TD Cowen Insights

Recorded on 09/12/24Welcome to a special edition of the TD Cowen FutureHealth Podcast, where Charles Rhyee and Ryan Langston recap key takeaways from TD Cowen's 9th Annual FutureHealth Conference held September 10, 2024, in New York. The conference featured a number of panel sessions covering transforming care delivery models and sites of care, the evolution of Digital Health 2.0, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity. We also highlight fireside chats with Cigna, where we discussed the increasing adoption of value-based contracting programs, and Walgreens, where we discussed the role retail pharmacies are playing in the clinical trial space to improve patient access, enrollment efficiency, and recruitment diversity. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

In this episode, we look at the PBM industry, which has been in the spotlight in recent months, and not necessarily in a good way. PBMs have been painted as the unnecessary "middle man" that is driving up the cost of drugs. But is this really the case? The PBM industry traces its roots back over 50 years, with an initial narrow focus on efficient benefits administration, creating systems that told pharmacies in real-time what each patient's specific insurance plan meant that customer was supposed to pay for a specific prescription. Over time, PBMs leveraged their intermediary role in the pharmaceutical supply chain to take on additional responsibilities, including pharmaceutical cost & clinical control, pharmaceutical dispensing, and disease management. Among the various stakeholders in the pharma supply chain, PBMs have the least interface with consumers and the general public, which often leads to confusion about the role PBMs play. In this discussion we hope to provide clarity on the various roles of PBMs and how PBMs interact with other stakeholders in the US healthcare system.To discuss this topic, we are joined by Ronald Fox, who is currently a health care consultant, specializing in the PBM and health plan sectors. Previously, Ron spent over 21 years in the PBM industry, most recently serving as President of the Health Plan Division at Express Scripts, now part of Cigna's Evernorth division.   https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Supply Chain 101: Faster & Less Expensive Can Win the Retail Race. Portless founder Izzy Rosenzweig helps us contextualize the rise of the ultra-fast fashion model, catalyzed by leaders Temu & Shein, while highlighting opportunities for brands to optimize their supply chains. We discuss the impact of direct logistics on cash flow & margins and the importance of agility and strategic planning.  In this episode, we feature Izzy Rosenzweig, Founder and CEO of Portless, a next-generation fulfillment platform for e-commerce brands. With Portless, Mr. Rosenzweig is revolutionizing the retail industry by helping brands ship directly from China to optimize their margins and working capital needs. We delve into evolution of the e-commerce logistics and the disruptive impact of the direct shipping strategy deployed by Temu and Shein. In our view, the retail industry needs to: (1) deploy a test-read-react model across planning, production, and design, (2) balance novelty and core merchandise, and (3) invest in a tech-enabled supply chain integrated across all key distribution channels.  https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 07/24/24 TD Cowen analyst Yaron Werber speaks with Jeff Solomon, President of TD Cowen and Vice Chair of TD Securities about his career in Wall Street and his philosophy on how to be a present and inspirational leader. More broadly, Jeff also discusses how TD's acquisition of Cowen helps expand our product offering to corporates and institutional investors, and opines on the state of the larger market and Biotech in particular, which he believes is resilient enough to rise to meet the current challenges facing the sector. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 07/29/24In this episode, Roman Schweizer, TD Cowen's WRG Geopolitics & Defense Analyst, discusses the latest Washington policy topics, Farnborough takeaways and the future of major aircraft programs with a reporter roundtable and special guest Richard Aboulafia from AeroDynamic Advisory. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 06/03/24Live at our TD Cowen Consumer Conference, we discuss the evolution of home fragrance and what is ahead for the fragrance category with Harry Slatkin, who is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. The New York Times called him the "king" of home fragrance, and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey and Elton John use his home fragrances. As the founder and creative force behind Slatkin & Co, a home fragrance brand, Harry is regarded as one of the country's fragrance experts. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 06/04/24Over time, pets have moved from the dog house to the master bed, as pet owners increasingly treat them as beloved family members. We hosted Richard Maltsbarger, President & CEO of Pet Valu, live at TD Cowen's Consumer Conference, to cover a range of topics that, among other things, include: the humanization and premiumization trends that have driven rather consistent and attractive growth over recent decades, competitive forces within the Canadian industry, the company's defenses against expanding eCommerce giants, and Pet Valu's own expansion plans. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Episode Recorded On 06/26/24In this episode we take a deep dive into cybersecurity in the healthcare system. According to HHS, over the last ten years, the number of reported healthcare data breaches have consistently trended upward. The 734 reported breaches in 2023 is nearly double what was seen in 2018, and collectively these breaches are impacting a higher proportion of the US population each year. Ransomware attacks on U.S. healthcare organizations have cost the economy around $77.5 billion in downtime since 2016, according to an analysis by technology review and cybersecurity research firm Comparitech. Two recent cyberattacks, Change Healthcare and Ascension, are just the latest high-profile large-scale attacks that have impacted financial results for a number of companies, but also has had an impact on patient care. These events have left many wondering whether the healthcare space remains vulnerable and what steps companies and regulators can take to limit further risk. To discuss this topic, we're joined by Richard Staynings. Mr. Stayinings is a thought leader, author, and public speaker about cybersecurity in healthcare, with over 25 years of experience. He is currently Chief Security Strategist for cybersecurity company Cylera, and teaches postgraduate courses in cybersecurity and health informatics at the University of Denver. He's previously held various cybersecurity leadership roles at Cisco, General Dynamics, and PwC. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 06/04/24What is timelessness? Live at TD Cowen's Consumer Conference, we hosted Ari Hoffman, retail executive and CEO of North America at Ted Baker, to chat about the future of department stores, building timeless brands, and delivering on the best customer experience. Mr. Hoffman brings a wealth of experience across the luxury and retail space, including serving as President of Yves Saint Laurent and Lacoste. The conversation covers a range of topics and ideas including: connecting with customers across age groups, how to compete in the age of ultra fast fashion players such as SHEIN, and how to approach artificial intelligence to improve a business. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

TD Cowen analyst Yaron Werber speaks with Arsani William, Founder, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer of Logos Capital, about his views on the outlook ahead for biotech. Arsani shares the investment strategy at Logos and how their approach is differentiated from other therapeutic funds, opines on recent trends that may suggest the start of a sustained recovery for the sector, discusses how managements and boards are adapting to the new reality wherein capital is expensive and scarce, and describes what the buyside gets right and wrong about biotech investing. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure