Diabetes

Pressure has been mounting for the Federal Trade Commission to take action, with Senator Elizabeth Warren last week urging FTC Chair Lina Khan to block the merger if it violates antitrust laws.
While the regulator conducts another review into the supply of Eli Lilly’s tirzepatide, compounders will be able to continue selling their own remixed versions of the blockbuster drug.
The FDA is looking at four events for the remainder of October, one of which is an advisory committee meeting for a dual SGLT inhibitor for use alongside insulin in type 1 diabetes and chronic kidney disease.
Senator Elizabeth Warren told the Federal Trade Commission that the acquisition of contract manufacturer Catalent could increase Novo’s dominance over the hot GLP-1 market, reducing competition and increasing prices.
Eli Lilly CEO David Ricks is confident his company and peer Novo Nordisk are years ahead in the weight loss space, as biotechs press on with compelling data.
Alongside the settlement, Novo and Viatris have asked the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to terminate its review of the validity of the Danish drugmaker’s semaglutide patents.
BMO Capital Markets analyst Evan Seigerman called it “another positive indication” for Eli Lilly, whose top-selling diabetes and weight loss drugs are gaining market share as manufacturing continues to expand, while noting the drugmaker could start to benefit heading into third quarter earnings.
M&A
The acquisition was featured Monday in Roche’s Pharma Day presentation, which also included projections of more than $3 billion in annual sales from three early-stage obesity and diabetes drugs.
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ aggressive targeting of Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy pricing, and not Eli Lilly’s rival drugs, is not fair.
A retrospective cohort study of more than 33,000 patients with type 2 diabetes showed that Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 may lower the risk of opioid overdose by 42% to up to 68%.
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