At one point in time not too long ago, Weight Watchers was the legacy name in weight loss treatment.

Armed with an endorsement from board member Oprah Winfrey, everything was turning up Weight Watchers – until it wasn’t..

Usurped by powerful weight loss drugs manufactured by Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk – along with ascendant telehealth firms like Ro, Hims & Hers, and Noom – Weight Watchers went into significant decline.

Ultimately, even Oprah left the company and donated her shares.

In May 2025, Weight Watchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in order to eliminate around $1.5 billion in debt. It emerged from bankruptcy in July and now has its sights set on repositioning itself as a key player in the GLP-1 age.

But what is Weight Watchers’ function in 2026?

This week, managing editor Jack O’Brien is joined by Scott Honken, PharmD, chief commercial officer at Weight Watchers, for an update on the company’s current standing in the GLP-1 landscape, where it’s been and where it’s going.

In lieu of our Trends segment, we have some audio takeouts from Jack’s time at SXSW, featuring leaders from Amgen, Marina Maher Communications and Compass Pathways.

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Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music.

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The world of pharma marketing continues to evolve with multiple ongoing challenges: creating more results with less resources, navigating political and economic uncertainties, overcoming a less than favorable industry public perception and adapting to the ever-present impact of AI. What remains in place throughout all of these variables is the client and AOR relationship. In this podcast we discuss multiple ways in which this relationship can evolve to help foster stronger, truer strategic partnership resulting in greater wins and achievement for both sides.

Check us out at: mmm-online.com

Follow us:

YouTube: @MMM-online

TikTok: @MMMnews

Instagram: @MMMnewsonline

Twitter/X: @MMMnews

LinkedIn: MM+M

To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.

Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

If you followed along with managing editor Jack O’Brien’s live blog from SXSW last week, you’ll know that he spoke with a number of key medical marketing leaders on the ground in Austin.

Those takeouts, including insights from Amgen, Marina Maher Communications and Compass Pathways, will be featured in next week’s podcast.

For this week’s pod, we have an important conversation further tying in pharma brands to the world of sports.

We’re joined by Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders, who serves as a spokesperson for Amgen in its campaign raising awareness about cardiovascular disease, namely LDL, or “bad” cholesterol.

Sanders, who suffered a heart attack in 2024, has partnered with the pharma giant to use his stature as the greatest living running back to raise awareness around LDL-C testing.

He has starred in The Making of a Heart Attack documentary sponsored by Amgen and also participated in a panel discussion about the issue at SXSW.

And for our Trends segment, you’ll hear from Jameson Fleming, Steve Madden, Lecia Bushak with a preview of the 2026 MM+M Transform conference scheduled for next Tuesday, March 31 in downtown Manhattan.

Check us out at: mmm-online.com

Follow us:

YouTube: @MMM-online

TikTok: @MMMnews

Instagram: @MMMnewsonline

Twitter/X: @MMMnews

LinkedIn: MM+M

To read more of the most timely, balanced and original reporting in medical marketing, subscribe here.

Music: “Deep Reflection” by DP and Triple Scoop Music.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.