For many pharmaceutical companies, 2025 was a hard year to navigate.

Would there be tariffs, and if so, how much? Would companies move manufacturing operations to the US? What was going to happen with Medicare drug price negotiations? What was their AI, direct-to-consumer, and digital strategy?

Looking back on this wild year, leaders across pharma told Healthcare Brew it was one with regulatory uncertainty—but also one with plenty of innovation.

Rick Gates, chief pharmacy officer, Walgreens

2025 reinforced how quickly expectations are shifting for pharmacy and the broader healthcare system. One of the biggest developments has been the acceleration of digital-first care models. The industry is moving toward more flexible, always-on access to care, and that includes everything from refills to vaccinations to chronic conditions support.

Here’s what leaders had to say.—CC

’Tis the season for colleague shout-outs! So we’re sharing some of our favorite reporting that our fellow Healthcare Brew teammates did.

Happy reading!

How leeches (yes, leeches!) are used in medicine today

I love this story Caroline wrote because it explains a quirky, unique part of medicine that few people probably ever think of. A departure from our usual type of story, this one was a fun retreat during a year of heavy news. And Caroline’s writing style is as witty and clever as ever!—MA

See the full list here.—NO

The opioid epidemic has been a defining public health crisis in the US for the past quarter century.

With more than 800,000 people dead from overdoses over nearly 25 years, it’s hard to find an event—outside of the Covid-19 pandemic—that has impacted the US healthcare system more. The economic cost of opioid use disorder and opioid overdoses in the US was estimated to be more than $1 trillion in 2017 alone, according to CDC data.

Today, the number of overdose deaths has finally started to decline. But experts warn impending changes to Medicaid could slow that progress.

Further, overdose deaths are still higher than they were pre-pandemic, Thuy Dieu Nguyen, an assistant professor of health management and policy at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, told Healthcare Brew.

“We still have an ongoing opioid crisis,” she said.

Where is the opioid epidemic at today?—MA