Drug shortages
Big Pharma has finally gotten its arms around something advocates have wanted for a long time: direct-to-consumer sales. Eli Lilly and Pfizer are leading the way.
Novo Nordisk’s continuing supply problems for semaglutide come as the pharma tries to expand the drug’s indication, opening it up to more patients—and potentially to heavier production pressures.
A day after Eli Lilly’s obesity and weight-loss therapies were removed from the regulator’s database, Novo Nordisk also made strides in boosting the supply of all but one of semaglutide’s shortages.
All doses of Eli Lilly’s type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro and weight-loss drug Zepbound are now available, according to an update on Friday to the FDA’s drug shortage database.
The regulator on Friday warned healthcare providers and patients about adverse events linked with dosing errors from compounded versions of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss and diabetes drugs.
AbbVie and Merck/Daiichi Sankyo were hit this week with Complete Response Letters from the FDA, which rejected their respective drugs due to manufacturing issues.
Nearly all doses of Eli Lilly’s highly popular weight-loss drug Zepbound and type 2 diabetes medication Mounjaro will have limited availability through the second quarter of 2024, according to the regulator.
The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists has released statistics showing the number of active and ongoing U.S. drug shortages has reached 323, the highest number since it began tracking the data.
The four highest doses of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster diabetes treatment Mounjaro will be in short supply through the rest of the month due to strong demand, according to the regulator.
Amid the dual crises of worsening medicine quality and growing drug shortages, the FDA plans to increase inspections of Indian manufacturing facilities this year, Reuters reported Tuesday.
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