Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
UnitedHealth Says It's Swapping Out Humira On Some Preferred-Drug Lists
Reuters: UnitedHealth To Remove AbbVie's Humira From Some US Drug Reimbursement Lists Next Year
UnitedHealth Group said on Tuesday it will remove AbbVie’s blockbuster rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira from some of its lists of preferred drugs for reimbursement as of Jan. 1, 2025, and recommend less expensive biosimilar versions of the medicine instead. UnitedHealth said Amgen's (Amjevita will be among the biosimilars covered on its lists for commercial health plans, which are managed by its pharmacy benefits unit, Optum Rx. (Wingrove, 9/10)
On weight loss drugs —
Reuters: Novo's Older Obesity Drug Is Safe And Effective For Children, Study Finds
Novo Nordisk's older weight-loss drug Saxenda helped children between the ages of 6 and under 12 reduce their body mass index by 7.4% in a 56-week trial, according to results presented at a medical meeting on Wednesday. The Novo-sponsored study was the first to examine the safety and efficacy of once daily injections of Saxenda, known chemically as liraglutide, in young children. (Fick, 9/10)
Stat: Novo Nordisk Weight Loss Pill May Be More Effective Than Wegovy
Novo Nordisk on Tuesday reported that its new obesity pill that targets the amylin hormone led to substantial weight loss in an early study, boosting the company’s pipeline of next-generation candidates that may be more effective than Wegovy. (Chen, 9/10)
More pharmaceutical developments —
Reuters: GSK's Experimental Herpes Vaccine Fails To Meet Main Goal In Trial
British drugmaker GSK said on Wednesday its experimental herpes simplex virus (HSV) vaccine candidate failed to meet the main goal of a mid-stage trial and would not be taken forward to a late-stage trial. (9/11)
Stat: Sanofi And Regeneron’s Dupixent Succeeds In Trial Of Chronic Hives
Sanofi and Regeneron’s blockbuster drug Dupixent successfully treated patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria, an inflammatory skin disease, in a late-stage trial, the companies announced on Wednesday, bringing the firms closer to securing Food and Drug Administration approval after the agency rejected their application last year. (Wosen, 9/11)
Reuters: Baltimore Settles With Walgreens Ahead Of Scheduled Opioid Trial
Baltimore said on Tuesday that it has settled with Walgreens over claims that the pharmacy operator fueled opioid addiction in the Maryland city, the latest in a series of settlements totaling $402.5 million ahead of a trial scheduled to begin next week. (Pierson, 9/10)
