Tarot cards have captivated imaginations for centuries but have also encountered their fair share of resistance.
Believed to have originated in Italy during the mid-15th century, tarot decks quickly spread across Europe, with each region adding its own rules and designs. Despite their common-day association with mysticism, tarot cards were initially created purely for playing games. Even then, they were met with pushback by medieval churches, which were notoriously wary of fun games of chance.
Three centuries later, French merchant-turned-occultist Jean-Baptiste Alliette laid the foundation for tarot as a tool for divinity. Around the time of the French Revolution, he created his own special deck and published a guide to tarot card reading, assigning spiritual meaning to the cards. Drained after a long day of storming the Bastille, Parisians were curious about the fate of their heads, and fortune-telling soon became wildly popular in France. But it didn’t take long for the country to enact new laws against fortune telling, deeming tarot card readings as intent to defraud. Despite this, it’s rumored that French politicians and leaders throughout history regularly sought advice from fortune tellers.
In modern times, tarot has shifted from being a tool for predicting the future to one for gaining deeper insight into the present moment. I view New Year’s predictions in a similar light: An opportunity to examine different sectors of the industry through the lens of those who know them best. And, much like tarot cards, predictions tend to evoke mixed feelings.
Throughout my career as a journalist, I have assembled many predictions pieces. Without fail, I get comments about how predictions are “useless” because they rarely come true. Yet, year after year, these articles are some of the most popular content on our websites. It seems that, skepticism withstanding, we can’t resist the temptation to glimpse at what the future might hold.
To that end, I am happy to share this year’s oral solid dose predictions (along with several articles that expand on these trends) in this issue. You’ll find they are light on magic but heavy on insights from industry leaders. In 2025, adherence will once again come out on top, as patients continue to hold all the cards. But manufacturers have a few aces up their sleeves, as they work to develop innovative dosage formats that offer safer, more convenient options designed to better pair with patient lifestyles.
Whether you’re reading tarot cards or gathering insights from industry, the future is always a mix of uncertainty and possibility. As we lay out the deck for 2025, I’m eager to see how the cards fall.