Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
By John Revill and Danny Callaghan KILCHBERG, Switzerland March 10 (Reuters) – Chocolate sales are rising faster among U.S. users of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs than in the rest of the population, Swiss chocolatier Lindt & Spruengli said on Tuesday, citing data that defied forecasts the drugs would reduce confectionery demand. The company said an internal study, based on February data from market researcher Circana, found 15% of U.S. households use GLP-1s, representing 17.5% of chocolate sales. GLP-1s include weight-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro. Consumers cutting back on high-calorie intake categories, such as pasta, pizza…
By Alexander Marrow LONDON, March 11 (Reuters) – Haleon is stepping up its Chinese expansion, pushing into second- and third-tier cities and tailoring its gum-health products to local tastes, aiming to succeed where many Western consumer brands have struggled. Sluggish demand and fierce competition have hit Western heavyweights from BMW to Pernod Ricard and Nike, which all reported weaker China sales last year. But Haleon, helped by strong growth in Sensodyne toothpaste, is doubling down with a 65 million pound ($87 million) investment in a new oral-health plant in Shanghai. CEO Brian McNamara says the goal is to take its…
By Jonathan Stempel NEW YORK, March 11 (Reuters) – Aetna, a unit of CVS Health, agreed to pay $117.7 million to resolve U.S. government charges it defrauded Medicare by knowingly submitting inaccurate diagnosis codes for morbid obesity and other health conditions in Medicare Advantage Plan enrollees. The civil settlement announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday resolves charges that Aetna violated the federal False Claims Act. Under Medicare Advantage, also known as Medicare Part C, patients who opt out of traditional Medicare may enroll in private health plans known as Medicare Advantage Organizations, or MAOs. The U.S. Centers…
By Sriparna Roy and Sneha S K March 12 (Reuters) – Artificial intelligence is being deployed on both sides of the tug-of-war between U.S. healthcare systems that want to be paid more for medical procedures and insurers who want proof the services were necessary, and experts are having a hard time predicting a winner. Centene, an insurer focused on the Medicaid program for low-income people, recently raised the issue, saying hospitals were aggressively or even improperly using revenue software to trigger reimbursement. “There have been some of these pockets where folks coming into the emergency department with a fever, all…
Ashley Elizabeth Harden logged on recently from her home in small-town Louisiana and searched for a weight-loss drug. She found plenty of options and settled on a cheaper, imitation version of the name-brand drugs for $177 a month that she could buy without going through insurance. Subscribe to The Post Most newsletter for the most important and interesting stories from The Washington Post. “It’s absolutely odd,” she said of paying a cash price for medicine she sees as vital but whose cost rivals her monthly electric bill, “having to research, compare prices and make decisions online for something so important…
March 13 (Reuters) – British drugmaker GSK said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has expanded the approved age range for its respiratory syncytial virus vaccine, Arexvy, to include adults aged 18 to 49 who are at increased risk of lower respiratory tract disease caused by the virus. * The vaccine is already approved in the U.S. for preventingRSV-related disease in adults aged 60 and above, and in at-riskadults aged 50 to 59. * RSV is a common respiratory virus that causes seasonalinfections such as the flu and is a leading cause of pneumoniaand death in infants and…
March 17 (Reuters) – Indian drugmakers Zydus Lifesciences and Lupin have signed a licensing and supply deal on Tuesday to co‑market semaglutide injections in the country ahead of the ingredient’s patent expiry. Semaglutide is a GLP-1 receptor agonist used to treat Type 2 Diabetes and, increasingly, for weight management by helping regulate blood sugar and appetite. The upcoming patent expiry for semaglutide has triggered a rush among Indian drugmakers to develop cheaper versions to capture market share in the world’s most populous nation, which has the second-highest number of adults with diabetes after China. Here are some key details: *…
March 17 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration declined to approve Aldeyra Therapeutics’ drug for a type of eye disease, the company said on Tuesday, sending its shares down 65% in premarket trading. The drug, reproxalap, treats dry eye disease (DED), a condition in which the eyes produce insufficient or poor-quality tears, leading to discomfort and potential vision problems. The FDA, in its so-called complete response letter, said the drug had failed to show enough efficacy for approval. Aldeyra said the regulator raised no concerns about safety or manufacturing. This marks the third consecutive setback for Aldeyra, which…
Costco is taking steps to make fertility treatments cheaper for members after announcing a new partnership that could make fertility drugs 80% less expensive. The partnership between Costco, Sesame and IVI RMA was announced March 9. According to a news release, Costco members will gain immediate access to Sesame fertility care coordination as part of their monthly membership agreement to complete diagnostic workups and a clear path to special treatment. “The collaboration delivers widespread access to high-quality fertility care and advanced reproductive medicine specialists, affordable and competitive pricing, and coordinated care throughout the fertility journey,” the companies said. Every Sesame…
By Sriparna Roy March 18 (Reuters) – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Johnson & Johnson’s oral pill for psoriasis, the company said on Wednesday, paving the way for a more convenient treatment option for patients with the chronic autoimmune condition that causes itchy, scaly, and inflamed patches of skin. The drug will help J&J expand into the psoriasis market, as its blockbuster injectable Stelara comes under increasing competition from low-cost copycat drugs. The health regulator approved the drug for moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis in adults and pediatric patients 12 years of age and older who weigh at least…