-opioid-crisis-2020-10">preempted the suit in October</a>, by suing the <keyword id="203774" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="DOJ">DOJ</keyword> and Drug Enforcement Agency, claiming that the federal government was attempting to shift blame to the retailer for its own regulatory failures."Unfortunately, certain DOJ officials have long seemed more focused on chasing headlines than fixing the crisis. They are now threatening a completely unjustified lawsuit against Walmart, claiming in hindsight pharmacists should have refused to fill otherwise valid opioid prescriptions that were written by the very doctors that the federal government still approves to write prescriptions," the company said in an <a href="https://corporate.walmart.com/newsroom/2020/10/22/walmart-sues-doj-and-dea-seeking-clarity-for-pharmacists-in-dispensing-prescription-opioids">October statement.</a> "We need a court to clarify the roles and legal responsibilities of pharmacists and pharmacies in filling opioid prescriptions."Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/gatik-walmart-driverless-truck-experiments-arkansas-louisiana-2020-12?r=mm-sub">Meet the autonomous-vehicle startup tapped by Walmart to help cut down delivery times for online customer orders</a>The DOJ's lawsuit against Walmart claims that pressure on the pharmacists in Walmart stores made it difficult to properly screen prescriptions and reject invalid ones, which fueled the epidemic. It alleges that when patients couldn't get a prescription fulfilled at one Walmart, they would just go to another location.Walmart runs 5,000 pharmacies in stores across the US, which the suit accuses it of turning into a network of opioid suppliers that fueled the epidemic, dating back to 2013, WSJ reported. The DOJ statement noted a doctor in prison for illegal opioid prescriptions specifically directed patients to Walmart. "Today's complaint is the culmination of a painstaking investigation by my office and our Department of Justice colleagues that uncovered years of unlawful conduct that did untold damage to communities around the country," U.S. Attorney for the District of Colorado Jason R. Dunn said. Walmart <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/walmart-sues-doj-dea-preemptive-claims-it-fueled-opioid-crisis-2020-10">previously faced legal action</a> from state regulators who accused the retailer of "going too far by refusing to fill opioid prescriptions."

The Justice Department is suing Walmart, accusing the retailer of turning its pharmacies into a network of opioid suppliers that helped fuel the epidemic

You Searched For "online pharmacy startups" and got 13 results

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The Justice Department is suing Walmart, accusing the retailer of turning its pharmacies into a network of opioid suppliers that helped fuel the epidemic

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