Facing Huge Demand, Wegovy’s Maker Will Restrict Supplies For Months
Novo Nordisk's restrictions of U.S. starter dose supplies will stay in place for the coming financial quarters, with soaring demand to blame. Separately, a study suggests that half of all prescriptions for GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy could come from telehealth providers.
Reuters:
Novo Nordisk Extends U.S. Supply Curbs On Weight-Loss Drug Wegovy
Novo Nordisk will continue to restrict U.S. supplies of starter doses of its hugely popular Wegovy weight-loss drug in the coming quarters, it said on Thursday, as the company struggles to keep up with soaring U.S. demand. (Skydsgaard, 8/10)
Stat:
Telehealth Drives Many Weight Loss Drug Prescriptions, Claims Suggest
As a new class of obesity medications has soared in popularity, so have the online outlets built to get them in the hands of patients. A new analysis of claims data from Trilliant Health suggests that collectively, telehealth companies — in particular, cash-pay options that market directly to consumers — could account for nearly half of the patients with insurance claims for GLP-1 prescriptions in 2022. (Palmer, 8/10)
On psychedelic-assisted therapy —
Axios:
Psychedelic Therapy Group Outlines First-Ever Professional Guidelines
The accrediting association for psychedelic practitioners has outlined what it says are the first set of professional guidelines for psychedelic-assisted therapy. The principles outlined by the American Psychedelic Practitioners Association aim to bring structure to the field amid rapidly growing interest in incorporating psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA into mental health treatment. (Goldman, 8/10)
In other pharmaceutical industry news —
WUSF Public Media:
Pharmacists At The Tampa VA Hospital Say They're Struggling With Staff Shortages And Burnout
Pharmacists at the James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital in Tampa have passed a vote of no confidence in leadership with the health system, citing poor working conditions and a lack of support from management. The pharmacists are members of the American Federation of Government Employees. Union representatives say pharmacists have experienced significant changes in workload in recent years as several full-time staff members have left. (Colombini, 8/9)
Columbus Dispatch:
OhioHealth Says Drone Program Will Speed Deliveries, Improve Outcomes
Your prescription from OhioHealth may arrive by drone one day. The operator of hospitals including Grant Medical Center and Riverside Methodist Hospital has struck a partnership with drone company Zipline that will allow OhioHealth to deliver prescriptions directly to patients' homes and move lab samples and supplies between OhioHealth facilities. (Williams, 8/9)
Stat:
Illumina Slashes 2023 Revenue Projections Yet Again
After starting off the year with lower revenue projections than market analysts had hoped for, San Diego-based genomics giant Illumina lowered expectations again on Wednesday, forecasting annual growth of 1% compared to the previous year. (Wosen, 8/9)
The Boston Globe:
With The Buyout Of Decibel, A Once Promising Local Biotech Cluster Has Faded From The Scene
Biotech giant Regeneron agreed Wednesday to pay $109 million for Boston-based Decibel Therapeutics, the third buyout in the past year of Massachusetts companies developing treatments for hearing loss. At the start of 2020, a trio of local biotechs — Decibel, Akouos, and Frequency Therapeutics — jockeyed for position in the vanguard of hearing restoration, drawing on expertise from Harvard, MIT, and Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary. With the acquisition of Decibel, which has a gene therapy in clinical trials, all three have now been acquired, though their research will continue under new owners. (Weisman, 8/9)
