FDA approves Bristol Myers Squibb’s schizophrenia drug

FDA approves Bristol Myers Squibb’s schizophrenia drug

Bristol Myers Squibb’s Cobenfy drug Courtesy: Bristol Myers Squibb The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved Bristol Myers Squibb‘s highly anticipated schizophrenia drug Cobenfy, the first novel type of treatment for the debilitating, chronic mental disorder in more than seven decades.  Schizophrenia affects how a person thinks, feels and behaves, and can cause paranoia, … Read more

Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic may lower risk of opioid overdoses: study

Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic may lower risk of opioid overdoses: study

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 … Read more

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

Novo Nordisk CEO to testify at Senate over 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 … Read more

FTC sues drug middlemen for allegedly inflating insulin prices

FTC sues drug middlemen for allegedly inflating insulin prices

Lina Khan, Chair of the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), testifies before the House Appropriations Subcommittee at the Rayburn House Office Building on May 15, 2024 in Washington, DC.  Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images News | Getty Images The Federal Trade Commission on Friday sued three large U.S. health companies that negotiate insulin prices, arguing the … Read more

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

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 … Read more

Pfizer’s cancer cachexia drug shows positive midstage trial results

Pfizer’s cancer cachexia drug shows positive midstage 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 … Read more

Eli Lilly to boost output of weight loss, diabetes, Alzheimer’s drugs

Eli Lilly to boost output of weight loss, diabetes, 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, … Read more

$1 billion in cost cuts, 10 product launches planned

 billion in cost cuts, 10 product launches planned

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.  … Read more

Leqembi could give Alzheimer’s patients more time, but road to treatment is long

Leqembi could give Alzheimer’s patients more time, but road to treatment is long

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, … Read more

AstraZeneca staff detained in China amid reported drug-import probe

AstraZeneca staff detained in China amid reported drug-import probe

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 … Read more