Biotech and Pharmaceuticals

The weight loss drug boom isn't over yet — here's what to expect in the year ahead
Health

The weight loss drug boom isn't over yet — here's what to expect in the year ahead

George Frey | Bloomberg | Getty Images Weight loss drugs exploded into the public eye this year, and 2024 will bring more change to the evolving market.  The drugs skyrocketed in popularity in 2023 as they helped patients shed significant weight, despite hefty price tags, mixed insurance coverage and a handful of unpleasant side effects.  […]

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Prescriptions for Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss drug get off to a strong start and confirm bright outlook
Health

Prescriptions for Eli Lilly’s new weight-loss drug get off to a strong start and confirm bright outlook

The launch of Eli Lilly ‘s weight-loss drug Zepbound — a key pillar of our investment thesis in the pharmaceuticals giant — is going swimmingly in the U.S., Jefferies said Friday. Weekly Zepbound prescriptions totaled 7,700 in the week ended Dec. 8, its fourth on the U.S. market, according to Jefferies, which cited data compiled […]

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Moderna, Merck vaccine with Keytruda delays return of deadly skin cancer after 3 years, data says
Health

Moderna, Merck vaccine with Keytruda delays return of deadly skin cancer after 3 years, data says

An exterior view of Moderna’s clinical manufacturing facility.  David L. Ryan | Boston Globe | Getty Images Moderna and Merck‘s experimental cancer vaccine, when used in combination with Merck’s blockbuster therapy Keytruda, reduced the risk of death or relapse in patients with the most deadly form of skin cancer after three years, according to midstage […]

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If you can't build the next Ozempic, buy it: Where M&A could be heading in the obesity drug space
Health

If you can't build the next Ozempic, buy it: Where M&A could be heading in the obesity drug space

Investors are contemplating where and when the next big obesity drug deal will occur. At the moment, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have the growing obesity drug market all to themselves. But given the potential size of this opportunity, which some have put at more than $100 billion by 2030 , other pharmaceuticals companies — […]

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Vertex shares pop after non-opioid painkiller posts positive mid-stage trial results
Health

Vertex shares pop after non-opioid painkiller posts positive mid-stage trial results

A sign hangs in front of the world headquarters of Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston, Massachusetts, U.S., October 23, 2019.  Brian Snyder | Reuters Shares of Vertex jumped Wednesday after the company’s painkiller, which is being tested as an alternative to opioids, significantly decreased pain in a mid-stage trial. Those positive results for diabetes patients suffering […]

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Supreme Court agrees to hear showdown over abortion pill access
Health

Supreme Court agrees to hear showdown over abortion pill access

Mifepristone, the first medication in a medical abortion, is prepared for a patient at Alamo Women’s Clinic in Carbondale, Illinois, April 20, 2023. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters The Supreme Court on Wednesday took up a high-stakes legal battle that could lead to a definitive decision on whether the drug most commonly used for medication abortions […]

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Pfizer shares fall as 2024 revenue and profit forecast disappoints
Business

Pfizer shares fall as 2024 revenue and profit forecast disappoints

Shares of Pfizer fell Wednesday after the drugmaker forecast 2024 revenue and profit below Wall Street’s expectations, as it sees weak demand for its once-blockbuster Covid products.  Pfizer also raised the target of its sweeping cost-cutting plan by $500 million, bringing the anticipated total to $4 billion. The company expects 2024 revenue of $58.5 billion […]

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Patients regain weight after stopping Eli Lilly's Zepbound, study says
Health

Patients regain weight after stopping Eli Lilly's Zepbound, study says

Eli Lilly’s drug tirzepatide was approved for weight loss by the FDA. Courtesy of Eli Lilly Patients who took Eli Lilly‘s weight loss drug Zepbound regained around half the weight they shed after stopping the newly approved treatment for a year, according to data released Monday.  The data, which represents the full results from an […]

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Cigna shares jump on reports of abandoned Humana buyout, plans for  billion stock buyback
Health

Cigna shares jump on reports of abandoned Humana buyout, plans for $10 billion stock buyback

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images Shares of Cigna jumped Monday following reports that the health-care giant has scrapped its plans to buy rival Humana due to disagreements on price, putting an early end to what would have been one of the largest deals of the decade. Cigna late Sunday also announced plans to […]

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Occidental Petroleum to acquire Permian producer CrownRock for  billion, elevate dividend
World

Occidental Petroleum to acquire Permian producer CrownRock for $12 billion, elevate dividend

Occidental Petroleum Jay L. Clendenin | Los Angeles Instances | Getty Images Occidental Petroleum has agreed to obtain CrownRock, a important privately held energy producer that operates in the Permian Basin, for $12 billion. The deal is most current in a spate of consolidation in the U.S .strength sector, particularly in the Permian, the greatest […]

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