DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Wall Street is asking how weight-loss drugs will affect consumer giants — but it may be too early to tell
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Angelica Peebles | In Angelicapeebles | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Photographer: Caitlin O'Hara/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesIf you listen to third-quarter corporate earnings calls, it might seem like everyone is taking weight-loss drugs. Delta Air Lines , PepsiCo , Philip Morris International and Darden Restaurants are just some of the companies that faced questions from analysts about how the drugs are affecting their bottom lines. While some analysts are making sweeping claims about how obesity drugs will reshape the industries they cover, the medicines are still in the early days. Known as GLP-1s, the drugs were first approved for diabetes and are now also being used for obesity. But even so, only a sliver of eligible people are actually taking the drugs at this point, said Goldman Sachs analyst Chris Shibutani.

Persons: Caitlin O'Hara, Philip Morris, it's, Nestle –, It's, Wegovy, Goldman Sachs, Chris Shibutani Organizations: PepsiCo Inc, Bloomberg, Getty, Delta Air Lines, PepsiCo, Philip, Philip Morris International, Darden, Hershey, Conagra, Nestle, Novo Nordisk Locations: Phoenix , Arizona, U.S, Novo

☆ Novo Nordish and Eli Lilly cash in on blockbuster weight-loss drugs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Manav Tanneeru | Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —As prescriptions for weight-loss and diabetes drugs skyrocket, so too has revenue for drugmakers Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly. On Thursday, Novo Nordisk, the Denmark-based company behind Ozempic and Wegovy, reported a 29% increase in sales to $8.4 billion for the third quarter. The pharmaceutical companies are two of the biggest beneficiaries of the recent weight-loss drug frenzy, with Novo Nordisk catapulting to Europe’s most valuable company in September. Novo Nordisk reported that its obesity care sales grew 174% in the first nine months of 2023, mainly driven by US demand. The success of Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly’s drugs has inspired other companies to dive into the prescription weight-loss business, including WeightWatchers, now known as WW International.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Wegovy, Novo, –, Eli Lilly’s Organizations: New, New York CNN, drugmakers Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk catapulting, International Locations: New York, Denmark, United States, Novo

☆ Once loyal Calibrate patients say they regained weight after the startup struggled to get them weight-loss meds on time
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Rebecca Torrence | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

Christina started taking Wegovy in September 2021 after getting a prescription through Calibrate, a startup that promises science-backed help with weight loss. She never received medication through Calibrate again, and she's since gained back all the weight she lost. Calibrate says its goal for Masters patients is to get them off weight-loss medications and help them maintain the weight loss they achieved. A former employee on Calibrate's clinical team said the startup allocated fewer doctors to second-year patients because those patients historically required less help from Calibrate. At least four second-year patients Insider spoke with said they sought refunds from Calibrate after they didn't receive the services they paid for.

Persons: Christina, She'd, I'm, Florian Gaertner, they've, They've, Isabelle Kenyon, Kenyon, Fortune, Jenny Craig, Ozempic, it's, Katie, Calibrate's, didn't, It's, James, they'd, Arantza Pena Popo, Disha, aren't, hasn't, Michael Siluk, Beth Organizations: Getty, Calibrate's, Better, LinkedIn Locations: York, Chicago

☆ British health agency warns of fake Ozempic pens linked to hospitalizations
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Amanda Musa | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Britain’s health agency is warning the public not to buy pre-filled pens claiming to contain the weight loss drugs Ozempic and Saxenda without a prescription, after a small number of people were hospitalized. Ozempic is used to treat adults with type 2 diabetes, and is used off-label for weight loss. More than 350 potentially fake Ozempic pens have been seized since January of this year, according to the MHRA. The agency has also received reports that patients have obtained fake Saxenda pens in the UK through “through non-legitimate routes.”No fake weight-loss pens were seized before January 2023, the agency says. The maker of both drugs, Novo Nordisk, told CNN Thursday that it is aware that counterfeit pens are being circulated.

Persons: Ozempic, ” Allison Schneider, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, Alison Cave, ” Ozempic, “, Meg Tirrell Organizations: CNN, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Novo Nordisk, “, “ Novo Nordisk, General Pharmaceutical Council, Get CNN, CNN Health, European Medicines Agency, European Union Locations: Ozempic, “ Novo, Novo, Germany, Europe

☆ Freed Israeli hostage says Hamas treated her well after initial violence
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-24 | by ( Janis Laizans | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TEL AVIV, Oct 24 (Reuters) - An elderly Israeli hostage who was released by Hamas overnight said she had been beaten by the militants when she was abducted and taken to Gaza on Oct. 7, but was then treated well during her two-week captivity in the Palestinian enclave. Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, was one of two women freed late on Monday, leaving around 220 hostages still in the hands of Hamas, including both of their husbands. "I've been through hell," Lifshitz told reporters, speaking in barely a whisper and seated in a wheelchair outside the Tel Aviv hospital, where she was taken following her release. Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, an Israeli grandmother who was held hostage in Gaza, speaks to members of the press after being released by Hamas militants, at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, Israel October 24, 2023. Inside Gaza, a group of hostages were led into what Lifshitz called a "spider's web" of tunnels that Hamas had built beneath the coastal territory.

Persons: Yocheved Lifshitz, I've, Lifshitz, Nir Oz, Kan, Nir Oz's, Janis Laizans, Henriette Chacar, Crispian Balmer, Kevin Liffey, Bernadette Baum Organizations: Hamas, Ichilov, REUTERS, Reuters, Thomson Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Yocheved, Tel Aviv, Israel

For Shalabi, a local aid worker, a working phone is one of his most vital possessions. “With regards to the humanitarian situation right now, it’s really dire,” Shalabi, senior program manager of Medical Aid for Palestinians, stressed. The first trucks carrying humanitarian aid entered Gaza from Egypt on Saturday. Aid workers say they are a fraction of what’s needed, with the World Health Organization saying Gaza requires 100 trucks a day to meet demands. The death toll cannot be independently verified, but the Ministry of Health in Gaza said more than 400 had died.

Persons: Mahmoud Shalabi, ”, CNN’s Erin Burnett, it’s, ” Shalabi, –, General Antonio Guterres, “, Dad, CNN Shalabi, It’s, Shalabi, ” Mahmoud Al, Aloul Organizations: CNN, Medical Aid, Hamas, Health, UN, CNN’s, World Health Organization, Al, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Ministry of Health, Humanitarian Affairs Locations: Gaza, Israel, Northern Gaza, Egypt, Rafah, Ahli, Gaza City

Homeland Security, as well as companies that help identify counterfeit products such as Israel’s BrandShield. Fake weight-loss drugs will be a key focus in the agency’s annual counterfeit medicines report, due next year, the official said. “We have counterfeit products and stolen products,” the official said. "We will look online and if we find something that infringes (obesity drug trademarks) we'll get it taken down,” said Yoav Keren, BrandShield CEO. When a consumer buys those fakes, “what you get are expired drugs, counterfeit drugs, or nothing,” he added.

Persons: George Frey, Eli Lilly, BrandShield, Novo’s Ozempic, ”, Jim Mancuso, Mancuso, Europol, Novo, Lilly, “, Ozempic, Yoav Keren, MHRA, Eli, Mounjaro, Patrick Wingrove, Aurora Ellis Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Novo Nordisk’s, Pharmaceutical Security Institute, drugmakers Novo Nordisk, Europol, Interpol, U.S . Homeland Security, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, U.S . Department of Homeland, Coordination Center, PSI, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Health Organization, Ireland’s, Products Regulatory Authority, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, America, Europe, Germany, Egypt, Russia, North America

☆ European regulators warn of fake Ozempic pens found at wholesalers in EU, UK amid shortage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

There’s no evidence fake Ozempic pens have been dispensed to patients from legal pharmacies and no indication any patients have been harmed, the EMA said in a statement. The fake pens were caught because they were packaged with real serial numbers that were flagged as inactive when the packs were scanned. “Check the patient information leaflet for Ozempic to see what the genuine Ozempic pens should look like,” the EMA said in its warning for patients. The fake pens were detected as Ozempic and similar medicines used for both diabetes and weight loss are in shortage in both the US and Europe. Both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly have filed lawsuits against medical spas, wellness centers and compounding pharmacies to stop them from selling what they call “unlawful” copycats.

Persons: ”, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “, Eli Lilly, it’s Organizations: CNN, European Union, European Medicines Agency, EMA, CNN Health, Novo Nordisk, ”, Nordisk Locations: United Kingdom, Germany, Europe

Poli Devi, whose 11-month-old daughter Janvi was among the children who died due to kidney injury after consuming contaminated cough syrup, holds a photo of her at their house in Ramnagar on the outskirts of Jammu, India, March 28, 2023. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNEW DELHI, Oct 4 (Reuters) - India's drug regulator has found that a cough syrup and an anti-allergy syrup made by Norris Medicines (NORI.BO) are toxic, according to a government report, months after Indian-made cough syrups were linked to 141 children's deaths worldwide. Koshia said Norris used to export the cough syrup, but did not say where. "We are aware of the CDSCO report and have communicated with that agency to ascertain where the products... have been exported," said a WHO spokeswoman. The CDSCO also found three batches of COLD OUT syrup made by Fourrts (India) Laboratories contaminated with DEG and EG.

Persons: Poli Devi, Janvi, Anushree, Koshia, Norris's, Norris, Vimal Shah, S.V, Veeramani, Adani Wilmar, Krishna N, Jennifer Rigby, Andrew Heavens, Nick Macfie, William Maclean Organizations: REUTERS, Norris Medicines, Central Drugs Standard Control, EG, Drug Control Administration, Reuters, World Health Organization, WHO, Laboratories, World Health Organisation, Fourrts, Pharmaceuticals Export, of India, Thomson Locations: Ramnagar, Jammu, India, DELHI, Gambia, Uzbekistan, Cameroon, Gujarat, Fourrts, Iraq, pharmexcil

☆ Ad spending for obesity, diabetes drugs is soaring this year, as drugmakers shell out nearly $500 million
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Drugmakers spent nearly $500 million on advertisements for obesity and diabetes treatments in the U.S. during the first seven months of this year, up 20% from the same period a year ago, according to new data released Friday. The data, from advertising analytics firm MediaRadar, demonstrates the rush by companies to capture new customers after months of hype around Novo Nordisk 's diabetes drug Ozempic and weight loss counterpart Wegovy. Those drugs and similar treatments have soared in demand this year for their ability to help patients lose unwanted pounds. U.S. health-care providers wrote more than 9 million prescriptions for Ozempic, Wegovy, and other obesity and diabetes drugs during the last three months of 2022, up 300% from early 2020. The top four drugs advertised were Novo Nordisk's Ozempic, Wegovy and diabetes pill Rybelsus and Boehringer Ingelheim's own diabetes treatment Jardiance, which is set to face drug price negotiations with the federal Medicare program.

Persons: Doctor Thomas Horbach, Wegovy, Drugmakers, MediaRadar, Boehringer Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Novo Nordisk's Ozempic Locations: Germany, Munich, U.S

☆ Cough syrup deaths overseas prompt US crackdown on toxic testing
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Defendants and lawyers attend a court hearing in the case of child deaths linked to contaminated cough syrups, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan August 16, 2023. Cough syrups made in India and Indonesia have been linked to deaths of more than 300 children globally. The medicines were found to contain high levels of DEG and EG, leading to acute kidney injury and death. IMPORT ALERTSThe FDA warning letters give manufacturers an opportunity to fix quality control problems or face penalties. In addition, 13 U.S. makers of consumer products like earwax removers, nasal spray, hand soap and shampoo, including Lex, were threatened with possible seizures and injunctions by the FDA.

Persons: Stringer, Paul Hastings, Peter Lindsay, syrups, Lex, Charlene Paz, Greg Landry, Patrick Wingrove, Rishika, Joyce Lee, Michele Gershberg, Bill Berkrot Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, FDA, Drug Administration, EG, Reuters, South, South Korea's LCC, LCC, Daxal Therapeutics, Herbals, South Korea’s KM Pharmaceutical, Sangleaf Pharma, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences, Thomson Locations: Tashkent, Uzbekistan, U.S, India, South Korea, Switzerland, Canada, Egypt, Washington ,, Indonesia, United States, Florida, South Korea's, South, New York, Rishika Sadam, Hyderabad, Seoul

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. (AP) — A major Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina that makes critical supplies for U.S. hospitals has restarted production about 10 weeks after it was heavily damaged by a tornado, the company announced Monday. Getting a majority of manufacturing lines at the Rocky Mount facility back up and running is a “proud achievement,” Pfizer said in a statement. But most of the damage was to a storage facility for raw materials, packaging supplies and finished medicines, rather than its medicine production areas, Pfizer said. The plant produces anesthesia and other drugs as well as nearly one-fourth of the sterile injectable medications Pfizer supplies to U.S. hospitals, the company said. Thirteen medicines were prioritized based on patient need and inventory levels, and are now back in production on the lines that have restarted, Pfizer said.

Persons: ROCKY, ” Pfizer Organizations: Pfizer, Rocky Locations: N.C, North Carolina, U.S

New anti-obesity drugs have the potential to transform public health, while obliterating demand for products and services from the medical, food and fitness industries. Drugs developed by Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly (LLY.N) appear to be the first truly effective diet treatments. In one clinical trial, patients taking Eli Lilly’s soon-to-be-launched weight-loss drug lost about 50 pounds (23 kg). Only about a third of those who started taking the drugs for obesity were still doing so a year later, according to one analysis. Yet even as Novo, Lilly and others see their addressable markets expand, some companies will see theirs shrink.

Persons: Lilly, George Frey, Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly’s, Novo, Wegovy, Kraft Heinz, Burger, LSEG, Michael Farrell, Zimmer Biomet, Smith, Peter Thal Larsen, Sharon Lam, Oliver Taslic Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, REUTERS, Reuters, TAM, Drugs, Alpha, Reuters Graphics Reuters, Cadbury, Mondelez, Fortune Business, Burger King, KFC, Yum Brands, Centers for Disease Control, Milken Institute, BMJ, Novo, Inspire Medical Systems, Novo Nordisk’s, WW International, Fashion, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, New, United States, Lilly, England

☆ US senators push drugmakers for details on low-cost insulin programs
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Democratic Senators Maggie Hassan and Tina Smith sent a letter asking the drugmakers for information on eligibility criteria for the programs, including whether a patient’s insurance status or income barred them from joining, and the steps insulin users had to take to sign up. Novo, Lilly and Sanofi, which account for 90% of the U.S. insulin market, pledged in March to lower the list prices of many of their insulin products by 70%-78% later this year or in 2024. The White House on Tuesday announced that a Novo insulin was among the 10 high-cost prescription drugs selected for the first-ever price negotiations by the U.S. Medicare health program that covers 66 million people. Hassan and Smith argued that to enroll in the drugmakers’ insulin programs, patients had to go through a lengthy and complicated process that required them fill out five to 10 pages of documentation and wait an unknown amount of time for approval. Around 8.4 million of the 37 million people in the United States with diabetes use insulin, according to the American Diabetes Association.

Persons: George Frey, Eli Lilly, Maggie Hassan, Tina Smith, Lilly, Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Hassan, Smith, Patrick Wingrove, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Novo Nordisk Pharmaceutical, REUTERS, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi, Democratic, U.S, Democrat, American Diabetes Association, Thomson Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, United States

☆ Ozempic could be the next target of Medicare drug price negotiations – here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Ozempic, the blockbuster diabetes treatment from Novo Nordisk , could be next in line in the price negotiations between manufacturers and Medicare. Ozempic will likely be eligible for negotiations by the time the next round of drugs is selected in 2025, for price changes that will go into effect in 2027. Novo Nordisk's Rybelsus, a diabetes drug taken orally, could also be on the list because it contains the same active ingredient as Ozempic. A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk didn't directly comment on the potential for Ozempic to be included in the next round of talks. Medicare and private insurers typically secure discounts and rebates on the drugs they cover, but it's unclear how large they are.

Persons: Biden, Ozempic, Cantor Fitzgerald, Louise Chen, Elon Musk Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Pharmacy, Ozempic, CNBC, Novo Nordisk's Rybelsus, Medicare, Services, Elon Locations: Provo , Utah, U.S, Novo

☆ Biden administration unveils first 10 drugs subject to Medicare price negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Fiasp and NovoLog, insulins made by Novo Nordisk The Medicare negotiations are the centerpiece of the Biden administration's efforts to rein in the rising cost of medications in the U.S. Drugmakers such as Merck and Johnson & Johnson and their supporters aim to derail the negotiations, filing at least eight lawsuits in recent months seeking to declare the policy unconstitutional. Drugmakers' legal challengesMerck, Johnson & Johnson, Bristol-Myers Squibb and Astellas Pharma are among the companies suing to halt the negotiation process. The suits make similar and overlapping claims that Medicare negotiations are unconstitutional. Biden and his top health officials have embraced the lawsuits as evidence that they're making progress in the fight to cut drug prices.

Persons: Biden, Joe Biden's, Boehringer Ingelheim, Johnson Januvia, Merck Farxiga, Novartis Enbrel, Amgen Imbruvica, AbbVie Stelara, Janssen, insulins, Johnson, Leigh Purvis, Drugmakers, drugmakers, Robert Davis Organizations: Bristol, Myers Squibb Jardiance, Johnson, Merck, AstraZeneca Entresto, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Medicare, Centers, Services, Biden, AARP Public, Institute, Congressional, Office, Myers Squibb, Astellas Pharma, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, Supreme, Court, Circuit Court, Pharma, White, Big Pharma Locations: U.S, Bristol

☆ England to rollout world-first seven-minute cancer treatment jab
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Boxes of Tecentriq from Genentech are seen at the Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., July 22, 2022. REUTERS/George Frey/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsAug 29 (Reuters) - Britain's state-run national health service will be the first in the world to offer an injection that treats cancer to hundreds of patients in England which could cut treatment times by up to three quarters. The treatment is currently offered by transfusion to NHS patients with a range of cancers, including lung, breast, liver and bladder. NHS England said it expected the majority of around 3,600 patients starting the treatment of atezolizumab every year in England to switch onto the time-saving injection. But added that patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy in combination with atezolizumab may remain on the transfusion.

Persons: George Frey, Dr Alexander Martin, atezolizumab, Marius Scholtz, Genentech, Roche, Farouq Suleiman, Sandra Maler Organizations: Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah, REUTERS, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Foundation Trust, Roche Products, Thomson Locations: Genentech, Salt Lake City , Utah, U.S, England, West Suffolk

☆ Obesity drug data could boost companies' case for US coverage, analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-10 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Wegovy prescriptions were up 300% at their peak, according to data from Barclays, before supply issues began to hamper sales. A COMPELLING CASEAnalysts said the data made a compelling case for long-term health benefits of the drug. Analysts were divided on whether Medicare could potentially cover Wegovy as a cardiovascular treatment without a new law passing. Three doctors specializing in obesity treatment, including a cardiologist, were not sure whether such an indication would allow for Medicare coverage. Companies that provide healthcare insurance have begun pulling back on coverage of weight loss drugs because of the high cost of the medicines.

Persons: Read, Eli Lilly, Stacie Dusetzina, Wegovy, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Evan Seigerman, Eugene Yang, Morningstar, Damien Conover, Tom Carper, Eli Lilly's, Dusetzina, Patrick Wingrove, Elissa Welle, Ahmed Aboulenein, Caroline Humer Organizations: Novo Nordisk, U.S, Vanderbilt University, Medicare, Barclays, University of Washington Medicine, Companies, Democratic, Novo, Reuters, Democrat, Republican, Thomson Locations: New York, Danish, Washington

☆ More gay men can give blood as ‘one of the most significant changes in blood banking history’ gets underway
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-07 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Over the years, the ban eased a little, but still excluded most gay men from donating. She remembers the agony gay men felt after the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub. After 49 people were killed and 53 wounded, hundreds of people waited in line for hours to donate blood. The organization said that “for decades” it has “strongly” advocated for scientifically based changes to the FDA policy about men who have sex with men. Critics say it’s not enoughOnly about 3% of Americans donate blood studies show and there are often shortages over the summer and the holidays.

Persons: Kody Kinsley, Kinsley —, ” Kinsley, Kinsley, “ It’s, “, Roy Cooper, I’ve, ”, Rodney Wilson, ” Wilson, Jed Gorlin, ” Gorlin, Gorlin, OneBlood, Susan Forbes, Forbes, ” Forbes, Jason Cianciotto, doesn’t, they’ve, Cianciotto, I’m, ” Cianciotto, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, “ There’s, we’ll, Wilson Organizations: CNN, North, North Carolina’s Department of Health, Human Services, US Food and Drug Administration, FDA, Blood Centers, York Blood Center, CNN Health, PrEP Locations: North Carolina’s, North Carolina, United Kingdom, Canada, Orlando, GMHC

☆ Focus: Drugmakers go under the skin, skirting early US Medicare price negotiations
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( Michael Erman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Each year, Medicare will add more drugs to the list, the names of which have not yet been disclosed. Faspro, launched in 2020, already accounts for more than 80% of Darzalex revenue, which is due to rise to $9.5 billion this year. Merck previously told Reuters it expects this version of Keytruda could replace the more time consuming infusion for most patients. Keytruda revenue is expected to top $24 billion this year and could exceed $30 billion as soon as 2026, according to analyst estimates. The company has said its expects revenue from subcutaneous drugs containing hyaluronidase to drive its growth going forward.

Persons: Srdjan, Johnson, drugmakers, Bristol Myers, Roche, Biden’s, Michael DiFiore, DiFiore, Joseph Wolk, Faspro, Halozyme, Helen Torley, hyaluronidase, Michael Erman, Patrick Wingrove, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: U.S, REUTERS, Wall Street, Merck & Co, Halozyme Therapeutics, Reuters, Bristol, Bristol Myers Squibb, Medicare, U.S . Centers, Medicaid Services, J, Reuters Graphics Merck, Merck, Thomson Locations: Ljubljana, Darzalex, Diego

☆ UK investigates weight loss, diabetes drugs like Wegovy and Ozempic for suicide risks
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Packages of the weight-loss drug Wegovy from the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk lie on the sales counter in a Danish pharmacy. U.K. health authorities on Wednesday said they are reviewing obesity and diabetes drugs like Novo Nordisk 's Wegovy and Ozempic after some patients who took the treatments reported thoughts of suicide or self-harm. The MHRA said the review includes all obesity and diabetes drugs available in the U.K. Aside from Ozempic and Wegovy, it includes Novo Nordisk's other weight loss drug Saxenda. Other diabetes drugs like AstraZeneca 's Bydureon, Eli Lilly 's Trulicity and Sanofi 's Lyxumia are also included in the probe. Novo Nordisk said in a statement that it received a review request from the MHRA on Monday.

Persons: MHRA, Eli Lilly, Sanofi Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Nordisk, Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, CNBC, European Union, AstraZeneca, Reuters Locations: Danish, U.S, Novo

☆ Exclusive: UK probes Novo's Ozempic, weight-loss drug Saxenda over suicidal, self-harming thoughts
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Maggie Fick | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Saxenda is Novo's older GLP-1 drug and has lower effectiveness than its newer obesity treatment Wegovy, which contains semaglutide. Novo told Reuters it had received a request on Monday from the MHRA about the agency's review of potential suicidal and self-harming thoughts related to GLP-1 drugs. The MHRA said AstraZeneca's GLP-1 drug for type 2 diabetes, called exenatide and marketed as Bydureon, was also included in the review. The MHRA said that two other GLP-1 drugs, Sanofi's (SASY.PA) lixisenatide and Eli Lilly's (LLY.N) dulaglutide, were also included. It is also investigating GLP-1 drugs for possible risk of thyroid cancer.

Persons: Novo, AstraZeneca's GLP, lixisenatide, Eli Lilly's, Sanofi, Eli Lilly, liraglutide, Alison Cave, Novo's, MHRA, Ozempic, GLP, Maggie Fick, Josephine Mason, Mark Potter, Jane Merriman Organizations: Novo Nordisk, European Union, The Medicines, Healthcare, Agency, Reuters, AstraZeneca, European Medicines Agency, Thomson Locations: Britain, Europe, United States

☆ Gambia 'advanced' in exploring legal action over toxic Indian cough syrup
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Pap Saine | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Logo of the Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd. company is seen on a board outside their office in New Delhi, India, October 6, 2022. REUTERS/Anushree Fadnavis/File PhotoCompanies Maiden Pharmaceutical Ltd FollowBANJUL, July 21 (Reuters) - Gambia's government is "far advanced" in exploring avenues for potential legal action against Indian drugmaker Maiden Pharmaceuticals and a local distributor over toxic cough syrups believed to have killed dozens of children, it said on Friday. The small West African country has hired a U.S. law firm to explore legal action, the justice minister previously told Reuters. The Indian drugmaker Maiden Pharmaceuticals has denied wrongdoing, and the Indian government says that tests it conducted on the drugs showed they were not contaminated. The World Health Organization said last year that the India-made cough syrups contained lethal toxins ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol – commonly used in car brake fluid and other products not fit for human consumption.

Persons: Anushree, syrups, Pap, Nellie Peyton, Louise Heavens, Matthew Lewis Organizations: Maiden Pharmaceuticals Ltd, REUTERS, Maiden Pharmaceutical, Indian, Pharmaceuticals, Medicines Control Agency, MCA, Reuters, Atlantic Pharmaceuticals, Government of, World Health Organization, World Bank, Thomson Locations: New Delhi, India, BANJUL, Gambia, Government of India, Banjul

☆ Drug shortages’ effects on cancer research may be felt for years to come
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-20 | by ( Jen Christensen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

But these shortages aren’t just bad for current patients, experts say; their effects on cancer research may be felt for years to come. The National Cancer Institute, the federal government’s main agency for cancer research and training, told CNN that at least 174 of its own trials may be affected by the shortages. Cisplatin and other platinum-based drugs are prescribed for 10% to 20% of all cancer patients, according to the National Cancer Institute. Crucial work on hold“With drug shortages, trials have become almost like an impossible task. “These drug shortages come and go, and there’s no real rhyme or reason, and there seems to be no rhyme or reason in terms of which institutions have shortages.

Persons: Joe Biden, it’s, ’ ”, Shadia Jalal, Indiana University Melvin, Jalal, She’s, they’ve, ” Jalal, “, ”, haven’t, “ We’ve, Mark Fleury, Fleury, you’re, ” Fleury, Dmitry Walker, Merck, We’ve, ” Walker, there’s, Biden, Lawrence Feldman, ” Feldman, Feldman, Dr, Sanjay Gupta, ‘ Organizations: CNN, National Cancer Institute, American Society of Health, Cancer, Indiana University, Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, Hematology, Oncology, IU School of Medicine, Hoosier Cancer Research Network, Veterans Administration, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Cancer Society, WVU Medicine, US Food, Pharmacists, National Comprehensive Cancer Network, University of Illinois Medical Center, CNN Health Locations: United States, China, Chicago

☆ Second Alzheimer’s drug to slow disease’s progression may be approved in the US this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-17 | by ( Meg Tirrell | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

It was shown in May and in fuller Phase 3 clinical trial results released at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference on Monday to delay the disease’s progression. More than 6 million Americans are estimated to have Alzheimer’s disease, with about 1 million estimated to be in the early symptomatic stages where these drugs have shown benefit. Both Leqembi and donanemab work by clearing buildups of a protein in the brain called amyloid, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s. It’s been a hypothesis that treating Alzheimer’s earlier with amyloid-clearing drugs would yield better results; Skovronsky said the donanemab trial bore that out. “We could look at people who had mild cognitive impairment, MCI, which is the earliest stage, versus mild Alzheimer’s versus moderate Alzheimer’s,” Skovronsky explained.

Persons: Leqembi, Eli Lilly’s donanemab, Lilly, “ Donanemab, Jennifer Manly, Kacie, ”, Dr, Gil Rabinovici, Renaud La Joie, Daniel Skovronsky, “, Skovronsky, ” Skovronsky, It’s, Eric Widera, Sharon Brangman, University of Wisconsin’s Dr, Nathaniel Chin, Donanemab, Lilly hasn’t, Lawrence Honig, Honig, White, Sanjay Gupta, Deters, ” Lilly, it’s “, it’s, there’s, Joe Montminy Organizations: CNN, Alzheimer’s Association, Food and Drug Administration, American Medical Association, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, University of California, MCI, SUNY, University of Wisconsin’s, Leqembi, FDA, donanemab, CNN Health, ” Manly Locations: Los Angeles, “

Search resuls for: "The Medicines"

25 mentions found