• Arkansas/Indiana: Eli Lilly is partnering with Walmart to offer in-store pickup for its GLP-1 weight-loss drug Zepbound for patients purchasing the drug through LillyDirect, the company's direct-to-consumer healthcare platform. According to Fierce Healthcare, this is LillyDirect's first retail collaboration. Single-dose vials of Zepbound will be available in all approved strengths starting mid-November, with the lowest dose starting at $349 a month with self-pay. "Managing a chronic disease like obesity can be a significant and ongoing burden—physically, emotionally, and financially," said Jennifer Mazur, SVP and general manager of LillyDirect. "This collaboration with Walmart is designed to reduce that burden by streamlining access to prescribed treatment. By combining LillyDirect's innovative, patient-centered platform with Walmart's nationwide pharmacy footprint, we're expanding options for patients facing access challenges, making it easier to start and stay on authentic Lilly medicine." (Landi, Fierce Healthcare, 10/29)
• New Jersey/New York: In September, Pfizer announced that it would  acquire biotech company Metsera in a deal valued at $4.9 billion. The acquisition would allow Pfizer to access Metsera's pipeline of oral and injectable weight-loss treatments, including a GLP-1 drug that led to significant and sustained weight loss in a Phase 1 trial and an amylin-targeting drug that has also shown potential. However, Novo Nordisk last week announced that it had made a separate, unsolicited offer to Metsera. Novo's bid includes an upfront cash offer of $56.50 a share, which represents an equity value of roughly $6.5 billion, and another $21.25 per share in cash, or another $2.5 billion, if certain clinical and regulatory milestones are met. Although Pfizer said Novo's move was "reckless and unprecedented," Metsera issued a statement saying that it considered Novo's offer "superior" and sent Pfizer a notice that it had four business days to renegotiate the terms of its offer. In response, Pfizer has sued both Novo and Metsera, alleging that Metsera violated the terms of their agreement. In a statement, Pfizer said Novo's action was "an attempt by a company with a dominant market position to suppress competition in violation of law by taking over an emerging American challenger [in the obesity market]" and that its offer couldn't "qualify as a superior proposal under Pfizer's agreement with Metsera." Both Novo and Metsera have pushed back against Pfizer's allegations and said they will address them in court. (Joseph, STAT+ [subscription required], 10/30; Davis, Axios, 10/31)
• New York: Teladoc Health recently announced that Mala Murthy would step down from her role as CFO, effective Nov. 21. According to a press release, Murthy, who has served as CFO since 2019, is leaving the company to pursue an opportunity outside of the healthcare sector. Currently, Teladoc has put together an "interim leadership structure" and is searching for its next CFO. Amid the news of Murthy's departure, Teladoc also released preliminary financial results for the third quarter, which showed that the company beat investor expectations for revenue and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. "While news of a CFO departure is typically not well-received by investors, [Teladoc's] pre-release of in-line Q3 results, [...] should calm investors' nerves," said Brian Tanquilut, an analyst at Jefferies. (Olsen, Healthcare Dive, 10/24)

As the healthcare industry faces new challenges and dynamics, med tech companies must evolve their strategies to stay competitive. Learn about the six trends shaping med tech strategies today — and get insights and recommendations to drive meaningful industry change.