The 2025 Meta Health Summit brought together pharma marketers, creators and Meta leaders to explore the evolving intersection of digital innovation, storytelling and regulatory compliance, with a strong emphasis on practical tools for the industry.
While the event offered valuable product updates, some attendees noted a lighter strategic agenda compared to prior years. Topics such as Threads were absent, creative effectiveness received less focus and hardware innovation like Ray-Ban Meta Glasses was only briefly mentioned. AI was discussed broadly but lacked deeper connection to regulatory realities in pharma.
Key themes and insights
"Creative Supply Chain" and performance
Meta stressed that creative volume and diversity directly improve campaign performance. The "Creative Supply Chain" mindset emphasizes producing diverse assets to reach the right audience with the right message at the right time.
Patient influence & creator partnership
Meta shared that 70% of patients trust peer-shared content on social media, and 69% of HCPs report patients asking about Rx drugs seen online. This underscores the importance of brands partnering with patient and HCP creators to build credible brand storytelling for social.
Speakers urged early involvement of Medical, Legal and Regulatory review in creator-led projects to protect compliance while preserving authenticity. Creators should be treated as ongoing strategic partners, not one-offs, and marketers should align with partners on clear campaign goals. One physician content creator shared her formula: hook with a story, deliver value and conclude with data.
Importance of a test-and-learn mindset
Speakers emphasized the need to embrace platforms like Meta for test-and-learn activations as tech, AI and consumer behavior evolve rapidly. Ro’s Growth SVP highlighted how Meta was key in how the brand scaled from a men’s health telemedicine platform by building on learnings that drove both brand and performance impact, while leaning into authentic patient stories.
AI in pharma marketing
Meta’s generative AI creative tools in Ads Manager, which had been blocked for pharma advertisers since rollout, are now available.
Four announcements and product updates
- Reels trending content ad placement now available to pharma advertisers. Ads can run alongside top trending Reels, with early tests showing a 20-point lift in unaided brand awareness and 1.5X higher ad recall. A health and wellness trending content category is in development.
- Pharma disclaimer expansion. The pharma disclaimer is now available on Facebook and Instagram Feed, Reels, Stories, Discover and Threads ads - providing another tool for compliance and making the disclaimer compatible with placement asset customization.
- Comment controls at the ad set level. Open beta lets participating advertisers toggle comments on and off at the ad set level, offering greater control for sensitive campaigns.
- Script lift measurement. While final roll out and approval is still pending, Meta is working with third-party vendors to measure ads against non-aggregated prescription outcomes.
Final take
The 2025 Health Summit reaffirmed Meta’s commitment to pharma and healthcare through practical tools for creative diversity, compliance, measurement and patient engagement, while leaving space for deeper strategic discussion in future gatherings.
By Alyssa Ramirez-Kennedy, Director, Social Media Strategy, AREA 23; Bryan Gaffin, Executive Creative Director, FCB Health New York; Casey Ross, Group Director, Social Media Strategy, FCB Health New York; Annie Foster, Group Director, Social Media Creative, IPG Health; Victoria Takala, Director, Media Strategy, SOLVE(D); and Dan Kernkraut, Director, Paid Social, SOLVE(D)
