Biotech and Pharmaceuticals

Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic may lower the risk of opioid overdoses, study says
Business

Novo Nordisk’s diabetes drug Ozempic may lower the risk of opioid overdoses, study says

A box of Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk is seen at a pharmacy in London, Britain March 8, 2024. Hollie Adams | Reuters Novo Nordisk‘s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic may decrease the risk of opioid overdoses in certain patients, demonstrating its potential as an alternative treatment for opioid use disorder, according to a new study […]

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Healthy Returns: Weight loss drug Wegovy could face Medicare price negotiations next
Health

Healthy Returns: Weight loss drug Wegovy could face Medicare price negotiations next

Boxes of Ozempic and Wegovy made by Novo Nordisk are seen at a pharmacy in London, Britain March 8, 2024.  Hollie Adams | Reuters A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions. Good afternoon! Wegovy, […]

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Novo Nordisk CEO to testify at Senate hearing over high weight loss drug prices
Health

Novo Nordisk CEO to testify at Senate hearing over high weight loss drug prices

Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen, CEO of Novo Nordisk, speaks during an interview in New York on Aug. 10, 2022. Christopher Goodney | Bloomberg | Getty Images Novo Nordisk‘s top executive is slated to face a Senate grilling on Tuesday over the high prices of the company’s weight loss drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic, as demand […]

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FTC sues drug middlemen for allegedly inflating insulin prices
Business

FTC sues drug middlemen for allegedly inflating insulin prices

The Federal Trade Commission on Friday sued three large U.S. health companies that negotiate insulin prices, arguing the drug middlemen use practices that boost their profits while “artificially” inflating costs for patients.  The suit targets the three biggest so-called pharmacy benefit managers, UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Rx, CVS Health’s Caremark and Cigna’s Express Scripts. All are […]

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Novartis not joining the ‘frenzy’ of weight loss drugs, CEO says
Health

Novartis not joining the ‘frenzy’ of weight loss drugs, CEO says

The CEO of Novartis said Wednesday that the Swiss pharmaceutical giant does not plan to enter into the “frenzy” of weight loss drugs, preferring instead to focus on areas where it can build a “unique position.” Speaking to CNBC, Vas Narasimhan said that the company was researching treatments that deal with the secondary effects of […]

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Healthy Returns: How competitive can Roche be in the weight loss drug market?
Health

Healthy Returns: How competitive can Roche be in the weight loss drug market?

Headquarters of Roche, multinational pharmaceutical industry on December 27, 2021 in Madrid, Spain.  Cristina Arias | Cover | Getty Images A version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Healthy Returns newsletter, which brings the latest health-care news straight to your inbox. Subscribe here to receive future editions. Good afternoon! Roche is one of several drugmakers […]

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Drugmakers bet billions that targeted radiation could become the next cancer breakthrough
Health

Drugmakers bet billions that targeted radiation could become the next cancer breakthrough

Drugmakers are betting that delivering radiation directly to tumors will become the next big cancer breakthrough.  Bristol Myers Squibb, AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly and other pharmaceutical companies have spent some $10 billion on deals to acquire or work with radiopharmaceuticals makers. They’ve snapped up smaller upstarts to get their hands on technology that, while in its […]

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Pfizer says its experimental drug for deadly condition that causes appetite and weight loss in cancer patients shows positive trial results
Health

Pfizer says its experimental drug for deadly condition that causes appetite and weight loss in cancer patients shows positive trial results

Pfizer‘s experimental drug for a common, life-threatening condition that causes cancer patients to lose their appetite and weight showed positive results in a midstage trial, the drugmaker said Saturday.  Patients with the condition, called cancer cachexia, who took Pfizer’s treatment saw improvements in body weight, muscle mass, quality of life and physical function, according to […]

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Florida discourages use of mRNA Covid vaccines in older adults
Health

Florida discourages use of mRNA Covid vaccines in older adults

Even as the Covid wave in Florida continues, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is once again advising against the mRNA vaccines: this time in the most vulnerable residents. In updated guidance for health care providers released Thursday, the Florida Health Department and state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo questioned the safety and effectiveness of the mRNA Covid vaccines from Pfizer […]

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Moderna to cut .1 billion in costs and launch 10 new products by 2027 as it charts post-Covid future
Health

Moderna to cut $1.1 billion in costs and launch 10 new products by 2027 as it charts post-Covid future

Moderna headquarters, exterior view, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.  Plexi Images | GHI | UCG | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Moderna on Thursday said it plans to cut around $1.1 billion in expenses by 2027 and win approvals for several new products as it charts a path forward after the rapid decline of its Covid business.  […]

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