Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
With Tylenol Deal, Kimberly-Clark Has Worst Day Since Stock Crash Of 1987
The Wall Street Journal: Kimberly-Clark Stock Takes Biggest One-Day Hit Since Black Monday
Kimberly-Clark shares suffered their biggest one-day drop since the 1980s after the Huggies diapers maker agreed to buy Kenvue. Kimberly-Clark's stock fell 15% to $102.27. That was its worst one-day percentage drop since Oct. 19, 1987—the day of the Black Monday stock-market crash—when it slid by one-quarter. (11/3)
The New York Times: With Acquisition, Kimberly-Clark Bets That Tylenol Can Weather The Storm
In deciding to buy the company behind Tylenol, the consumer products giant Kimberly-Clark is betting that the product can withstand an extraordinary attack from President Trump and his administration. Top officials have singled out Tylenol, making unproven claims that the use of acetaminophen products during pregnancy can cause autism. (Robbins and Hirsch, 11/3)
On weight loss drugs —
Stat: Novo Nordisk Spent Millions On Weight Loss Searches
Over a recent two-year period, Novo Nordisk spent an estimated $7.5 million on more than 15,000 paid keywords related to weight loss searches and generated more than 2.4 million visits to Ozempic.com, even though the medicine is not approved to combat obesity, a new analysis found. (Silverman, 11/3)
NPR: Searching 'Weight' Can Bring Up Ozempic In Results. It's A Drug Advertising Loophole
If you've googled "weight loss," there's a good chance that one of the first search results that came up was a website for Ozempic. But Ozempic hasn't been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for weight loss — it's only approved to treat Type 2 diabetes. So why is it showing up there? (Lupkin, 11/4)
Bloomberg: Pfizer Sues Novo, Metsera Again In Brewing Buyout Clash
Pfizer Inc. accused Novo Nordisk A/S of trying to stifle competition in the weight-loss market by attempting to acquire obesity startup Metsera Inc., the second lawsuit Pfizer has filed in four days as it tries to retain its grip on a deal Novo upended last week. Pfizer brought its latest complaint Monday in Delaware federal court on antitrust grounds, saying it seeks to “stop Novo Nordisk from illegally paying off Metsera and its controlling stockholders to gain control of, and impair and potentially kill, an emerging US competitor.” Metsera called Pfizer’s new arguments “nonsense” and Novo called them “absurd” in statements. (Muller and Feeley, 11/3)
Stat: Microdosing GLP-1s Could Help Telehealth Firms More Than Patients
Noom, Found, and Hims & Hers have all launched programs to prescribe “microdosed” GLP-1s in the last three months, following in the footsteps of many smaller direct-to-consumer telehealth companies. Microdosing is getting a shot of promotion from Hollywood, too: Noom has promoted its program alongside a new celebrity spokesperson, actor Rebel Wilson, and TV host Andy Cohen has been doing the rounds talking about his microdosing habit. (Palmer, 11/4)
