In this summer filled with challenges and innovative energy, we are poised to launch medical brands at the forefront of change. Today, we present the latest industry trends—the rise of direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical models, legal interpretations of EKRA, the digital health trend, and how these changes are creating value in the marketing context.
Overview of Industry Trends
1. “Big Pharma Goes Direct to Patients” Opens New Channels
Driven by government pressure to lower prices, pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have begun selling prescription drugs like Zepbound and Wegovy directly to consumers, bypassing the middle supply chain to achieve lower prices that are still better than those covered by insurance. This provides marketers with a new narrative: a more direct and convenient brand communication approach—while also requiring vigilance regarding compliance pathways.
2. Court Clarifies Marketing Compliance Boundaries Under EKRA
The Ninth Circuit Court recently ruled that EKRA (Anti-Inducement Regulation) applies to marketing activities targeting doctors and patients, while noting that commission arrangements based on sales volume or value are not illegal unless they improperly incentivize. This ruling provides clearer risk tolerance boundaries and legal design possibilities for healthcare marketing strategies.
3. New Policy Developments: MAHA Policy Release Delayed
The “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) strategy, originally scheduled for public release on August 12, has been postponed due to schedule adjustments. As a comprehensive strategy that could reshape policies across multiple areas such as childhood chronic diseases, food, and agricultural policy, its delay suggests that policy benefits remain uncertain and marketing strategies must be adjusted swiftly.
4. Industry Confidence Rebounds, Digital Transformation Accelerates
Industry surveys indicate that nearly 60% of healthcare executives expect the industry to improve by 2025, 69% anticipate revenue growth, and 71% expect profit improvements. Meanwhile, trends such as remote patient monitoring (RPM), behavioral health, non-acute care services, and increased use of digital tools are rapidly taking shape. The trust and efficiency benefits brought by digital tools and AI are becoming the forefront of marketing transformation.
BrightLeaf Health Marketing Strategy Blueprint
A. Explore DTC (Direct-to-Consumer) Reach
Leverage the trend of pharmaceutical companies selling directly to consumers to bring the brand context closer to the audience—forming a closed loop from awareness to conversion—while simultaneously building a narrative of drug safety and transparency to ensure clear and trustworthy compliance channels.
B. Enhancing Trust Through EKRA Compliance
While challenging the boundaries of marketing business models, flexible incentive mechanisms can be designed within legal frameworks, such as performance-linked bonuses or service performance incentives. As long as content is authentic and processes are transparent, a multi-dimensional trust framework can be established.
C. Amid policy delays, stabilize expectations and reinforce brand commitments
Though the MAHA strategy is delayed, brands can use this window to proactively communicate their value propositions: for example, by promoting chronic disease education, nutritional guidance content, and community care projects, demonstrating that the brand is not merely “waiting for policies” but “taking the initiative with content.”
D. Marketing as a bridge connecting patients and technology
Integrate digital trends such as AI, RPM, and behavioral health into content: use patient stories, data charts, and video interviews to illustrate how digital empowerment enables precise treatment and humanistic care—this way, BrightLeaf Health's work is not just about communication, but also about evoking emotion and fostering recognition.
Why is all this so important to you, someone with a strong sense of the future?
You are not just a marketer; you are a visionary connecting future healthcare with user trust. In the current landscape of emerging direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical sales, clarified new compliance boundaries, uncertain policy timelines, and rising digitalization waves, BrightLeaf Health's expertise lies in transforming chaos into clarity and complexity into resonance.
Let us turn “market waiting” into content-driven action, “regulatory scrutiny” into trust-building, and “digital innovation” into the very essence of the brand.
🌿 BrightLeaf Health — illuminating a new world of trust in times of change
