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The logo of Swiss drugmaker Roche is seen at its headquarters in Basel, Switzerland January 30, 2020. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsZURICH, Dec 4 (Reuters) - Roche (ROG.S) agreed to take over obesity drug developer Carmot Therapeutics (CRMO.O) for $2.7 billion, joining a list global contestants seeking to challenge the dominant makers of weight-loss drugs Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) and Eli Lilly. After encouraging Phase I trial results, the drug is ready to be tested on humans in the second of three trial stages, Roche added. Among recent deals to acquire obesity drug development projects, AstraZeneca (AZN.L) last month agreed to pay up to $2 billion for the rights to an experimental pill from China's Eccogene. Roche will obtain access to Carmot's current R&D portfolio including all clinical and preclinical assets.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, ROG.S, Eli Lilly, Swiss drugmaker, Roche, . New Roche, Thomas Schinecker, Ludwig Burger, Noel Illien, Rachel More, Louise Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Carmot Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, Swiss, ., Alzheimer's

☆ Roche enters obesity market with Carmot takeover but drugs may not be available until 2030
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Karen Gilchrist | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

BRAZIL - 2021/11/26: In this photo illustration a F. HoffmannLa Roche AG logo is seen on a screen and a hand holding a pill. (Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)Swiss pharmaceuticals giant Roche is set to acquire anti obesity drug developer Carmot Therapeutics, becoming the latest company to attempt to unseat Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's dominance within the global weight-loss drugs market. The U.S. takeover target's early-stage technology could help crack highly prized oral obesity treatments, Roche Pharmaceuticals CEO Teresa Graham said Monday, but it may be several years before the drugs are widely available. The deal will provide Roche access to Carmot's current research and development portfolio, including all clinical and preclinical assets. Shares of the Swiss company, which have been in the doldrums this year, were up 2.25% following the news of the acquisition.

Persons: HoffmannLa Roche, Rafael Henrique, Roche, Eli Lilly's, Teresa Graham, we'll, Graham, CNBC's Julianna Tatelbaum, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro Organizations: Getty Images, Carmot Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, U.S, Roche Pharmaceuticals, Roche Locations: BRAZIL, Swiss, California

☆ Roche’s late obesity punt offers wider market cure
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 4 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Roche’s (ROG.S) foray into the prospective $100 billion obesity market can bring wider benefits. On Monday, the $224 billion Swiss pharma group said it had agreed to take over weight-loss drug developer Carmot Therapeutics for $2.7 billion. Market leader Novo Nordisk (NOVOb.CO) is already selling obesity drugs in the U.S. and parts of Europe. Still, Schinecker’s obesity bet could turn successful if it ends up undercutting obesity pioneers on prices. With over 1 billion people globally classed as seriously overweight, other drugmakers will follow Roche on the obesity bandwagon.

Persons: drugmaker Roche, Arnd, Eli Lilly’s, Thomas Schinecker, Eli Lilly, Eccogene, Roche, Aimee Donnellan, Neiman Marcus, Lisa Jucca, Oliver Taslic Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Swiss pharma, Carmot Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, AstraZeneca, Novo, X, Saks, Thomson Locations: Basel, Switzerland, U.S, Europe, Hong Kong

Indeed, studies show that drinking alcohol is less in vogue with younger millennials and Gen Z. Mounting concern around weight loss drugs GLP-1 drugs, which mimic the action of the glucagon-like peptide-1 hormone and stimulate insulin secretion after a meal, lower blood sugar and send feeling of fullness to the brain. What's more, GLP-1 drugs are an overwhelmingly American topic, with most Europeans unaware of them or unwilling to pay high prices. In total, GLP-1 users are only a very small slice of total alcohol consumers, said Spiros Malandrakis, lead alcohol industry researcher at Euromonitor International. The most vulnerable purveyors are those that are trailing the shift in consumption, notably domestic, non-premium beer brands.

Persons: Katie Pell, Pell, wasn't, millennials, Eli Lilly's Mounjaro, Goldman Sachs, Jason English, Nadine Sarwat, Bernstein, Sarwat, Spiros Malandrakis, —, BUD YTD, who'd, Mickey Velado, Brian Sudano, Nell Healy, Healy, she's, Malandrakis, Ryan Brigden, Brigden, Sudano, Joseph Gabelli, Gabelli, Z, there's, it's, Garrett Nelson, They've, seltzer, Nelson, Molson Coors, Bud, he's Organizations: Gallup, Drugs, Nordisk's Ozempic, JPMorgan, CNBC, Euromonitor, Anheuser, Busch Inbev, Beverage Marketing, Constellation, Guinness, Corona, Heineken, Athletic Brewing Company, Heineken Holding, Carlsberg, Constellation Brands, Malandrakis, Beverage, Gabelli, Diageo, Molson Coors, Busch InBev, Molson, Anheuser Busch Locations: Brooklyn, U.S, GLP, imbibing, Angeles, Colorado, Washington, California, North Carolina, San Francisco Bay, Europe, British, Brazil, India

For years, the school psychologist has been active in Muslim-Jewish interfaith dialogue, but the Israel-Hamas war left her reeling. These conversations are becoming increasingly difficult, with the war and its polarizing reverberations in America testing and straining some interfaith relationships more than ever. “We’re very courageous, you and I, because we don’t stop talking,” Seltzer told Quaizar. The Kaufman Interfaith Institute held a meeting that highlighted the challenges ahead, said Fred Stella, who is a member of the organization’s advisory board. At the Sisterhood conference, Quaizar said communicating with Jewish members has helped her through her anger.

Persons: Shireen Quaizar, ”, Quaizar, Aviva Seltzer, ” Seltzer, ” Quaizar nodded, “ We’re, Atiya Aftab, Roberta Elliott, who’s, ” They’ve, ” Aftab, She’s, she’s, Elliott, ’, “ We’ve, we’ve, Aftab, “, ” Andrea Hodos, we’re, Fred Stella, they’ve, there’s, ” Hodos, — Rawda Elbatrawish, Liora Pelavin, Jewish —, Elbatrawish, Pelavin —, who's, —, Seltzer Organizations: Aviva, ”, Los, Kaufman Interfaith Institute, ” Interfaith, Jewish, Israel Defense Forces, Sisterhood, “, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: Israel, New Brunswick , New Jersey, Salaam Shalom, America, Los Angeles, Teaneck , New Jersey, Egypt

☆ All the 'Virgin River' books, in order
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Esme Mazzeo | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +22 min

While waiting for season six, here's the full list of books in the "Virgin River" series and the correct order to read them in. "Virgin River" (2007)"Virgin River" HarperCollins"Wanted: Midwife/nurse practitioner in Virgin River, population six hundred. "A Virgin River Christmas" (2008)"A Virgin River Christmas" HarperCollins"Last Christmas Marcie Sullivan said a final goodbye to her husband, Bobby. But the Sheridan and Riordan families have different plans for Patrick and Angie and for Christmas, Virgin River style!" "Return to Virgin River" (2020)"Return to Virgin River."

Persons: —, Robyn Carr, Melinda Monroe, she's, Mel, …, Sheridan, John, Middleton, Paige Lassiter, Semper Fidelis —, it's, Brie Sheridan, Mike Valenzuela, Virgin River's, Mike, Brie, Marcie Sullivan, Bobby, Ian Buchanan, Bobby's, Ian, Marcie, Ian doesn't, Virgin River, Vanessa Rutledge, Vanessa, Matt, Paul Haggerty, he's, Matt's, Paul, Shelby McIntyre, Luke Riordan, Shelby, Luke, Rick Sudder, Iraq —, Rick, Dan Brady, they'd, Nathaniel Jensen, Annie McCarty, Noah Kincaid, Noah, Ellie Baldwin, Ellie, Franci Duncan, Sean Riordan, Sean, — he's, Franci, Rosie, Erin Foley, Erin, Aiden Riordan, journaling, there's, Drew Foley, Sunny Archer, Sunny, Drew, Clay Tahoma, Lilly Yazhi, Lilly, There's, Clay, HarperCollins, Colin Riordan, Jillian Matlock, Jillian, Colin, Kelly, Kelly's, Lief Holbrook, Courtney, Becca Timm, Denny Cutler, Denny, Becca, Connor Danson, Leslie Petruso didn't, Connor, Leslie, Katie Malone, Katie doesn't, Dylan Childress, Dylan, Katie, Nora Crane, they've, harvesttime, Tom Cavanaugh, Nora doesn't, Nora, She's, Tom won't, Riordan, Patrick, Angie LeCroix, Jack Sheridan, she'd, Patrick Riordan, Angie, Kaylee Organizations: Netflix, Service, HarperCollins, California, Virgin, Virgin River, eBay, Bar, Marines, redwoods Locations: California, Virgin River, Virgin, Sacramento, Fallujah, Vanni, Paradise, Iraq, Los Angeles, —, Jill's, San Francisco, LA, Kelly's, Redwood, Southern California

MEXICO CITY (AP) — When music requires her to cry, Japanese traditional dancer Naoko Kihara barely alters her expression. “It is the dance that is speaking, interpreting, since we do not smile, shout or laugh.”Kihara won’t reveal her age, but she’s been practicing Japanese traditional dance for almost 24 years. For Latin American audiences, Kihara said, Japanese traditional dance might be hard to embrace. “It’s to be humble,” Kawasaki said, and because Japanese traditional dance maintains profound codes. “Through Japanese dance, we connect,” she said.

Persons: Naoko Kihara, ”, she’s, Kawabe, Kihara, Mexico —, “, Aimi Kawasaki, Kawasaki, ” Kawasaki, ” Kihara, Eiko, ” Moriya Organizations: MEXICO CITY, Mexico City, “, Mount, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: MEXICO, Japanese, Mexico, Brazil, Tokyo, Japan, Ginreikai, Ginrekai

☆ December's 'best-in-class' stocks include this obesity beneficiary, Wall Street analysts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

An obesity beneficiary and a snack foods company are just a few of the top stocks to buy in December, analysts said this week. Wall Street research firms named a slew of companies that they believe have upside heading into the years end. Obin said the company has a "preponderance" of margin tailwinds for 2024, including "differentiated auto exposure, underappreciated margin expansion opportunities, and best-in-class execution." "We are including BUY-rated EL in our research team's Best-of-Breed Bison initiative, which focuses on long-term best-in-class companies with sustainable competitive moats," analyst Linda Bolton Weiser said earlier this week. Estee Lauder — DA Davidson, buy rating "We are including BUY-rated EL in our research team's Best-of-Breed Bison initiative, which focuses on long-term best-in-class companies with sustainable competitive moats.

Persons: Estee Lauder, Gracell Biotechnologies, Eli Lilly, Andrew Obin, Obin, it's, Nik Modi, Modi, MDLZ, Mondelez, LSEG, Estee Lauder DA Davidson, Linda Bolton Weiser, Bolton Weiser, Gracell, Eli Lilly — Morgan Stanley, Estee Lauder —, Davidson Organizations: CNBC, ITT, Gracell, Bank of America, RBC, ISI, pharma, ITT — Bank of America

☆ Pfizer's twice-daily weight loss pill joins a long list of obesity drug flops
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

That includes Novo Nordisk 's Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic as well as Eli Lilly 's diabetes drug Mounjaro. They have all skyrocketed in popularity — and slipped into shortages — over the last year for safely and successfully causing significant weight loss. But before the current weight loss industry gold rush, the path to treating obesity was strewn with failures dating back decades. In its full-year 2019 earnings, Eisai reported that Lorcaserin had sales of $28.1 million in the U.S. for the year. Sanofi's rimonabantAn obesity drug called rimonabant from Sanofi and Aventis was withdrawn from all markets in 2008 due to the risk of serious psychiatric problems, including suicide.

Persons: Eli Lilly, drugmakers, lorcaserin, Eisai, Lorcaserin Organizations: Getty, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, U.S, Drug Administration, FDA, Aventis, Abbott Laboratories Locations: U.S, Sanofi

☆ Maker of Wegovy, Ozempic showers money on U.S. obesity doctors
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +23 min

Novo spent at least $25.8 million over the past decade on U.S. medical professionals to promote its two obesity drugs, Wegovy and Saxenda, the analysis found. Jastreboff has also worked on clinical trials of obesity drugs for Eli Lilly, which markets a Wegovy competitor. Some doctors said Novo’s payments exemplify how the flood of industry money can dominate decision-making about care and coverage. Government pharmacy officer Solaru said her agency concluded that the new obesity drugs could be cost-effective by preventing other weight-related diseases and boosting workplace productivity. In January, the personnel office told its health plans they must cover at least one GLP-1 obesity drug for 8 million workers, retirees and family members.

Persons: Lee Kaplan, Kaplan, ”, gastroenterologist, He’s, Novo, Donna Ryan, Ryan, “, ” Kaplan, ” Novo, Robert Lustig, “ I’m, Lustig, They’re, Ania, ” Jastreboff, Jastreboff, Eli Lilly, Lilly’s Zepbound, Lilly, ” Lilly, Novo’s, Ayana, Sanders, Arthur Kellermann, ” Kellermann, mouthpieces, ’ ”, “ I'm, Jamy Ard, Ard, Dele, ” Solaru, ” Ryan, Scott Kahan, Kahan, Solaru, Christine Gallagher, Wegovy, Rebekah Carl, Carl, Jen Wexler, gaunt, Wexler Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Dartmouth, Nutrition Institute, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Reuters, Cambridge, Obesity Society, U.S ., Management, Reuters . Pharmaceutical, ”, U.S, United, National Health Service, University of California, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Doctors, Wegovy’s, BMI, Yale University’s Center, Weight Management, Wall Street, American Medical Association, Rutgers University’s School of Public Health, Affordable, . Pharmaceutical, Companies, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Wake Forest University, Wake Forest Baptist Health Weight Management, Obesity, Pennington Biomedical Research, U.S . National Institutes of Health, Personnel Management, Coalition, STOP, George Washington University, Novo Locations: CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, Boston, U.S, Novo, Danish, United States, Louisiana, San Francisco, Wegovy, Pennington, Baton Rouge , Louisiana, Government, New Columbia , Pennsylvania, Florida

☆ Pfizer to discontinue twice-daily weight loss pill due to high rates of adverse side effects
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Pfizer on Friday said it would stop developing the twice-daily version of its experimental weight loss pill after obese patients taking the drug lost weight but had trouble tolerating the drug in a mid-stage clinical study. The company is betting on a successful weight loss pill to help it rebound from plummeting demand for its Covid products and a roughly 40% share price drop this year. Pfizer's phase two trial on its twice-daily pill followed around 600 obese adults who did not have Type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, placebo-adjusted weight loss was 8% to 13% at 32 weeks and 5% to 9.5% at 26 weeks, Pfizer said. No new safety issues were observed, and danuglipron was not associated with increased liver enzymes like Pfizer's other discontinued weight loss pill.

Persons: Albert Bourla, Eli Lilly, danuglipron Organizations: Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Nordisk's Wegovy

☆ Why Pfizer's latest stumble in the obesity market is a boon for Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Kevin Stankiewicz | In Kevinstankiewicz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

In June, the New York-based pharmaceutical giant stopped developing a different obesity pill, known as lotiglipron , due to concerns about liver safety. Meanwhile, Eli Lilly shares were mainly flat in afternoon trading, at around $591apiece. We lifted our Eli Lilly price target Friday to $630 per share, up from $600. Eli Lilly and Danish rival Novo Nordisk (NVO) are the two dominant players in the obesity market. The longer it takes for competitors to get to this burgeoning market, the more revenue first-movers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk can capture.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Jim Cramer, Lilly's, Novo's, Jim, Eli Lilly —, —, Eli, that's, — Novo's, Novo, semaglutide, Jim Cramer's, AJ Mast Organizations: Pfizer, Club, Novo Nordisk, Pharmaceutical, Amgen, AstraZeneca, Bank of America, U.S . National Library of Medicine, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty Locations: New York, Danish, Lilly, U.S, Indianapolis , Indiana

☆ Pfizer drops plan to study twice-daily obesity pill in late-stage studies
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A person walks past the Pfizer Headquarters building in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., November 9, 2020. Pfizer said it would instead focus on a once-daily, modified release version of danuglipron and "gathering the data to understand its potential profile". In the current study of the twice-daily version, Pfizer said the drug, however, met the main goal of reducing weight in adults with obesity and without type 2 diabetes. Pfizer said while the common side effects in the twice-daily version study were mild, it saw high rates of those events in the trial. However, no new safety signals were observed in the study, Pfizer said.

Persons: Carlo Allegri, danuglipron, Eli Lilly's, Mikael Dolsten, Pfizer, Manas Mishra, Michael Erman, Shinjini Organizations: Pfizer, REUTERS, Zepbound, Thomson Locations: Manhattan, New York City , New York, U.S, Bengaluru, New York

☆ Why investors should stick with Eli Lilly
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Every weekday the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer holds a Morning Meeting livestream at 10:20 a.m. The treatment — which Jim Cramer has said could become the greatest-selling drug of all time — received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last month, bolstering Eli Lilly shares. As a subscriber to the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer, you will receive a trade alert before Jim makes a trade. THE ABOVE INVESTING CLUB INFORMATION IS SUBJECT TO OUR TERMS AND CONDITIONS AND PRIVACY POLICY , TOGETHER WITH OUR DISCLAIMER . NO FIDUCIARY OBLIGATION OR DUTY EXISTS, OR IS CREATED, BY VIRTUE OF YOUR RECEIPT OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN CONNECTION WITH THE INVESTING CLUB.

Persons: Jim Cramer, Bond, Jerome Powell, Goldman Sachs, STZ, Eli Lilly, —, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: CNBC, Nasdaq, Treasury, Federal, Club, Constellation Brands, Pfizer, U.S . Food, Drug Administration Locations: U.S

☆ We're updating price targets for 6 stocks and changing our rating for Palo Alto
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jeff Marks | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

The Club on Friday is changing the rating and price target on one of our favorite stocks, and updating the price targets on 5 other names in the portfolio to reflect recent quarterly earnings reports, new developments at the companies and broader economic forces. We're increasing our price target on shares of Palo Alto (PANW) to $300 from $280. We're raising our price target on shares of Salesforce (CRM) to $275 from $240. We're lowering our price target for Ford (F) stock to $13 from $16. We're lifting our price target on shares of Eli Lilly (LLY) to $630 from $600.

Persons: PANW, Ford, Linde's, Linde, Eli Lilly, it's, It's, Jim Cramer's, Jim Cramer, Jim Organizations: Palo, Palo Alto Networks, Costco, Ford, UAW, Management, Motors, GM, Linde, LIN, P Healthcare, donanemab, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, CNBC Locations: Alzheimer's, Lilly, Santa Clara , California

Pfizer shares sank Friday when the drugmaker said it would abandon a twice-daily obesity treatment after more than half the patients in a clinical trial stopped taking it. But Novo and Pfizer are also trying to develop pill versions that would be easier for patients to take. Pfizer said it saw patient discontinuation rates topping 50% across all doses in a mid-stage study of twice-daily danuglipron. It ranged from nearly 7% to more than 11% in patients taking the pills. By comparison, obese patients without diabetes lost about 18% of their weight compared to a placebo when taking taking Eli Lilly’s Zepbound in late-stage research.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, Mikael Dolsten Organizations: Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Novo, Drug Administration, Pfizer Inc Locations: York

More than 8,000 people, mostly Native Hawaiians, perished at Kalaupapa, including Damien, who eventually contracted leprosy, later called Hansen’s disease. Damien’s love for Kalaupapa’s people was unconditional, said Barbara Jean Wajda of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. “They keep me like this, make me strong.”She enjoys when people visit and when the church brings pilgrims, she said. The walls of the sisters' house, Kalaupapa’s largest dwelling, are filled with photos of the sisters who worked on the settlement after Marianne. “And we both feel connected to the patients, to the land, to the saints who were here, declared and undeclared,” Wajda said.

Persons: Saint Damien of Molokai, Kalaupapa’s, Damien’s, ”, Lance Toyofuku, ” Kalaupapa, Father Damien, Mother Marianne —, Alicia Damien Lau, Damien, Joseph De Veuster, Saint Marianne, Patrick Killilea, “ Fr, Paddy, “ It’s, Philomena, Barbara Jean Wajda, Francis, Lau, ” Marianne Cope, Marianne, Tonata Lolesio, ” Lolesio, “, Honolulu Bishop Larry Silva’s, Silva, didn’t, that’s, Wajda, Francis Church, she’s, Watanuki, ” Bishop Silva, ” Keani Rawlins, Fernandez, Mother Marianne, Marianne . Lau, Alicia, ” Wajda, ” They’ve Organizations: Toyota, National Park Service, St, Neumann, Sacred Hearts School, Honolulu Bishop, “, Associated Press, Maui County Council, Lilly Endowment Inc, AP Locations: KALAUPAPA, Hawaii, Kalaupapa, Molokai, Belgian, Hawaii’s, Honolulu, Belgium, Germany, Maui, Lahaina, American Samoa, Maui County

☆ One ETF that focuses on employee happiness is outperforming the market this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Alex Harring | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Executives don't need to worry about Irrational misrepresenting their company, and participation can open them up to potential inclusion in products such as an ETF, van Adelsberg said. In total, the ETF recently held nearly 150 equities and is benchmarked to the CIBC Human Capital Index. Still, the team noted some challenges in building broader awareness of what human capital is or why it matters. "In this market, what we're seeing is that those companies who have strong human capital ratings are outperforming," van Adelsberg said. "The role that human capital plays in driving future equity performance isn't going down.

Persons: doesn't, Kristof Gleich, –, it's, Gleich, …, Morningstar, HAPI, David van Adelsberg, van Adelsberg, Eli Lilly, Johnson, Berkshire Hathaway, JPMorgan Chase, they've, It's Organizations: Capital Factor, Capital Advisors, Irrational, ETF, Microsoft, Apple, Nvidia, Meta, Morningstar, Mastercard, Berkshire, CIBC Human, JPMorgan, Securities, Exchange

☆ US obesity docs expect Lilly weight-loss drug to show similar heart benefit as Wegovy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

REUTERS/Mike Segar Acquire Licensing RightsDec 1 (Reuters) - Some leading U.S. obesity specialists say they expect Eli Lilly’s (LLY.N) powerful weight-loss drug Zepbound will produce the same or similar heart benefits as Novo Nordisk’s (NOVOb.CO) popular Wegovy as they belong to the same class of medicines. In Novo's pivotal Wegovy trial involving 17,604 overweight and obese people without diabetes, the drug reduced incidence of heart attack, stroke or heart-related death by an impressive 20%. The product, which has the same active ingredient - tirzepatide - as its previously approved diabetes drug Mounjaro, is expected to start shipping it before the end of the year. They said they would readily prescribe Wegovy (semaglutide) if their patients' insurance did not cover Lilly’s drug, or if future trial results do not produce similar heart benefits. Lilly declined to comment on doctors' views that Zepbound might have the same or similar cardiovascular benefits as Wegovy.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Mike Segar, Eli Lilly’s, Lilly, Danish drugmaker, Edmond Wickham, Emily, Zepbound, Tirzepatide, ”, Rohit Kedia, Novo, Chad Weldy, semaglutide, tirzepatide, Farxiga, Boehringer Ingelheim, Lilly’s Jardiance, Patrick Wingrove, Caroline Humer, Bill Berkrot Organizations: Company, REUTERS, Novo, Wegovy, Virginia Commonwealth University . The, Virginia Commonwealth University . The U.S . Food, Drug Administration, Wall Street, Barclays, Providence, Stanford University, Thomson Locations: Branchburg , New Jersey, Danish, Virginia Commonwealth University . The U.S, Zepbound, U.S

☆ US FDA gives second approval to Eli Lilly's drug for type of blood cancer
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 1 (Reuters) - Eli Lilly (LLY.N) said on Friday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave a second approval for its drug Jaypirca, which is used to treat a form of blood cancer. The company said the health regulator gave the new approval to the drug for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a type of cancer in which the bone marrow makes too many of certain white blood cells. Jaypirca was first given accelerated approval by the FDA on Jan. 27 for the treatment of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), a rare type of blood cancer that starts in white blood cells and spreads to other parts of the body. MCL is a more aggressive form of cancer compared to CLL, according to the National Institutes of Health. The drug aims to treat adults with CLL after at least two lines of therapy.

Persons: Eli Lilly, LLY.N, Jaypirca, Christy Santhosh, Arun Koyyur Organizations: U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, National Institutes of Health, CLL, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

☆ Novo Nordisk finds compounded Wegovy up to 33% impure, sues Florida pharmacies
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Patrick Wingrove | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/2] Injection pens of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss drug Wegovy are shown in this photo illustration in Oslo, Norway, November 21, 2023. The Danish drugmaker said it found impurities in all the drugs tested from Wells Pharmacy and Brooksville Pharmaceuticals, both based in Florida. Novo said the compounded versions of Wegovy tested from Brooksville were also less potent than advertised, with one sample shown to be at least 19% weaker than indicated. The drugmaker has already filed 12 lawsuits against medical spas, weight-loss clinics and compounding pharmacies offering products that claim to contain semaglutide. The case against Wells was filed in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Ocala division and the suit against Brooksville in U.S. District Court, Middle District of Florida, Tampa division.

Persons: Victoria Klesty, Danish drugmaker, Novo, Brooksville, ” Jason Brett, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Wells, Patrick Wingrove, Josephine Mason, Bill Berkrot, Jane Merriman Organizations: REUTERS, Novo Nordisk, Wells Pharmacy, Brooksville Pharmaceuticals, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, Novo's, Middle District of, Brooksville, Thomson Locations: Oslo, Norway, Victoria, Danish, Florida, Wells, U.S, Middle District, Middle District of Florida, Ocala, Tampa

☆ Jim Cramer explains why it's hard to be bullish on the healthcare sector
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Julie Coleman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

CNBC's Jim Cramer on Thursday told investors why it's hard to be bullish about healthcare stocks, citing challenges stemming from government action and lack of innovation. According to Cramer, the healthcare sector is "in the crosshairs" of the U.S. government because of the upcoming election. Johnson & Johnson and Bristol Meyers are among several drug makers to file lawsuits against the government, broadly arguing that the pricing measures are unconstitutional. The Federal Trade Commission is doing its best to block mergers in the sector, Cramer said. Aside form drug makers, Cramer added that medical device companies haven't seen their business pick up since Covid, also hurting the sector overall.

Persons: CNBC's Jim Cramer, Cramer, Johnson, Bristol Meyers, Eli Lilly Organizations: Biden Administration, Johnson, Federal Trade Commission Locations: Cigna

☆ Here are Thursday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Eli Lilly, Salesforce, Snowflake, Snap, Pinterest and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Jefferies upgrades Pinterest and Snap to buy from hold Jefferies sees growth upside in 2024 for both stocks. " Wolfe upgrades Ally Financial to outperform from peer perform Wolfe said in its upgrade of the financial company that it's well-positioned. "In an environment where the probability of a mild recession or soft landing both appear plausible, we believe ALLY is well positioned to outperform in either scenario and upgrade shares to Outperform." "We continue to believe that Salesforce is on track to become the next quality [growth at a reasonable price] stock." Goldman Sachs reiterates Snowflake as buy Goldman Sachs stood by its buy rating on Snowflake after earnings on Wednesday.

Persons: Berenberg, Eli Lilly, Lilly, Wells, BTIG, Jefferies, Bernstein, Burger, Wolfe, TD Cowen downgrades Okta, Cowen, Stifel, Raymond James, Morgan Stanley, Bilibili, BILI, Baird, Pat Shanahan, Wells Fargo, Salesforce, Goldman Sachs, Snowflake, DUK Organizations: pharma, Nvidia, NVIDIA, Jefferies, SNAP, BK, UBS, Service Corporation, Deutsche Bank, Lattice Semiconductor, Apple, JPMorgan, Nokia, Infineon, Watch, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Barclays, GE Healthcare, Airbus, Bank of America, Duke Energy, HSBC, Molson Coors Locations: FTCH, North America, China

☆ Novo Nordisk sues two pharmacies for allegedly selling tainted Wegovy, Ozempic knockoffs
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Annika Kim Constantino | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Compounding pharmacies prepare custom-made versions of commercially available treatments to meet the specific needs of a patient. Novo Nordisk first sued Brooksville Pharmaceuticals over copycat versions of Wegovy and Ozempic in July. Including the newest lawsuits, Novo Nordisk has filed 12 legal actions against compounding pharmacies, medical spas and weight loss clinics allegedly selling dupes of Wegovy and Ozempic. That puts patients "at risk of taking drug products that are less effective than expected based on their labeling," according to Novo Nordisk. Several states have also threatened to take legal action against compounding pharmacies that make or distribute unapproved variations of Novo Nordisk's weight loss treatments.

Persons: Eli Lilly, Jason Brett, Novo Organizations: Novo Nordisk, Wells Pharmacy Network, Brooksville Pharmaceuticals, Nordisk, Wells Pharmacy, Novo, U.S . Food, Drug Administration, FDA, CNBC PRO Locations: Oslo, Norway, Florida, U.S, Danish, Ozempic

☆ Can a Big Pharma Ever Be Worth $1 Trillion?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( David Wainer | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Daniel Skovronsky, chief scientific and medical officer at Eli Lilly, pushed the company to move more quickly and focus more on science. Photo: Maddie McGarvey for The Wall Street JournalThere are five tech companies valued at over $1 trillion. In healthcare, the closest contender is Eli Lilly . This year it became the first big pharmaceutical to surpass a market capitalization of $500 billion thanks to the popularity of its obesity and diabetes medications and, to a lesser extent, its experimental Alzheimer’s drug. But hanging over Lilly and rival Novo Nordisk is a reality that puts the brakes on big pharma’s ascent: the patent cliff.

Persons: Daniel Skovronsky, Eli Lilly, Maddie McGarvey, Lilly Organizations: Wall, Novo Nordisk

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