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1rem

 podcast where we bring you the latest insights shaping patient access, supply chain/logistics, data & tech, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and today we’re looking at a major regulatory milestone for Novo Nordisk, a promising new antiviral combination for influenza, and the growing role of community pharmacies in expanding healthcare access.

Novo Nordisk’s stock surged following the FDA’s 

 of Wegovy for reducing the risk of progression in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) with liver fibrosis. Already a blockbuster in weight management, Wegovy’s new indication broadens its clinical and commercial potential. Analysts say the approval positions the drug as a leading therapy not just for obesity but also for metabolic and liver disease, further strengthening Novo’s foothold in the GLP-1 space.

In other news, researchers have reported 

 from a novel drug combination that appears effective against drug-resistant influenza strains. With seasonal flu remaining a major global health challenge—and resistant strains reducing the effectiveness of existing antivirals—this approach could represent an important advance in preparedness. While still early, the findings suggest potential for a broader, more durable line of defense against severe influenza outbreaks.

Lastly, community pharmacies are increasingly 

 as frontline healthcare access points, particularly in underserved areas. Beyond dispensing prescriptions, many are now offering vaccinations, point-of-care testing, and chronic disease support. This expanded role not only eases pressure on overextended health systems but also helps improve patient adherence and engagement by delivering care in familiar, convenient settings.

From new regulatory wins and therapeutic innovation to community-based solutions, these stories highlight the multiple ways pharma and healthcare are evolving to meet patient needs.

. For more insights on trends transforming pharmaceutical access and care delivery, visit 

Thanks for listening—until next time, stay well and stay informed.

You can catch Pharma Pulse directly on 

This episode of Pharma Pulse covers Novo Nordisk’s FDA win for Wegovy in MASH-related liver fibrosis, new research on a promising drug combination against resistant influenza strains, and how community pharmacies are strengthening healthcare access in underserved areas.

Pharma Pulse: Wegovy Wins Accelerated Approval, New Flu Combo Emerges, and Community Pharmacies Expand Access

The integration aims to simplify access to Zepbound for eligible members while providing comprehensive, whole-person care to support safe use, adherence, and management of related chronic health needs.

Goodpath Partners With GiftHealth to Expand Access to GLP-1 Therapies Through LillyDirect

These innovations are revolutionizing pharmaceutical packaging by enhancing drug safety, combating counterfeiting, ensuring regulatory compliance, and improving patient adherence across the supply chain.

Smart Packaging in Pharma: Driving Adherence and Safety Through Digital Innovation

Doubling down on patient access and support fundamentals will win out over Washington’s next move.

Policy Whiplash? 24 Hours in the Hub Still Matters More 

The key strategies for reducing or eliminating post-prescription abandonment.

From Prescription to Patient: Four Ways to Increase Speed to Therapy 

From matrix programs to anti-abandonment strategies, predictions for a new era.


Breaking Point: How 2025 Will Reshape Patient Support Services

A Side Effect Cascade

, Tom Dorsett, CEO, RazorMetrics, describes how polypharmacy refers to the use of five or more medications by an individual, and it is becoming an increasingly prominent issue in the United States. Polypharmacy has been recognized for years but is growing more significant, especially within Medicaid, Medicare, and large commercial sectors, including self-funded employers.

One of the key drivers of this rise is the growing number of chronic conditions, which affect a large portion of the adult population. Around 40% of adults in the US have four or more chronic diseases, contributing to the increase in polypharmacy. Furthermore, among the working adult population between 40 and 79 years old, 24% are impacted by polypharmacy, a trend that continues to grow. This issue highlights the complexity and challenges of managing multiple health conditions and medications in an aging population, leading to potential risks related to drug interactions and overall healthcare management.

Dorsett also explains why he believes this concept is such an overlooked driver of unnecessary spending and adverse health outcomes, strategies that should be taken to overcome health information exchange blockages, and much more.

Why do you believe polypharmacy is such an overlooked driver of unnecessary spending and adverse health outcomes?

 It's a significant problem because it creates several different scenarios. One of the biggest is a cascade of side effects. When you think about it, you're getting prescribed medications for each one of these chronic diseases, and if the physicians aren't necessarily following what's known as the Beers List [Criteria], which is a list of drugs that have well known, acknowledged drug-to-drug interactions, then you're going to end up with this cascade.

Basically, you start getting side effects from the adverse reactions between the drugs, and you prescribe a drug for the side effect, which creates more side effects and so on, thus creating that cascade. The more drugs, the more cost. These adverse events also drive up emergency room visits. They're a very significant driver of increased emergency room visits, which are typically the most expensive medical encounters that you can have that aren't in-patient. It’s highly problematic in those regards, plus, it just has patients feeling worse because of the events that take place—because of the interactions—so the healthier you can get the population, the less this happens, and the less chronic disease there is.

We're starting to also see this with the advent of GLP-1s. Dropping weight creates a domino effect with hypertension, diabetes, and any number of different chronic diseases. There's a whole lot of promise with newer indications of GLP-1s coming out in the future. As you've probably seen, they're popping up all the time, regarding new and different ways that GLP-1s can help, so that's exciting. That's some something we're seeing, but nevertheless, we're still seeing growth in polypharmacy generally.

In the second part of his video interview with Pharma Commerce Editor Nicholas Saraceno, Tom Dorsett, CEO, RazorMetrics, comments on why he believes polypharmacy is an overlooked driver of unnecessary spending and adverse health outcomes.

Adherence

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