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The White House may have struck a deal with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk last week to lower the costs of their weight loss drugs for patients, but knockoff versions of Zepbound and Wegovy still permeate the obesity market.
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The upheaval of the Health and Human Services workforce and leadership leaves much to be desired in terms of delivery, recently retired FDA Chief Information Officer Vid Desai tells BioSpace, but the regulatory agency is evolving to be more open to much needed change.
Had Pfizer’s Freda Lewis-Hall not stepped in, SpringWorks’ rare disease treatment may never have reached patients. Pharmas can act now to help find the next Gomekli.
Having seen Congress spend money to onshore semiconductor production, pharma groups are pushing for similar incentives for domestic drug manufacturing.
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This year, Novo Nordisk and Merck announced significant layoffs, with Novo planning to axe about 9,000 employees and Merck projecting it could let go of roughly 6,000. Meanwhile, Bayer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis and Pfizer have also made noteworthy cuts.
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Vaccine skepticism is at an all-time high in the U.S., and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is making some drastic moves in the name of reversing that trend. But misinformation and inconsistencies within the country’s healthcare agencies highlight problems with his approach.
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Darzalex Faspro’s approval for smoldering multiple myeloma could allow for earlier intervention and reduce the risk of progression to active disease.
The nausea and other gastrointestinal side effects of weight loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s Zepbound will limit how much these drugs can help patients and stunt the overall obesity market unless we approach the problem head on.
The FDA awards a second round of Commissioner’s National Priority vouchers to six larger biopharma companies. And this time, with the exception of Eli Lilly’s orforglipron, the vouchers are for drugs that are already on the market.
The agreement will also secure a $150 price for future weight loss pills from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly—at least initially.
The company reported $200 million in net losses for the third quarter, but an aggressive and highly successful cost-cutting campaign is helping to stem the downward trend.
The highest dose of Eli Lilly’s eloralintide led to 20.1% weight loss after 48 weeks in a Phase II trial, exceeding analyst expectations and highlighting a “potentially best in class profile,” according to BMO Capital Markets.
In this episode presented by PII, BioSpace’s head of insights discusses how to relieve clinical trial patients of technological burden to improve compliance with guests Oliver Eden and Travis Webb.
In an investor call Thursday, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot outlined his company’s approach to obesity drug development based on “the medical aspect” of weight loss, including driving down visceral fat.
The search continues for a new leader for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research after George Tidmarsh resigned on Sunday. Deputy Director Mike Davis is in the running, along with Mary Thanh Hai, currently head of the Office of New Drugs.
The court’s decision allows Metsera to walk away from its previous acquisition agreement with Pfizer in favor of Novo Nordisk’s higher bid.