When Wegovy was approved in 2021, patients began inquiring about whether Ro could build a product that would give them the “Ro experience” in weight loss: The company went to work at the end of 2021, spent all of 2022 building it, launched in 2023 and is now scaling up, CEO and co-founder Zachariah Reitano explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Vanguards of Health Care podcast, Reitano sat down with BI analyst Jonathan Palmer to discuss how the Ro platform is uniquely positioned to scale in chronic care, the drivers of unprecedented demand for GLP-1 drugs, how taking friction out of the patient experience led to early success and why he’s trying to recreate his physician father with technology.

When Wegovy was approved in 2021, patients began inquiring about whether Ro could build a product that would give them the “Ro experience” in weight loss: The company went to work at the end of 2021, spent all of 2022 building it, launched in 2023 and is now scaling up, CEO and co-founder Zachariah Reitano explains to Bloomberg Intelligence. In this episode of the Vanguards of Health Care podcast, Reitano sat down with BI analyst Jonathan Palmer to discuss how the Ro platform is uniquely positioned to scale in chronic care, the drivers of unprecedented demand for GLP-1 drugs, how taking friction out of the patient experience led to early success and why he’s trying to recreate his physician father with technology.

Vanguards of Health Care is a series of exclusive conversations with management teams and thought leaders discussing changes on the forefront of the industry, including innovations in medical products and technologies, advances in clinical research, new service models, wellness and regulations.

Vanguards of Health Care is a series of exclusive conversations with management teams and thought leaders discussing changes on the forefront of the industry, including innovations in medical products and technologies, advances in clinical research, new service models, wellness and regulations.

Vanguards of Health Care by Bloomberg Intelligence

Ro's Foundational Weight Loss Bet Looks to Build on Consumer Success

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d2147493-2e2e-4006-99dc-b132011e029f/transcript

“We cannot fix a food problem with drugs,” says Sami Inkinen, CEO and co-founder of Virta Health. Inkinen joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain why Virta is betting that reversing metabolic disease can become one of the most important cost and outcomes stories in health care. He details how the company combines nutrition therapy, intensive telemedicine and AI to deliver sustained weight loss, diabetes reversal and significant savings for employers and health plans. The conversation also explores Virta’s long commercialization path, its growing traction in the B2B market and why Inkinen believes disease reversal is a far bigger opportunity than simply managing chronic illness more efficiently.

&ldquo;We cannot fix a food problem with drugs,&rdquo; says Sami Inkinen, CEO and co-founder of Virta Health. Inkinen joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain why Virta is betting that reversing metabolic disease can become one of the most important cost and outcomes stories in health care. He details how the company combines nutrition therapy, intensive telemedicine and AI to deliver sustained weight loss, diabetes reversal and significant savings for employers and health plans. The conversation also explores Virta&rsquo;s long commercialization path, its growing traction in the B2B market and why Inkinen believes disease reversal is a far bigger opportunity than simply managing chronic illness more efficiently.

Virta Health’s Push to Reverse Metabolic Disease at Scale

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/08f80d94-e817-4515-9b5c-b42700cb029b/transcript

“We’re never moving fast enough,” says Bob Segert, CEO of Athenahealth. Segert joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain the strategic reset that reshaped Athenahealth: cutting losing bets, doubling down on ambulatory care and building around its cloud-native athenaOne platform to drive operating leverage. The conversation covers Athena’s aggressive AI pivot, its open-platform strategy and why speed, product discipline and better physician economics will determine the next market winners.

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re never moving fast enough,&rdquo; says Bob Segert, CEO of Athenahealth. Segert joins Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Jonathan Palmer to explain the strategic reset that reshaped Athenahealth: cutting losing bets, doubling down on ambulatory care and building around its cloud-native athenaOne platform to drive operating leverage. The conversation covers Athena&rsquo;s aggressive AI pivot, its open-platform strategy and why speed, product discipline and better physician economics will determine the next market winners.

Athenahealth's Strategic Reset, Push for Speed in Ambulatory Care

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/3569cad9-20c7-47d3-93f7-b42000c80d1e/transcript

“This deal [with Eli Lilly, announced on Sunday 29 March] is a combination of an asset licensing and collaboration. We’ve collaborated with Lilly in the past and they are actually one of the most active and expert users of our software,” says Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and co-CEO of Insilico Medicine. Zhavoronkov joins Bloomberg Intelligence pharmaceuticals analyst Sam Fazeli to explain how Insilico is using AI to compress drug-discovery timelines from years to months, pursue novel targets and compete with both big pharma and China’s fastest-moving biotech players. They also discuss the company’s rapid Lilly deal and why AI’s real edge may be before the clinic, not inside it.

&ldquo;This deal [with Eli Lilly, announced on Sunday 29 March] is a combination of an asset licensing and collaboration. We&rsquo;ve collaborated with Lilly in the past and they are actually one of the most active and expert users of our software,&rdquo; says Alex Zhavoronkov, founder and co-CEO of Insilico Medicine. Zhavoronkov joins Bloomberg Intelligence pharmaceuticals analyst Sam Fazeli to explain how Insilico is using AI to compress drug-discovery timelines from years to months, pursue novel targets and compete with both big pharma and China&rsquo;s fastest-moving biotech players. They also discuss the company&rsquo;s rapid Lilly deal and why AI&rsquo;s real edge may be before the clinic, not inside it.

Inside Insilico Medicine’s AI Strategy and Lilly Breakthrough

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/b01f802f-ccfb-4e98-81a7-b41e00a9ea9c/transcript

Ro's Foundational Weight Loss Bet Looks to Build on Consumer Success

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Vanguards of Health Care by Bloomberg Intelligence

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