EMed CEO: Yaccarino Navigates Industry Turbulence
- In a virtual care market defined by fragmentation and fierce competition, Linda Yaccarino steps into digital health startup eMed as its new CEO at a moment of mounting...
- The company, a marketplace platform and intermediary for popular weight-loss drugs known as GLP-1s, is a stark contrast to Yaccarino’s former post as CEO of X, Elon Musk’s...
- For one, consumer demand for GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy has drawn a flood of new entrants.
But increased demand has led to shortages, and regulation of “copycat” GLP-1s and alternatives has created new challenges for telehealth firms entering the weight-loss space. Economic uncertainty and cuts to Medicare and Medicaid are also creating new challenges in reaching consumers.
“Organizations are trying to figure out how to navigate the implications of that,” Beland said. “Budgets are tight. Consumers are more discerning.”
Like many virtual health companies that scaled suring the pandemic, eMed launched in 2020 with COVID-19 testing and virtual results, but has struggled to find influence since. It recently pivoted into offering GLP-1 prescriptions for weight loss.
eMed may be entering too late. Telehealth companies like Hims & Hers Health and Ro quickly capitalized on demand for GLP-1 drugs, and legacy brands like WeightWatchers have launched marketplaces for weight-loss drugs, though some of those have struggled to take off, Beland said.
“It’s a bigger phenomenon [but also a ] very turbulent marketing environment right now,” he said.