Novo Nordisk Pursuing Vaccine-Like Yearly Dose Weight-Loss Drug

Stat: 'Vaccine-Like’ Obesity Drug Is On The Drawing Board At Novo Nordisk
New obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound are currently taken once a week, indefinitely. But what if they could be taken once a year instead, like a vaccine? That’s a question that Novo Nordisk, the pharma company behind Wegovy, is exploring as it faces increased competition from other drugmakers aiming to develop similar GLP-1-based treatments for obesity. (Chen, 2/29)

The Washington Post: Exercise Helps Keep Pounds Off After Taking A Weight-Loss Drug, Study Shows
An important, new, long-term study of people who used and then quit one of the weight-loss drugs suggests there may be a simple, accessible way to stave off unhealthy weight regain after stopping the drugs: exercise. In the study, people who exercised while using a weight-loss drug kept off far more of their weight after quitting the medication than people who didn’t work out, and they maintained more muscle. (Reynolds, 2/28)

CBS News: 1 In 3 Women Are Impacted By Obesity, But Treatments Are Often Uncovered
One in three women are impacted by obesity, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The disease is associated with more than 200 different health conditions, but treatments are often not covered by insurance. The Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention is advocating for change with a new campaign. (2/28)

CNBC: Oprah Is Leaving WeightWatchers Board, Giving Away All Her Stock
Oprah Winfrey — who had joined the company program, acquired a significant stake and also become a board member in 2015 — announced she was leaving the executive position in May and donating her shares to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Shares were down by as much as 25% in trading after the news. Winfrey said in a statement she will continue to advise and collaborate with WeightWatchers and CEO Sima Sistani in “elevating the conversation around recognizing obesity as a chronic condition, working to reduce stigma, and advocating for health equity.” (Rosenbaum, 2/28)

In other pharmaceutical industry news —

Bloomberg: Bayer Gets $332 Million Roundup Verdict Slashed By More Than 90%
Bayer AG’s Monsanto unit persuaded a California judge to slash by more than 90% a $332 million jury award to a former land surveyor who blamed his cancer on the company’s Roundup weedkiller. Judge Kevin Enright in San Diego rejected Monsanto’s bid for a new trial in Michael Dennis’ lawsuit but agreed to reduce the verdict to $28 million. (Feeley, 2/28)

Stat: Pfizer Is About To Make A Big Push In Cancer. Will Investors Listen? 
Pfizer has a big problem. The drug giant hopes that new drugs to treat cancer are the solution. Shares in the drugmaker fell 44% last year, and it now has a market capitalization of only $150 billion — a quarter that of Eli Lilly and half that of longtime rival Merck. (Herper, 2/29)

Stat: An Inside Look At PIPEs, Biotech's Buzzy New Financing Tool 
Biotech is awash in PIPEs. The numbers behind these privately negotiated purchases of public-company stock are astounding. By my count, there have been 30 PIPE transactions involving public biotechs and institutional investors (mostly hedge funds) that have raised $4 billion in the first two months of the year. (Feuerstein, 2/29)

KFF Health News: Toxic Gas That Sterilizes Medical Devices Prompts Safety Rule Update
Over the past two years, Madeline Beal has heard frustration and even bewilderment during public meetings about ethylene oxide, a cancer-causing gas that is used to sterilize half of the medical devices in the U.S. Beal, senior risk communication adviser for the Environmental Protection Agency, has fielded questions about why the agency took so long to alert people who live near facilities that emit the chemical about unusually high amounts of the carcinogenic gas in their neighborhoods. (Miller and Whitehead, 2/29)