Insurers Are Warning Doctors Who Prescribe Ozempic For Weight Loss
The Washington Post covers efforts by insurers to clamp down on doctors prescribing Ozempic, now popular as a weight loss drug, for patients who don't evidently present with diabetes. Separately, CBS News covers warnings that some side effects of Ozempic could lead to hospitalization.
The Washington Post:
Insurers Clamping Down On Doctors Who Prescribe Ozempic For Weight Loss
The letters from the insurance company arrived in recent weeks, bearing a warning to health care providers who prescribe Ozempic, a diabetes drug that has gained popularity as a weight-loss treatment. “The Special Investigations Unit has completed a comprehensive review of your prescription and professional claims,” said one letter to a Missouri doctor from insurer Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield. Of the patients for whom the doctor prescribed Ozempic, the review found that more than 60 percent lacked “sufficient evidence” of diabetes, its Food and Drug Administration-approved use. (Gilbert, 6/11)
CBS News:
Ozempic Side Effects Could Lead To Hospitalization—And Doctors Warn That Long-Term Impacts Remain Unknown
Dr. Meera Shah, an endocrinologist at the Mayo Clinic, said that by far the most common side effect she sees in patients is nausea, followed by abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea. These side effects can sometimes get better over time but, Shah said, at least 10% of patients who start these drugs have to be taken off of them because the side effects do not improve. Constant nausea and abdominal pain is an unpleasant reality. The stomach and brain are so connected that intestinal issues can lead to stress, anxiety and depression -- it's what's known as the "gut-brain connection." (Korte, 6/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Can Ozempic Treat Binge Eating? For Some, The Answer Is Yes
Kristen Ireland struggled with bulimia nervosa for years, working with a therapist and taking medications for anxiety and depression. It wasn’t until her psychiatrist prescribed Victoza, a diabetes medication that works much like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro, that her binges and purges faded away. “I feel free now,” said Ireland, 27 years old, who manages sports-merchandise stores in Jackson Hole, Wyo. (Toy and Abbott, 6/12)
On cancer treatments —
Reuters:
Exclusive: US Seeks New Suppliers Of Highly Used Cancer Drug Methotrexate In Short Supply
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Friday it is seeking new suppliers to ease shortages of methotrexate, one of the most commonly used cancer drugs, building on its push to shore up two other scarce chemotherapy medicines. An FDA spokesperson told Reuters the agency is looking for temporary importation options for the drug, which has been in shortage since March. (Steenhuysen and Erman, 6/9)
Stat:
Kura Oncology Reports Updated Leukemia Remission Data
A genetically targeted cancer drug from Kura Oncology has helped put more patients’ advanced leukemias into remission, according to updated results from an ongoing clinical trial presented Sunday. (Joseph, 6/11)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat:
Novartis To Buy Chinook Therapeutics For $3.2 Billion Upfront
Novartis said on Monday it would purchase Chinook Therapeutics for $3.2 billion upfront, picking up two drugs for a chronic kidney disease that are in late-stage clinical trials. The transaction values Seattle-based Chinook at $40 a share, compared to Friday’s closing price of under $24. The agreement includes another $300 million if certain regulatory milestones are reached. (Joseph, 6/12)
Modern Healthcare:
Walgreens Sells Option Care Health Holdings For $330M
Walgreens Boots Alliance sold its remaining shares of Option Care Health Thursday for more than $330 million marking an end to its stake in the company. The drugstore chain will devote the proceeds from selling 10.8 million shares of what used to be known as Walgreens Infusion Services to reducing its debt, the company said in a news release Thursday. Walgreens Boots has been slowly selling off Option Care stock. In March, the company sold 15.5 million shares of Option Care for $30.75 per share. (Berryman, 6/9)
Stat:
Illumina Became A Case Study Of Succession Planning Gone Wrong
The sudden resignation of Francis deSouza as the CEO of Illumina Sunday represents anything but an orderly transition — and it leaves a black mark on both his six-year tenure and his luckless quest to acquire the cancer diagnostics firm Grail. (Herper, 6/11)
NPR:
Biomedical Labs Bleed Horseshoe Crabs For Vaccines With Little Accountability
Horseshoe crabs used to be everywhere. Millions of years before dinosaurs roamed the planet, each spring, the hard-shelled creatures gathered to mate in massive mounds along the beaches of the Atlantic coast. Later, migratory shorebirds like the robin-sized red knot learned to fly up from South America to join them for a feast. The crabs' eggs gave the birds the energy they needed to keep flying north to breed in the Arctic. (Eisner, 6/10)
Axios:
Fruit Fly Research Leading To Rare Disease Treatments In Utah
A Utah lab is running sweeping drug experiments to find treatments for rare illnesses, at a low cost — and in months rather than years. The test subjects: millions of fruit flies. (Alberty, 6/9)
