Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Novo Nordisk Knocks Price Of Wegovy, Ozempic For Cash-Paying Customers
CNN: Novo Nordisk Further Lowers Prices For Weight Loss, Diabetes Drugs For Those Who Pay Cash
Facing increased competition in the weight loss market and intense pressure from President Donald Trump, Novo Nordisk announced Monday that it is lowering prices for its blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs for cash-paying patients. (Luhby, 11/17)
Modern Healthcare: GoodRx Launches GLP-1 Telemedicine Subscription Service
GoodRx, a consumer drug pricing and digital health company, has become the latest company to offer a telehealth weight loss program. The program connects consumers with clinicians who can prescribe glucagon-like peptide-1 agonist weight loss drugs, GoodRx said in a news release Monday. On top of access to popular GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s Zepbound, the program includes ongoing clinical support to track a user’s progress and potential side effects, the company said. (Perna, 11/17)
The Wall Street Journal: The Weight-Loss Craze Is About To Mint A Trillion-Dollar Company
The trillion-dollar club has become crowded with mostly tech names riding the AI boom. Eli Lilly might soon join them for a far different reason: the weight-loss bonanza. Crucially, Lilly’s trajectory doesn’t hinge on artificial-intelligence sentiment or cloud-spending cycles that investors are suddenly questioning. In fact, it could even benefit from an investor rotation away from technology into other sectors. Its staying power above a $1 trillion market value will come down to two questions: how quickly it can expand the obesity-drug market and how completely it can dominate it. (Wainer, 11/18)
More pharmaceutical developments —
AP: Judge To Explain Why He's Approving Purdue Pharma Settlement Plan
A U.S. Bankruptcy Court judge is set to give his reasoning Tuesday for approving OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma’s plan to settle thousands of lawsuits over the toll of opioids. The deal calls for members of the Sackler family who own the company to pay up to $7 billion over time. Judge Sean Lane said last week that he would accept the plan, which ranks among the largest opioid settlements ever and would do something other major ones don’t: Pay some victims of the crisis. (Mulvihill, 11/18)
Stat: Johnson & Johnson Acquires Halda Therapeutics For $3 Billion
Johnson & Johnson said Monday it will purchase Halda Therapeutics and its experimental prostate cancer drugs for $3.05 billion, marking the first major buyout for a startup built around a field that has attracted significant investment but not yet secured any drug approvals. (Mast, 11/17)
Stat: FDA Clears Onward Medical's Spinal Cord Stimulator For Home Use
The Food and Drug Administration has green-lit home use of a device that helps people with spinal cord injuries regain mobility and functioning. Onward Medical announced Monday that the company had received clearance to expand the use of its spinal cord stimulator outside of clinics. (Broderick, 11/17)
