GLP-1s and Brian Thompson’s killing loom large at top health-care conference

San Francisco, famed for its abundance of hoodie-clad tech workers, was overrun by thousands of executives in suits this week for JPMorgan‘s annual health-care conference.

Leaders from major health systems, venture capital firms and companies around the globe clustered in hotel lobbies to talk business and strategy for 2025. The sunny skies were a welcome reprieve from the downpours of years past, but other absences were harder to ignore.

This year’s conference, colloquially known as JPM, took place a month after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was fatally shot in New York City. The news was welcomed by Americans with numerous social media posts expressing resentment toward the health-care industry, with many sharing stories about their negative experiences with insurers. 

More than 10 companies, including Cigna and Walgreens, subsequently pulled their appearances at JPM, according to CNBC’s analysis of the conference agenda. There was a noticeably large police presence at the conference’s main venue, the Westin St. Francis Hotel, and many companies beefed up security at their private events and parties. 

“The subterranean topic that I think people are talking about around the water and the cocktails is obviously what happened to the UnitedHealthcare CEO,” said Wei-Li Shao, president of metabolic health startup Omada. “What does that mean for health-care? What transformation should occur? And how do things get more responsible?” 

Thompson’s murder was a “stunning, sad event” that has served as a wake up call for the health-care industry, said Erik Wexler, CEO of the nonprofit health system Providence, which is made up of 51 hospitals and 1,000 clinics across seven states.

“Why are we on a separate pathway here? Why are we fighting?” Wexler said. “Our job is to do good for people who desperately need us at the most important time of their lives, whether you’re the payer or you’re the hospital.”

While Thompson’s death loomed large over the conference, there was also palpable excitement and buzz about 2025. There was no shortage of discussions about the potential benefits of artificial intelligence and the blockbuster weight loss drugs called GLP-1s, and investors seem cautiously optimistic that the digital health market could turn a corner.  

“There are so many amazing things on the horizon for health-care,” said Dexcom CEO Kevin Sayer.

“Drug companies and companies like ours, we try real hard to improve people’s lives, and we make a huge difference,” said Sayer, who knew Thompson well. “Be a little optimistic and give us a bit of a break, we’re all trying to do good stuff.”

Here are CNBC’s big takeaways from JPM 2025:

Generative AI stole the show

Generative AI was undoubtedly health-care’s “it girl” of 2024, and that seems unlikely to change in 2025. 

Health systems in the U.S. are struggling to contend with burnout, staffing shortages and razor thin margins, so companies are racing to develop AI tools that can streamline some of the industry’s more tedious administrative tasks. The subject was practically impossible to avoid at JPM. 

For instance, health-care payments company Waystar announced a new generative AI feature that aims to help doctors quickly fight insurance denials by automatically drafting appeal letters. Amazon Web Services and the venture firm General Catalyst announced a new partnership that aims to speed up the development and deployment of health-care AI tools. Health-care startup Abridge announced Mayo Clinic will roll out its AI-powered clinical documentation technology to around 2,000 clinicians across the entire enterprise.

“At the highest level, I don’t think it can be understated how much impact AI is already creating in health-care,” said Dr. Shiv Rao, founder and CEO of Abridge. “At least in our segment, the feedback that we get on a daily basis is just incredible, and the adoption rate demonstrates that this is a real thing.”

Nvidia, which makes the hardware that powers AI applications, was a particularly popular attendee at JPM this year. The company announced partnerships with several health-care organizations including the clinical research provider IQVIA, neurotech startup Synchron, genomics company Illumina and academic medical center Mayo Clinic. 

“We’re well over a billion dollar business between direct revenue and revenue with our partners,” said Kimberly Powell, Nvidia’s vice president of health-care. She added that Nvidia sees more room for growth for AI health-care applications.

Executives are bullish on GLP-1s 

At presentations and cocktail parties this week, CNBC spoke with executives who marveled about the benefits of the booming class of weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s. 

Novo Nordisk’s and Eli Lilly’s diabetes and obesity treatments have been wildly successful at helping patients lose weight in recent years. A May study found that patients taking Novo‘s obesity drug Wegovy maintained an average of 10% weight loss for up to four years, for instance. 

Research shows that GLP-1s could also help treat cardiometabolic disease, kidney disease and addiction, among other conditions. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lilly’s weight loss drug Zepbound as a treatment for sleep apnea in December. 

Some analysts estimate that anti-obesity medications could grow into a $100 billion industry by the end of the decade.

“These drugs are remarkable, and they’re not going away,” Dexcom’s Sayer said. 

Supply shortages are one of the big hurdles for companies in the market, as soaring demand has made it difficult for many patients to access the treatments. The drugs typically cost $1,000 per month without insurance, and coverage still varies for many Americans.

Even so, many health-care executives are optimistic that GLP-1s will meaningfully improve public health in the U.S.

“I have been joking, it’s been the two G’s, right? It’s like, GLP, GPT,” Omada CEO Sean Duffy said.

Uncertainty around the Trump administration

Ahead of President-elect Donald Trump‘s Monday inauguration, executives at JPM had many unanswered questions about what his administration has in store for the health-care sector. 

Health-care was not a big focus for Trump on the campaign trail, which means his policy aims for the industry are murky. Additionally, he’s made some controversial cabinet picks since the election. 

Trump nominated vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, celebrity TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and pancreatic surgeon Dr. Marty Makary to lead the Food and Drug Administration. All three nominees still need Senate confirmation. 

“Until we have a little bit more visibility into this administration that’s coming in in the U.S., the market is going to be volatile and somewhat more depressed,” Rebecca Stevenson, HSBC’s head of health-care investment banking for the Americas, told reporters during a roundtable. 

Owen Tripp, the CEO of the virtual care platform Included Health, said the Trump administration appears to be business friendly and has suggested it will push for increased access to care. 

“It’s not even so much who’s in the White House, but actually the fact that you’ve got a Republican Congress and Senate that have on principle aligned with expanding access and transparency,” Tripp said. “I think you’re going to see more transparency on drug pricing and health care pricing too, which is also hugely positive.”

Watch: UnitedHealthcare tragedy is a wakeup call for corporate America, says Wharton’s Americus Reed