Eli Lilly Names Richmond, Virginia, As First Of Four Upcoming Expansion Sites

Becker's Hospital Review: Eli Lilly Plans $5B API Plant In Virginia
Eli Lilly is building a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Richmond, Va. It is the company’s first fully integrated facility for active pharmaceutical ingredients. The site is also intended to support the drugmaker’s bioconjugate platform and monoclonal antibody portfolio, including antibody drug conjugates for cancer, autoimmune diseases and other conditions, according to an Sept. 16 news release from Eli Lilly. (Murphy, 9/16)

In other pharma and tech news —

Fierce Healthcare: Optum Rx Rolls Out New Brand Drug Pricing Model For Pharmacies
Optum Rx, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the U.S., has increased reimbursement minimums for brand drugs for approximately 2,300 independent pharmacies. The initiative builds on the company's commitment earlier this year to modernize its pharmacy payment model. Optum Rx said in March it would shift to a cost-based model, which will better align with "the costs pharmacies may face due to manufacturer pricing actions." (Landi, 9/17)

Bloomberg: FDA Crackdown Flags Oprah Video And Drug Ad With Morgan Freeman
US regulators issued a flurry of letters calling out pharmaceutical companies for allegedly misleading ads, part of a promised Trump administration crackdown on the industry’s ubiquitous TV spots, and warned Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk A/S about their blockbuster obesity drug marketing. Most of the letters, sent to companies including AstraZeneca Plc, Bristol Myers Squibb Co. and AbbVie Inc., detail concerns with their online, broadcast and print marketing, ranging from hiring actors who appear too healthy to omitting key safety risks. (Garde, 9/16)

AP: Trump FDA Takes Aim At Telehealth Services In Drug Advertising Blitz
For the first time, federal health officials are taking aim at telehealth companies promoting unofficial versions of prescription drugs — including popular weight loss medications — as part of the Trump administration’s crackdown on pharmaceutical advertising. The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday posted more than 100 letters to various drugmakers and online prescribing companies, including Hims & Hers, which has built a multibillion-dollar business centered around lower-cost versions of blockbuster obesity injections. (Perrone, 9/16)

The Boston Globe: Experimental Narcolepsy Drugs Bring Hope To Patients
When Katelynn O’Connell takes her lunch break at work, she follows a routine that sets her apart from other employees. Each day at noon, she unfolds a cot in her small office, turns on a white noise machine, and takes a 30-minute nap. O’Connell has narcolepsy, a rare disorder that makes it difficult for people to stay awake during the day, disrupts their sleep at night, and, in some cases, causes sudden muscle weakness that makes them collapse. Since narcolepsy was first described in medical literature more than a century ago, people like O’Connell could only hope to treat its symptoms, leaving them vulnerable to the chronic sleepiness, depression, and feelings of isolation that mark the disease. (Saltzman, 9/16)

MedPage Today: Substantial Number Of People Ditch Wegovy Within A Year
Over half of people who started using semaglutide (Wegovy) for weight loss ditched it within the first 12 months, a Danish population-based study found. Among 77,310 adults without diabetes who began taking semaglutide after it was approved for weight loss, 40,262 (52%) were no longer taking it by month 12, reported Reimar Thomsen, MD, PhD, of Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark. (Monaco, 9/16)

Becker's Hospital Review: 4 Medical Device Recalls And Corrections
Here are four of the latest recalls and corrections reported to the FDA. Dexcom corrects G7 and One + CGM apps over missed sensor failure alerts: Dexcom is issuing a correction for certain versions of its G7 and ONE+ continuous glucose monitoring apps due to a software design error that may fail to alert users of sensor transmitter failure. Users were instructed to update their apps to restore alert functions. No injuries or deaths have been reported. (Murphy, 9/16)