Novo Nordisk CEO Flags 10 Deaths That Might Be Related To Compounded Semaglutide
The pharmaceutical company says data on 10 deaths and more than 100 hospitalizations comes from the FDA’s adverse event reporting database for semaglutide — the key ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, which are manufactured by Novo Nordisk. Compounded versions of the drug are made by other companies in times of shortages. FDA adverse event reports aren’t verified and don’t mean the drugs have caused the harms documented.
CNN:
Compounded Semaglutide Associated With At Least 10 Deaths, Novo Nordisk CEO Warns
Compounded versions of semaglutide, the active ingredient in approved diabetes and obesity drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, have been associated with at least 100 hospitalizations and 10 deaths, the chief executive of Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk warned Wednesday. “Honestly, I’m quite alarmed by what we see in the US now,” Novo Nordisk President and CEO Lars Fruergaard Jorgensen told CNN. “Patients who believe that they’re getting access to a safe product, and they believe they’re getting semaglutide … I know for a fact that they are not getting semaglutide, because there’s only one semaglutide, and that’s produced by Novo Nordisk, and we don’t sell that to others.” (Tirrell, 11/6)
Stat:
6 AI Companies Streamlining Clinical Trials For Pharma
In the last year, drugmakers have talked up the prospect of medicines discovered or designed by artificial intelligence. AI could accelerate the pace of new drugs approved to treat everything from rare diseases to cancer to antibiotic-resistant infections, they tout. (Palmer, 11/7)
Stat:
The Emotional Toll Of Unnecessary Radiation Therapy Tattoos
Tattoos are often seen as powerful expressions of individuality. In the medical world, however, they can serve as unwanted reminders of a difficult past. For cancer patients who require radiation therapy, permanent tattoos have long been necessary to help doctors accurately target and deliver treatment. While seemingly insignificant, these permanent spots can remind many patients of their cancer journey every time they see themselves in the mirror. It’s time to put ink and needles in the rear view, because radiotherapy tattoos do more than mar the skin; they can mar the survivorship mindset. (William Chun-Ying Chen and Louis Potters, 11/7)
In health industry developments —
The Wall Street Journal:
CVS Names Former UnitedHealth Executive As Head Of Aetna
CVS Health’s new chief executive, David Joyner, moved quickly to put his stamp on the company, promising a reorganization and new leadership at Aetna, its troubled insurance unit. In his first public call with analysts on Wednesday, Joyner focused extensively on his plans to fix Aetna, saying its performance was unacceptable and tied to significant past missteps. Aetna has seen higher-than-expected medical costs tank its performance, particularly in its Medicare business, where the insurer had bet on a big expansion this year. (Mathews, 11/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Pacs Group Delays Earnings Release Amid Fraud Investigation
Nursing home operator Pacs Group is delaying the release of its third quarter earnings as it faces a government investigation into fraud allegations, the company said Wednesday. Pacs Group CEO Jason Murray said in a news release, the company would release financial results for the three months ending Sept. 30 after the company’s audit committee and an external counsel investigate allegations made in a Hindenburg Research report that Pacs Group was “scamming” the government and investors. (Eastabrook, 11/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Marketplace Open Enrollment: What To Know
In 2014, the very first open enrollment period for the health insurance exchanges had a disastrous start. HealthCare.gov was broken, frustrating eager shoppers and lending credence to critics who said the Affordable Care Act of 2010 was destined to fail. The early years of the marketplaces brought other challenges that threatened to unravel the new system for subsidized health insurance. President Barack Obama's administration struggled to ensure there were enough insurers participating as some major companies saw the initiative as a money-loser. (Tepper, 11/6)
