Tom Brady has been named the new chief wellness officer at a digital health platform that helps people get weight loss shots.
The seven-time Super Bowl champion will take on the new role at eMed, a digital health startup that companies use to help manage the expensive price tag that comes with covering weight loss drugs prescribed to employees.
In the role, Brady will work to raise awareness of the company, which moved into the booming weight-loss space last year, and help eMed stand out from rival telehealth companies, according to a press release.
“There are a lot of companies out there, but eMed stood out because they’re building something different; high-quality care, best-in-class service, top practitioners, all focused on prevention and long-term health,” Brady told Bloomberg News.
“That’s what I care about. I want to be part of something that could really help people.”
Millions of people have turned to GLP-1s like Wegovy and Zepbound in recent years to lose weight, as the drugs mimic a hormone that makes people feel full full — meaning they eat less.
Despite their growing popularity, many patients are unable to access GLP-1 drugs.
In the U.S., employers typically decide whether or not to cover specific drugs. Currently, only about 43 percent of companies with over 5,000 employees cover weight-loss medications, according to a recent survey from KFF.
Many of these employers cite the high cost of the medication as a reason not to cover them, even as such drugs are highly requested benefits.
A lack of access to these drugs created an opportunity for companies like eMed to offer cost-cutting solutions to employers that would then enable them to provide such medications to their employees.
The telehealth company also has a monthly subscription that people can pay $139 for to be connected to a doctor who will prescribe them Wegovy or a new pill version that launched earlier this month.
“Everyone deserves access to information and treatments that support their health,” Brady said. “eMed’s not just offering meds – they’re offering a full program, a real shot at long-term change.”
Brady, 48, is currently in his second season as an analyst on Fox Sports following a storied NFL career as quarterback for the New England Patriots and then the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, yielding seven Super Bowl championships.
