Episode 141: The State of Pharma Advertising with Josh Walsh of BranchLab

Ari Paparo and Eric Franchi speak with Josh Walsh, founder and CEO of BranchLab, about how pharmaceutical advertising is changing. The discussion covers BranchLab’s use of neural networks with non-health data, the impact of new privacy regulations, and recent funding from Lance Armstrong’s Next Ventures. The conversation also touches on Deep Intent’s acquisition, ongoing federal policy debates, and the broader implications for healthcare marketing.

Takeaways

• BranchLab’s Model: Neural networks trained on non-health data can help address privacy concerns while enabling audience insights.
• Funding Story: Next Ventures, led by Lance Armstrong, invested in BranchLab as part of a mission to support healthcare transformation.
• Industry Valuation: Deep Intent’s $637M sale demonstrates the scale of opportunity in pharma marketing technology.
• Regulatory Shifts: State laws like Washington’s My Health, My Data and New York’s S929 are influencing how data can be used in advertising.
• Federal Policy Outlook: A nationwide ban on pharma ads is unlikely, but new disclosure and targeting requirements may emerge.
• Public Health Link: Responsible advertising can encourage more patient-doctor interactions, which often align with improved outcomes.

Chapters

00:00 – Introductions
02:00 – What BranchLab Does
05:00 – Funding from Next Ventures
07:30 – Industry Context
09:30 – Data and Privacy
13:00 – Federal Policy
16:30 – The Road Ahead
20:00 – Wrap-Up

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