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The invisible medical groups prescribing GLP-1s

March 12, 2026
March 12, 2026
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Morning Rounds Writer and Reporter

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special report

The doctors behind the telehealth GLP-1 boom

An illustration of bottles and pills and a stethescope

Camille MacMillin/STAT

In recent months, the FDA has turned its eye to telehealth companies, sending out warnings about their marketing practices for compounded weight loss drugs. But it's worth remembering: the companies don't actually prescribe these medications directly. That's done by doctors at affiliated medical groups. And a new analysis by STAT's Katie Palmer shows that a small number of medical groups provide doctors to a large swath of telehealth companies.

Among more than 70 telehealth companies warned by the FDA in the last six months, at least 30% have publicly stated affiliations with just four nationwide medical groups, Katie found. The FDA doesn't have authority over these groups — only state medical boards regulate individual prescribers. As people become more aware of the complicated model behind direct-to-consumer prescribing, there could be long-lasting impacts for patients and prescribers. Read more from Katie on how things could play out.

one big number

8 years

That's how long the composition of someone's gut microbiome may be affected by a course of oral antibiotics, according to a study published this week in Nature Medicine. In a study of nearly 15,000 people in Sweden, those who'd taken antibiotics within a year of testing had a major reduction in specimen diversity in the gut microbiome. But there was also significant diversity loss when antibiotics were taken 1-4 years and 4-8 years earlier. Specific antibiotics had the strongest associations: clindamycin, fluoroquinolones, and flucloxacillin. Penicillin V, common outside of Sweden, saw small and short-lasting gut changes. The researchers are collecting additional samples from almost half the participants for more longitudinal data.  

first opinion

An NIH whistleblower warning

As a program officer at the NIH, Jenna Norton witnessed the Trump administration's tumultuous shake-up of science and research firsthand last year. She refused to stay silent about what she saw, speaking out internally and publicly. In November, she was put on administrative leave. An HHS official called her a "radical leftist" in national media. But asked if she regrets her decision to speak up, Norton says that she'd make the same choices again, without question.

"Scientists are often encouraged to avoid politics," Norton writes, pointing out a recent essay by Science magazine editor Holden Thorp that lauded both loud and quiet resistance. "But this advice is outdated, if it was ever correct in the first place." Read more about Norton's experience and her problems with Thorp's argument.

politics

Momentum builds for a men's health office at HHS

STAT_3_11_2026-1600x900Maria Fabrizio for STAT

For a quarter of a century, lawmakers have been introducing congressional bills to establish an office of men's health at the federal health department. "The Office of Women's Health has done spectacular things for women on so many levels," said Paul Turek, director of the Turek Clinic and a longtime men's health advocate.

The moment could finally be here. The latest bill has four sponsors, evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. For the first time, the American Medical Association, which has made a point of playing ball with the Trump administration where it can, has endorsed the bill. HHS officials have repeatedly highlighted the importance of (cisgender) men's health as part of the MAHA agenda. STAT's Annalisa Merelli has more on the initiative that people say could help men live longer.

science

Neurology group releases wearables guidance

The American Association of Neurology released informal guidance for neurologists yesterday regarding the use of wearable devices like smart watches and fitness trackers to monitor health and vital signs. It's a timely notice: Trump administration officials have repeatedly highlighted the potential of wearable devices for wellness, and the FDA recently decided to ease regulation of digital health products broadly, including a more relaxed stance on consumer devices.

The guidance — specifically not a statement on the standard of care — lays out the potential for wearables to improve the quantity and quality of patient data. Among the suggestions: Devices that measure heart rate could provide clues around seizures, sleep detection devices have typically been well-validated and are easily accessible and comfortable to use, and data on movement ("actiography") can be used to help people with headache disorders. Still, the evidence is limited for how applicable device data is in neurology.

You can read all of STAT's wearables coverage here. 

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What we're reading

  • The boom in autism therapy is Medicaid's fastest-growing jackpot, Wall Street Journal

  • It's the 50th anniversary of the U.S. biotech industry. What will the next 50 years look like? STAT
  • In talking to parents about vaccines, pediatricians navigate a sea of misinformation, New York Times

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