What’s next for Walgreens

Hello,

Today in healthcare news: What Wall Street thinks of Walgreens’ CEO pick, how companies like Amazon and Apple want to keep tabs on your health at home, and the 11 top healthcare investments from SoftBank. 

Walgreens hired Starbucks COO Roz Brewer to be its next CEO. Wall Street analysts say the pharmacy giant ‘absolutely nailed it’ with the choice.

• Walgreens said Tuesday that it hired Starbucks COO Roz Brewer to be its next CEO.
• Most Wall Street analysts praised the choice, saying Brewer could help turn Walgreens around.
• One analyst said investors were hoping Walgreens would tap someone with healthcare experience to compete with CVS.

Read the full story from Shelby Livingston here>>

Big tech wants to monitor your health at home. From Verily to Amazon, here’s where they’re placing their bets.

• Big tech companies are making systems and devices designed to capture data from people at home.
• It’s part of a larger trend toward virtual care by employers, health plans, and providers.
• Insider identified the biggest bets in the space at Verily, Google, Apple, and Amazon.

Read the full story from Blake Dodge here>>

SoftBank has quietly backed some of healthcare's biggest startups. Here are its 11 top investments.

• SoftBank, the Japanese financial behemoth, has invested in 11 US healthcare startups since it launched its first Vision Fund in 2017.
• It has largely favored biotechnology startups, which typically require larger amounts of capital to make it through rigorous testing and approval processes in the US.
• Investments include companies like Zymergen, Pear Therapeutics, and 10x Genomics.

Read the full list from Megan Hernbroth here>>

More stories we're reading:

• What happened when Philadelphia let 'college kids' distribute vaccines (The Washington Post)
• A public health professor explains the difference between rapid COVID-19 tests from a pharmacy and the 'gold standard' lab results - and says people should be tested every 3 days (Insider)
• Vaccine hesitancy is dropping (Kaiser Family Foundation)
• These mothers called 911 to seek help for their struggling sons. Their children ended up dead. (Insider)

- Lydia