Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
FDA: No Link Between Suicidal Thoughts And Weight-Loss Drugs
The Wall Street Journal: Weight-Loss Drugs Don’t Cause Suicidal Thoughts, FDA Says
There is no evidence popular weight-loss drugs cause suicidal thoughts, federal officials said. The Food and Drug Administration’s preliminary analysis Thursday showed no clear relationship between adverse-event reports of suicidal thoughts or actions and the drugs for weight-loss and diabetes, glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists, or GLP-1s. Millions of people have started taking drugs that can help some users shed a fifth of their body weight or more. (Whyte, 1/11)
AP: Drugs Like Ozempic And Wegovy Show No Link With Suicide, FDA Says
But the agency also said officials cannot definitively rule out that “a small risk may exist” and that they’ll continue to look into reports regarding more than a dozen drugs, including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro. (Aleccia, 1/11)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Reuters: CVS To Close Some Pharmacies Within Target Stores
CVS Health said on Thursday it will close some pharmacies that operate inside Target stores during the first several months of the year. The closures will begin in February and be completed by the end of April, a company spokesperson said. Prescriptions will be transferred to a nearby CVS Pharmacy prior to closing, the spokesperson added. (1/11)
Reuters: US FDA Identifies Recall Of ResMed's Respiratory Devices As Most Serious
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday classified the recall of certain respiratory masks made by ResMed (RMD.N) as most serious as their use could cause major injuries or death. ResMed was recalling some models of its continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) masks, AirFit and AirTouch, due to possible magnetic interference with certain medical devices and implants which might disrupt their function or position and cause serious harm or death, the FDA said. (1/12)
Reuters: Regeneron Asks US Court To Block Amgen's Eylea Biosimilar
New York-based biotech company Regeneron has sued rival Amgen in federal court in Los Angeles, alleging that Amgen's proposed biosimilar of Regeneron's blockbuster eye drug Eylea violates its patent rights. Regeneron said in its lawsuit filed on Wednesday that Amgen infringed dozens of its patents. It asked the court to block Amgen's version of Eylea, which earned Regeneron $6.26 billion in U.S. sales in 2022. (Brittain, 1/11)
