GLP-1s Are a Bigger Business Than AI
Ro CEO Zach Reitano joins Invest Like The Best to argue the patient is not the customer in US healthcare, and why cash-pay GLP-1s, now out-earning AI, are rewiring it.
The gist
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Reitano says that when GLP-1s went direct to consumer, cutting out PBMs and insurers, prices fell from $1,300 to $149 while drugmakers earned more.
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He predicts 50% or more of people will be on a GLP-1 in about 10 years, comparing them to statins but calling them more effective.
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After 9% growth in 2021, Ro refounded around a strong attract, strong repel culture, then grew 10x as staff fell from 600 to about 400.
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Reitano credits a daily 8:50 am leadership steer meeting held for two years, plus building things one at a time instead of in parallel.
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To fight genetic heart risk, Reitano layered a statin, Zetia, Repatha and a GLP-1 with his doctor, taking his LDL from 130 to 10.
"I am on a GLP-1. Yeah... Then I added Repatha, and then I added a GLP-1, and my LDL went from 130 to 70 to 80 to 60 to 10."
▶ Play at 51:5815 creators recommend it, including David Sinclair, Allison Ellsworth, and Clavicular.
See all on the GLP-1 page"I was eating and exercising and doing all of the things that are in your control. But my genetics were such that I needed additional support. And so I started a statin."
▶ Play at 54:484 creators recommend it, including David Sinclair, Michael Davidson, and Steve Horvath.
See all on the Statins page"The best advice that I would have to founders is the best company cultures I believe are strong attract, strong repel. It knows who it is and it continues to try and double down on the features and eliminate the bugs, but you have to articulate what that is so that you know wh..."
▶ Play at 40:31"I started a daily steer meeting at 8:50 in the morning with our entire leadership team and we met every single day at 8:50 for two straight years... So the speed of the organization, the alignment just was second to none."
▶ Play at 44:55"We leaned into the sequential nature of building things versus parallel. Jony Ive talks about this and Frank Slootman talks about this, but you actually get way more done than you think when you build things sequentially versus in parallel."
▶ Play at 43:25"Then I added Repatha... I actually think you're going to see, like, Repatha is a great example of where I hope you're going to see prices come down. What happened when it went direct? It went from $600 a month to 200."
▶ Play at 54:563 creators recommend it, including Chris Williamson and Peter Diamandis.
See all on the Repatha pageWhat they recommend · 8 picks
Productivity
3 picks · Zach Reitano ·Zach's productivity →
"The best advice that I would have to founders is the best company cultures I believe are strong attract, strong repel. It knows who it is and it continues to try and double down..."
"We leaned into the sequential nature of building things versus parallel. Jony Ive talks about this and Frank Slootman talks about this, but you actually get way more done than y..."
"I started a daily steer meeting at 8:50 in the morning with our entire leadership team and we met every single day at 8:50 for two straight years... So the speed of the organiza..."
Health & fitness
3 picks · Zach Reitano ·Zach's health & fitness →
"I am on a GLP-1. Yeah... Then I added Repatha, and then I added a GLP-1, and my LDL went from 130 to 70 to 80 to 60 to 10."
"Then I added Repatha... I actually think you're going to see, like, Repatha is a great example of where I hope you're going to see prices come down. What happened when it went d..."
"My parents fought with the healthcare system to get it covered, but to help me get growth hormone. So I took an injection in my leg every single day for about six years."
Other picks
2 picks · Zach Reitano
"After everyone here has fully watched all of Invest Like the Best, every single one, and you're looking for something else to watch, she runs a YouTube channel called Huge If Tr..."
"I was eating and exercising and doing all of the things that are in your control. But my genetics were such that I needed additional support. And so I started a statin."
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