Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
Feb 5 (Reuters) – CVS Health said on Thursday it would swap out Amgen and Eli Lilly’s bone disease treatments for lower-cost alternatives in some of its preferred drug lists, starting April 1. Its pharmacy benefit management unit, Caremark, will add biosimilar versions of Amgen’s Prolia such as Ospomyv, sold by CVS unit Cordavis, and Celltrion’s Stoboclo. It will also add generic versions of Lilly’s Forteo, including Bonsity and Tymlos, to major national commercial formularies. The shift would lower costs by more than 50% per prescription compared with branded drugs, CVS said, adding that its biosimilar formulary strategy has generated…
By Amina Niasse NEW YORK, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Online telehealth company Hims and Hers Health on Thursday began offering a much cheaper $49 compounded version of Novo Nordisk’s new Wegovy weight-loss pill in a move that expands sales to many Americans but could undercut Novo’s and Eli Lilly’s plans for the consumer market. The news touched off a swift reaction on Wall Street as investors sold off Novo and Lilly shares, and the Danish drugmaker promised a legal challenge to the move by Hims. Novo shares fell 8.6%, while Lilly was off 6%. Hims’ pricing, $49 for the first…
By Amina Niasse NEW YORK, Feb 7 (Reuters) – Companies looking to sell weight-loss drugs directly to consumers, including Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, will shell out millions of dollars for celebrity-filled ads during Sunday’s Super Bowl with its promise of one of the year’s largest global audiences. Novo’s 90-second spot has comedian and SNL stalwart Kenan Thompson announcing the new Wegovy pill to America and suggesting, tongue-in-cheek along with music producer DJ Khaled, that people with obesity can benefit from the drug just like they would a pill for parallel parking or saving kittens in trees. Telehealth company Ro will bring…
Telehealth company Hims & Hers dropped its plan to offer a knockoff version of the weight-loss pill Wegovy on Saturday — two days after it announced the new drug and one day after the Food and Drug Administration threatened to restrict access to the ingredients needed to copy popular weight-loss medications. Hims had said Thursday that it would offer a compounded version of the new Wegovy pill that drugmaker Novo Nordisk just began selling last month. Novo immediately threatened to sue Hims, and then the FDA said Friday that it plans to take decisive steps to limit access to the…
By Waylon Cunningham and Savyata Mishra Feb 8 (Reuters) – Pizza, pasta or Chinese take-out used to be the go-to Super Bowl spread for Marla Senzon’s family – until the Florida retiree began taking a GLP‑1 appetite‑suppressing medication two years ago. This Sunday, the bowl of choice for Senzon and her husband – who used to take the weight-loss drug – will be a salad, with a light protein like chicken or turkey while they watch the Seattle Seahawks take on the New England Patriots for the U.S. professional football’s NFL championship. “Everything about our eating habits has changed,” she…
COPENHAGEN, Feb 9 (Reuters) – Novo Nordisk’s Frankfurt-listed shares rose 4.5% on Monday after telehealth firm Hims & Hers reversed its launch of a $49 compounded weight-loss pill over the weekend, following legal threats from Novo and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Hims had introduced the pill on Thursday last week, based on semaglutide—a key ingredient in Novo’s blockbuster drugs Wegovy and Ozempic—sparking pushback from the Danish drugmaker and regulatory authorities. On Saturday, Hims said it would stop offering the treatment after holding “constructive conversations with stakeholders.” Novo Nordisk’s shares had already rebounded over 5% on Friday after FDA…
By Kamal Choudhury Feb 9 (Reuters) – Privately held Iambic said on Monday it has entered a multi-year partnership worth more than $1.7 billion with Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical to use artificial intelligence to help design small-molecule drugs targeting cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. Under the agreement, Iambic will receive upfront payments and could earn more than $1.7 billion in development and commercial milestones, plus royalties on sales. The deal marks Takeda’s latest move to embed artificial intelligence across its research operations, following a similar agreement with Nabla Bio last year focused on protein-based drugs. Drug developers are increasingly turning to AI…
Feb 9 (Reuters) – Waters said on Monday it expects first-quarter profit to fall below Wall Street estimates, sending shares of the lab equipment maker down nearly 12% in premarket trading as investors weighed the outlook and a revenue decline at the Becton Dickinson unit it acquired last year. The company, however, forecast better-than-expected full-year profit, reflecting contributions from its $17.5 billion buyout of Becton Dickinson’s bioscience and diagnostics business, which it bought to broaden its reach in clinical and diagnostic applications. Separately, Becton posted an 8.3% year-over-year decline in revenue from its life sciences segment, which includes biosciences and…
Feb 10 (Reuters) – CVS Health reported a decline in fourth-quarter profit on Tuesday but beat Wall Street estimates, helped by strength in its pharmacy benefit unit and strong prescription volume at its retail pharmacies. CVS said adjusted quarterly profit fell to $1.09 per share from $1.19, above analysts’ average estimate of 99 cents per share, according to data compiled by LSEG. “I talk about a Say-Do ratio,” said Chief Financial Officer Brian Newman. “Where we put out realistic targets and we try to deliver or exceed on expectations.” Newman said the pharmacy business’ profit had been declining annually about…
Feb 10 (Reuters) – Zimmer Biomet on Tuesday beat Wall Street estimates for fourth-quarter profit and revenue as the company capitalized on steady demand for its devices used in orthopedic procedures. Shares of the Warsaw, Indiana based company rose 1.5% in premarket trading. The orthopedic device maker reported a 10.9% increase in fourth-quarter net sales to $2.24 billion, showcasing robust demand for its hips and knees units and reflecting sustained procedural volumes in joint replacement surgeries. Analysts had expected quarterly sales of $2.23 billion, according to LSEG compiled data. However, the company expects 2026 profit in the range of $8.30…