Juniper, a leading telehealth provider under the Eucalyptus umbrella, recently got burned. This came on the heels of them advertising a Black Friday sale on their medical weight-loss procedures. We reported the sale back in November, which raised alarm bells among public health advocates. They raised concerns over the level of clinical monitoring and patient screening protocols. CEO Jade Gooding and Clinical Director Dr. Matt Vickers addressed these worries directly in their joint statement released last week. They pointed to the firm’s extraordinary efforts at regulatory compliance and patient safety.
The debate was set ablaze when Gooding dropped a bombshell. He argued that telehealth requires “ scant medical monitoring or medical history. However, this odd remark drew furious pushback from public health groups. The Australia and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders raised fears that this type of marketing would bring in patients who should not be taking the medication.
Juniper’s Response to Criticism
Responding to the backlash, Juniper put forth a statement addressing the harm that was done by Gooding’s statements. In response to the news, the company said it was “deeply sorry” for making the comment and reiterated that it prides itself on high standards of clinical governance. In a statement to Transport Dive, the company “apologized for the comment,” acknowledging that it “created alarm.” To demonstrate their deep and unshakeable commitment to patient safety, they took to Facebook.
This notion was reinforced by Dr. Vickers. He claimed that all advertising is completely linked to the access prices of their clinical services. “We take compliance seriously and fully support Australia’s regulatory framework governing telehealth and prescription medicines,” he reiterated, aiming to reassure the public about Juniper’s operating standards.
The company must roll out a system for live photo-verification by the end of January 2026. This has been a great initiative to improve the clinical screening experience for patients who want to pursue weight-loss treatments via telehealth services.
Financial Performance Amidst Controversy
Juniper was able to announce record financial results last week, with revenue over the last year more than doubling to $248 million. The Lufty company nevertheless posted a $25 million loss in the process. Its biggest cost was marketing, coming in at $86.1 million.
The contrast of such unexpected success with an equally eye-popping loss forces big questions about whether Juniper’s business model is sustainable. Now marketing costs take the lion’s share of the budget. Industry experts are calling for a reconsideration of how telehealth companies spread their resources—not just to make the companies more profitable, but to protect patients too.
Dr. Vickers responded to the issue of aggressive marketing strategy and their impact on clinical decision making. He opened up, taking central aim at pharma’s biggest argument that promotional activities have no effect on clinician prescriber behavior. He reiterated that people’s eligibility is based on complete clinical evaluations. He stressed the importance of exploring these promotional opportunities very delicately. Committing to ethical standards is imperative.
Regulatory Oversight and Future Directions
The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) has recently been very vocal on this issue. While they do not directly regulate specific companies or services, their enforcement actions targeting practitioners have pushed telehealth providers to alter their business practices. In comments to the Guardian, an AHPRA spokesperson claimed, “Our action against practitioners has contributed to prompting telehealth providers to amend their business practices.”
Furthermore, in a statement from a Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) spokesperson, the legal requirements around advertising for therapeutic goods was highlighted. The Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 makes it illegal to advertise prescription-only medicines in a misleading way. Failure to comply with this law is a criminal offense.
To avoid being mired in such controversy, Juniper has preemptively moved. They scrubbed logos from their site that could imply approvals from regulatory agencies such as the Australian Council on Healthcare Standards. The college acknowledged that it was concerned that its message was being misinterpreted as a rejection of Juniper’s plans.
