Here are six things to know:
1. Mr. Trump nominated Marty Makary, MD, on Nov. 22 to head the FDA.
2. Dr. Makary is chief medical officer of Sesame, a telehealth startup founded in 2020 that offers virtual urgent care and remote prescribing of weight loss drugs such as GLP-1s.
3. Sesame facilitates prescriptions of compounded versions of the popular weight loss medications. At least one large health system has expressed interest in a potential partnership with Sesame for fully insured employees whose plans don’t cover the more expensive brand-name drugs, Bloomberg reported Oct. 29. The FDA has previously weighed in on the copycat GLP-1s.
4. Shares of virtual care company Hims & Hers spiked after the news that a telehealth ally could be running the FDA, Bloomberg reported Nov. 25.
5. Sesame has partnered with retail giant Costco to offer $29 virtual visits and telehealth weight loss care to its members.
6. Sesame’s investors include GV (Google Ventures) and digital health-focused venture capital firm General Catalyst.
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