Drugmakers delay in-demand medicines to evade Biden’s new pricing rules
Firms that normally try to sell drugs as soon as possible are suspending clinical trials and shifting timelines, while patient groups are demanding change.
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Point Biopharma shares sink 11% on study results; Lilly acquisition still up in air
Results of a clinical trial for Point Biopharma’s lead compound fell short of analysts’ expectations, and that development is likely to pressure its investors to decide whether to agree to sell the company to Eli Lilly and Co. for $1.4 billion.
Lilly stock slips after study finds patients who stop Zepbound regain weight
People who stopped taking Eli Lilly and Co.’s blockbuster drug Zepbound after about eight months regained half the weight they’d lost a year later, yet were significantly thinner than when they had started the obesity drug, according to a new study.
Lilly launches obesity drug, but insurers balk over price
The new drug, called Zepbound, carries a hefty price of $1,059.87 per month, and insurers and health care plans are balking, questioning its affordability. Many employers and government health programs exclude obesity treatments from their coverage.
White House threatens patents of high-priced drugs developed with taxpayer dollars
The Biden administration is putting pharmaceutical companies on notice, warning them that if the price of certain drugs is too high, the government might cancel their patent protection and allow rivals to make their own versions.
CVS to launch reimbursement model to simplify drug pricing
The biggest U.S. drugstore chain aims to make the payment system more transparent by using a formula based on a drug’s cost, a fixed markup, and a fee that reflects the value of the pharmacy services, the company said Tuesday.
In race to develop obesity drugs, Roche acquires California biotech for $2.7B
The company, Carmot Therapeutics, has numerous drugs under development. Its lead asset is a once-a-week injection that is in mid-stage development for the treatment of obesity.
OxyContin maker’s bankruptcy deal hits Supreme Court, with billions at stake
The agreement hammered out with state and local governments and victims would provide billions of dollars to combat the opioid epidemic. The decision also has implications for other major product liability lawsuits settled through the bankruptcy system.
High-stakes dispute between Lilly, competitor over migraine drugs winding down
The two companies have been battling for years over patents for migraine headache drugs—Emgality for Lilly and Anjovy for Teva. Both drugs are once-monthly injections and were approved 13 days apart in September 2018.
Lilly experimental drug lowers heart disease risk factor in just one dose, study finds
Lilly’s lepodisiran, given at the highest dose, reduced a heart disease-linked protein to undetectable levels for 48 weeks, according to the study.
Obesity drug cut risk of serious heart problems by 20%, study finds
The research is the first to document that an obesity medication can not only pare pounds, but also safely prevent a heart attack, stroke or a heart-related death in people who already have heart disease—but not diabetes.
Lilly bracing for demand crush for newly approved obesity drug
The Indianapolis-based drug company is ramping up manufacturing capacity to avoid possible shortages and to meet potentially huge demand in a nation where more than 40% of adults are classified as obese.
FDA approves Lilly’s diabetes drug for weight management
Eli Lilly and Co.’s hot-selling diabetes drug, Mounjaro, will now be sold for a second use, chronic weight management, using a separate brand name, Zepbound.
Lilly posts 3Q loss of $57M, cuts full-year profit guidance
Excluding nonrecurring items, the Indianapolis-based drugmaker posted adjusted earnings of 10 cents a share, beating Zacks consensus estimate of a loss of 11 cents a share.
Shedding fat without losing muscle is Lilly’s next weight-loss target
Eli Lilly and Co. will study its blockbuster diabetes drug Mounjaro in combination with an experimental muscle-loss treatment as it searches for ways to help patients maintain muscle while losing weight.
Roche to buy bowel drugmaker Telavant for $7.1 billion
Roche has come under pressure to improve its pipeline with medicines it can commercialize soon as a windfall of revenue from products used in the COVID-19 pandemic comes to an end.
Life science boosters hail Indiana’s designation as federal technology hub
The federal designation marks Indiana as a hub for biologics manufacturing. Biologics are medicines derived from biological sources and include vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and immune modulators.
Eli Lilly targets firms that import, sell imitation Mounjaro online
The drugmaker accused 11 companies of importing products that they say contain tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Mounjaro, while falsely implying that their products are associated with Eli Lilly or approved by the FDA.
Woman to plead guilty of leading conspiracy that defrauded Lilly of more than $600K
According to the petition Courtney Anguiano knowingly conspired with seven other people to submit 189 false and fraudulent post-transaction reimbursement requests under three different Eli Lilly and Co. savings card programs.
Lilly’s Mounjaro helped dieters shed 60 pounds, study finds
The results, which were also presented Sunday at a medical conference, confirm that the drug made by Eli Lilly and Co. has the potential to be one of the most powerful medical treatments for obesity to date, outside experts said.