Jan 14, 2026 · 44 min
Drugmakers pitch growth as healthcare businesses reinvent themselves
Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer 1/13/26
The episode connects obesity treatments, cardiovascular prevention, AI-assisted research, and healthcare distribution to the companies’ prospects for durable growth.
- 1Novartis, Amgen, and Regeneron frame drug innovation as a portfolio strategy spanning obesity, cardiovascular disease, and specialized therapies.
- 2Regeneron’s Len Schleifer sees AI as valuable for analyzing medical data, but not a substitute for human scientific judgment.
- 3Cardinal Health’s transformation centers on specialty care, automated distribution, home delivery, and services supporting pharmacies and physicians.
Don't miss
Len Schleifer explains why AI can improve medical-data analysis while human scientists remain necessary to invent and apply new medicines.
The brief
Jim Cramer opens from San Francisco against a backdrop of market uncertainty, then moves from a bruised Sirius XM holding to companies whose growth depends on reshaping healthcare.
Novartis CEO Vas Narasimhan describes a focused pharmaceutical strategy built around innovation, portfolio discipline, neuroscience, vaccines, radioligand therapy, and practical uses of AI in clinical development.
Amgen CEO Bob Bradway discusses a long-acting obesity treatment, rare diseases, the Horizon acquisition, and Repatha’s case for broader cardiovascular prevention as prices fall.
Regeneron CEO Len Schleifer makes the episode’s clearest technology argument: AI can analyze medical data, but human scientists remain essential to inventing medicines.
Cardinal Health CEO Jason Holler closes the business case with specialty distribution, diabetes support, automated centers, home delivery, and a strategy built on healthcare volume.
What was said on this episode
29 statements · 24 positive · 4 negative · 1 mixed
JPMorgan stock will rebound after its current weakness.
“I say wait a day or two, just like last time, so you can gradually buy this one weakness. Why? Because it will always bounce back.”
Listen at 2:27
Alphabet currently appears to be the only AI winner.
“And what really matters is that Alphabet increasingly looks like the only winner in AI for the moment.”
Listen at 4:21
Major pharmaceutical companies may currently be undervalued.
“I think they may all be undervalued here.”
Listen at 5:00
Sirius XM offers a five-percent yield.
“we got that 5% yield”
Listen at 6:14
Sirius XM lacks growth, limiting its investment appeal.
“it doesn't have growth, and that's the real problem”
Listen at 6:23
Novartis’s restructuring unlocked over $160 billion in value.
“we really have been able to unlock over $160 billion of value by becoming a pure play”
Listen at 8:32
Novartis expanded margins by over 1,100 basis points during Narasimhan’s tenure.
“they've been able to drive over my tenure over 1,100 basis points of margin expansion”
Listen at 10:09
Vaccines are safe and children should receive them.
“vaccines are safe. Vaccines are remarkable public health tools and that we need children to get vaccinated.”
Listen at 12:01
G7 countries will either pay more or face fewer European drug launches.
“in the next few years, either of those countries are going to rise to the challenge. Or there will be fewer drug launches in Europe.”
Listen at 13:02
Radioligand therapy can target and kill cancer cells while limiting whole-body radiation.
“We can bring a radioactive particle to a cancer cell rather than radiating the body. and kill the cancer cell in a very surgical way. And it ends up being very safe.”
Listen at 14:04
AI has accelerated enrollment in some Novartis clinical studies.
“AI has certainly helped us enroll some of our studies more quickly.”
Listen at 14:59
AI will transform drug discovery over five to ten years.
“I do believe in drug discovery in a five to 10 year view. This is going to be transformative.”
Listen at 15:10
Amgen’s Maritide may offer multiple ways to maintain weight loss.
“we think there are a bunch of ways to win for patients when it comes to Maritide and maintaining weight loss”
Listen at 17:29
Amgen’s Maritide can induce substantial weight loss during its first year.
“we know that we can induce a very impressive weight loss over the first 52 weeks”
Listen at 18:02
Repatha reduced heart-attack risk by 36% in a study.
“we were able to further reduce the risk of heart attack. In fact, by... 36% for people in this study.”
Listen at 20:31
Lower LDL cholesterol is associated with better outcomes.
“when it comes to LDL cholesterol, Jim, lower is better. And the data have shown over and over again that lower is better.”
Listen at 20:55
Repatha sales will continue growing through the decade.
“we think it will continue to grow nicely through the rest of the decade”
Listen at 22:54
Dupixent is approved for eight indications and leads seven markets.
“it's approved for eight different indications. And it's the leading drug in seven of those eight.”
Listen at 25:23
Eylea HD appears to be the most durable anti-VEGF product.
“HD seems to be the most durable product in the field of anti-VEGF therapy for these blinding retinal diseases.”
Listen at 26:20
Libtayo lowered recurrence risk by 68 percent in an adjuvant study.
“we showed a dramatic improvement, 68 percent lowering of the risk of this cancer coming back.”
Listen at 27:46
AI will not independently invent drugs.
“AI isn't going to invent the drugs.”
Listen at 28:19
AI can identify medical-record associations more efficiently than humans.
“AI can go through that and find associations much more efficiently than you or I can.”
Listen at 28:32
Acquiring external drug assets generally produces inadequate returns.
“when you look at the data. The return on the investment is just not there.”
Listen at 30:12
Praluent can lower LDL cholesterol by 50 to 60 percent.
“Our drug, Prowlent, can lower it by 50% or 60%.”
Listen at 31:19
Combining obesity drugs with Praluent could be highly complementary.
“I think it's a perfect marriage of two great opportunities.”
Listen at 31:42
Investors should hold Texas Instruments because its stock may catch up.
“No, no, you want to hold it. Why? Because every one of these other semiconductors has ignited. This one hasn't yet. It'll come around.”
Listen at 33:09
Crane Company is a good company.
“Good company.”
Listen at 33:34
Catalyst Pharmaceuticals is inexpensive and has real earnings.
“I like Catalyst Pharmaceuticals. It actually has, by the way, real earnings, and it's a very inexpensive stock. I think you've got a winner.”
Listen at 33:44
Investors should avoid GPCR while Eli Lilly remains the gold standard.
“I don't want to touch it. Lilly is still the gold standard.”
Listen at 34:35
Statements are attributed to the speaker as said on the episode and reflect their view at the time, not PodLume's. They are not advice.
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