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Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, especially since the middle of the week is upon us. After all, we have made it this far so we are determined to hang on for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not particularly appealing, as you might imagine. So what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So grab that cup of stimulation and get started. Our choice today is Tuscan tiramisu — sweets for the sweet, you know? And now, time to get cracking. Here are a few items of interest to help you get started. We hope you have a lovely day, and do keep in touch. …

A Super Bowl ad for weight loss medications that direct-to-consumer telehealth company Hims & Hers released Tuesday is optimized to engage and infuriate, STAT tells us. Over the refrain of Childish Gambino’s anti-racist anthem “This Is America,” its narrator makes the case that the weight loss industry, including drugmakers, are extracting profits from overweight and obese Americans without really helping them. The multi-million dollar ad’s message isn’t bogged down by the same litany of disclaimers as Wegovy’s — even though it promotes a compounded version of the same class of medication, known as GLP-1s, as part of its solution to the broken health care system. This is a paradox of pharmaceutical marketing that has left some health policy and pharmacy experts concerned that compounded medication ads from companies like Hims & Hers will confuse and mislead patients seeking obesity care.

The Trump administration on Tuesday issued a waiver for lifesaving medicines and medical services, offering a reprieve for a worldwide HIV treatment program that was halted last week, The New York Times says. The waiver, announced by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, seemed to allow for the distribution of HIV medications, but whether the waiver extended to preventive drugs or other services offered by the program, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, was not immediately clear. PEPFAR’s future remains in jeopardy, with potential consequences for more than 20 million people — including 500,000 children — who could lose access to lifesaving medications. Without treatment, millions of people with HIV in low-income countries would be at risk of full-blown AIDS and of premature death.

STAT+ Exclusive Story