Pill panic… Lots of people want Plan B. After SCOTUS struck down the federal right to abortion two weeks ago, many people stockpiled morning-after contraception pills like Plan B, fearing further limits to reproductive care. CVS, Rite Aid, Walmart, and Amazon even temporarily limited pill sales per person to prevent shortages. Generic morning-after pills are available online, but Plan B dominates the market thanks to exclusive deals with Target and Walmart. Plan B costs $50/pill, and the private-equity firms that own the drug earn profit margins as high as 85%.
Birkins on the blockchain… While the crypto crash continues, designer labels are using blockchain tech to combat the counterfeit biz — which lost them $98B worth of sales in 2017 alone. Last year, LVMH and Prada launched Aura, the first luxury-focused blockchain that creates digi-certificates for millions of items to ensure authenticity. Now the trackable tech is expanding beyond fashion: Mercedes-Benz and Hennessy joined the club this year. But the tech isn’t foolproof (and requires a good relationship with suppliers), so mainstream-ification could take a while.