Jan 13, 2026 · 44 min
Healthcare CEOs pitch obesity drugs and device breakthroughs
Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer 1/12/26
The episode tests whether new treatments, pricing strategies, and medical technologies can turn healthcare innovation into durable growth.
- 1Novo Nordisk is betting an oral Wegovy pill can broaden obesity treatment beyond injections while confronting pricing and access barriers.
- 2Medtronic is positioning robotics, pulse-field ablation, and renal denervation as growth engines while separating its diabetes business.
- 3Pfizer faces patent-expiration pressure as it defends acquisitions, its dividend, and a long-term return to growth through obesity and new launches.
Don't miss
Mike Doustdar explains how Novo Nordisk expects an oral Wegovy pill to broaden obesity treatment while addressing price and access.
The brief
From San Francisco, Jim Cramer frames healthcare as an investment contest spanning obesity, devices, pharmaceuticals, and eye care, with a lightning round on stocks.
Novo Nordisk CEO Mike Doustdar argues that an oral Wegovy pill could expand the GLP-1 market by easing injection, refrigeration, and stigma concerns.
Medtronic CEO Jeff Martha presents robotics, pulse-field ablation, and renal denervation as growth opportunities while explaining the planned diabetes-business separation.
Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla defends Seagen and Biohaven acquisitions, the dividend, and an obesity pipeline against looming patent expirations and near-term stagnation.
Bausch & Lomb CEO Brent Saunders closes the conference coverage with a pipeline spanning dry eye, contact lenses, glaucoma, and surgical equipment.
What was said on this episode
32 statements · 22 positive · 8 negative · 1 mixed · 1 neutral
Money managers expect Trump not to pursue the Powell prosecution because it would hurt stocks.
“This time, money managers are betting that Trump won't follow through, because they think following through would be nuts. And very bad for stocks”
Listen at 2:04
Prosecuting Powell would undermine the principle of Federal Reserve independence.
“because that would end the very idea of Fed independence”
Listen at 2:27
A 10% credit-card rate cap would reduce borrowing access for millions of Americans.
“If we actually. cap credit card interest rates at 10%. The real victims would probably be the millions of Americans who'd no longer be able to borrow money.”
Listen at 3:04
A credit-card rate cap could cause a lending-market crash.
“you'd just be mandating a crash if these companies stopped lending.”
Listen at 3:22
The market is right that Powell will not be prosecuted or rates capped.
“I'm betting the market's right.”
Listen at 3:44
Shopify is a buy and its stock will rise.
“To me, Shopify is a buy, and today's actual rally is the right way to go. I'd go with that rally. Shopify goes higher.”
Listen at 4:05
Novo Nordisk and its competitor have roughly 10–15 million GLP-1 users.
“we have around 10, 15 million people right now on GLP-1 together with our competitor.”
Listen at 5:54
Novo Nordisk’s oral GLP-1 pill can expand the obesity-treatment market.
“the pill is able to expand the market.”
Listen at 6:26
Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill reduces weight by 16.6%, matching the injectable version.
“it's not only reducing your weight, actually at the same level, 16.6% as the injectable version of Vigovi”
Listen at 9:08
Compounded GLP-1 products are knockoffs and should be illegal.
“They're knockoff products. So this should be completely illegal.”
Listen at 10:57
Wegovy’s pill and injection reduce weight equally by 16.6%.
“both of which reduce your weight by 16.6%. So you don't need to compromise anymore.”
Listen at 12:38
Novo Nordisk’s hemophilia treatment stopped 98% of tested bleedings in trials.
“98% of the bleedings. that were tested in the clinical trials were basically stopped.”
Listen at 15:38
Medtronic’s AI-assisted colonoscopy has performed very successfully diagnostically.
“the AI has been a home run for this diagnostic.”
Listen at 18:07
Medtronic’s Hugo is the first serious competitor to Intuitive Surgical’s system.
“it's the first real competitive offering. Too intuitive”
Listen at 18:37
Pulse-field ablation will improve Medtronic’s gross margin over time.
“you're going to see it impact positively our gross margin as well.”
Listen at 20:33
Pulse-field ablation is faster, safer, and highly effective than radiofrequency ablation.
“Because it's faster, it's safer. And it's highly effective.”
Listen at 21:04
Medtronic’s renal-denervation procedure is highly effective and safe.
“it's highly effective and it's safe.”
Listen at 23:20
CMS coverage for renal denervation is broad, with commercial insurers following.
“CMS came in with a broad national coverage decision for Medicare patients. And now you're seeing the commercial payers follow suit.”
Listen at 24:08
Pfizer will start ten Phase 3 obesity studies in 2026.
“We are going to start 10 phase three studies this year.”
Listen at 25:49
Pfizer expects its ultra-long-acting GLP-1 to be highly differentiated.
“we hope to demonstrate how highly differentiated the ultra-long-acting GLP-1 it is compared to the long-acting GLP-1s of the others.”
Listen at 26:09
Pfizer expects to play a significant role in obesity treatment.
“we will be able to play a very significant role.”
Listen at 27:01
Pfizer’s dividend should remain reliable despite upcoming patent losses.
“you should not worry about the dividend.”
Listen at 27:21
Pfizer expects menstrual-migraine study results by late 2026 or 2027.
“we expect to read out probably next year, maybe end of this year, but probably next year, on menstrual migraines.”
Listen at 29:38
Pfizer’s MFN agreement will reduce the US-Europe drug-price gap.
“We couldn't have prices in the US for products that are two or three times higher than in Europe. So that is changing and will change.”
Listen at 31:00
Unscientific HHS actions on vaccines will cost lives.
“Everything they do, it is not science-based, will cost lives.”
Listen at 31:47
Pfizer revenue will stagnate or slightly decline through 2028.
“we will have stagnation and probably small decline all the way to 28.”
Listen at 32:40
“the CAGR of that period will be industry leading.”
Listen at 32:49
Pfizer expects $10 billion from acquisitions and launches in 2026, with double-digit growth.
“This year, probably will make $10 billion from new acquisitions and new launches with double-digit growth.”
Listen at 34:02
Pfizer expects double-digit growth in 2026.
“next year, so this year, 26, we will maintain the double-digit growth.”
Listen at 34:11
Investors should avoid CubeSmart and prefer Prologis because of stronger growth.
“Not enough growth, and there are others that are better. Let's stick with ProLogist, okay? That's the best.”
Listen at 35:18
Sony is undervalued and is a buy.
“I'm going to say it is a buy. The stock is undervalued.”
Listen at 35:41
Bausch & Lomb targets 600 basis points of margin expansion over three years.
“We talked about massive margin improvement, a 600 basis point margin improvement over the next three years.”
Listen at 42:33
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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