Pharmaceuticals
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
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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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
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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Digital health company Noom to offer compounded GLP-1 drug through new weight loss program
Digital health company Noom on Thursday announced it will offer a compounded GLP-1 drug as part of a new weight loss product that starts at $149. The treatment will feature compounded semaglutide, the same active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs Wegovy and Ozempic. Noom has offered weight loss programs for years, […]
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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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Eli Lilly to invest $1.8 billion to expand manufacturing for weight loss, diabetes and Alzheimer’s drugs
A sign with the company logo sits outside of the headquarters of Eli Lilly in Indianapolis, Indiana, on March 17, 2024. Scott Olson | Getty Images Eli Lilly on Thursday said it will invest $1.8 billion to boost manufacturing for its newly approved Alzheimer’s drug and highly popular weight loss and diabetes treatments, among other medicines, […]
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AstraZeneca shares fall 5% on disappointing lung cancer drug trial results
AstraZeneca shares fell more than 5% Tuesday morning, the biggest one-day drop in seven months, after the British pharmaceutical giant announced disappointing lung cancer drug trial results. The Covid-19 vaccine maker was trading at the bottom of the FTSE 100 and dragged the wider healthcare sector lower after data published Monday showed that its experimental […]
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Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi promises to give patients more time, but they face a long road to treatment
Hannah Yoon | The Washington Post | Getty Images Leqembi, an Alzheimer’s drug from Biogen and Eisai, isn’t a cure for the mind-damaging disease. But the treatment promises to give patients such as Missie Meeks more time to live their daily lives normally and independently of others. Meeks, an English professor based in Ellisville, Mississippi, […]
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AstraZeneca says staff detained in China amid reports of a drug-import investigation
The office building of biopharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is being seen in Shanghai, China, on May 23, 2024. Nurphoto | Getty Images Some employees of British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca have been detained by police in China as part of an investigation, the company confirmed Thursday. “We are aware a small number of our employees in China […]
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