Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of phone calls, online meetings, and deadlines has predictably returned. But you knew this would happen. After all, the world keeps spinning, at least for now. So time to give it a nudge in a better direction with a cup of delicious stimulation. Our choice today is the ever-so-subtle butter pecan. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here is the latest laundry list of interesting items for you to peruse. We hope your journey today is meaningful and productive. And of course, do keep in touch. …
The investment arm of Novo Nordisk’s parent foundation is buying Catalent, a contract development and manufacturing company with more than 50 sites globally, in a $16.5 billion deal that will give Novo additional sites to boost production of its booming obesity and diabetes drugs, STAT writes. The move comes as Novo has seen exploding sales of Wegovy and its related diabetes drug Ozempic, but struggled to meet huge patient demand for the medicines. With the agreement, Novo will pick up Catalent sites that focus on filling drugs in Italy, Brussels, and Bloomington, Ind., all of which have been doing work for Novo.
Amgen is trying a unique strategy with its obesity drug candidate: testing whether it can wean patients toward lower or less frequent doses over time, STAT explains. Very early data hint that the Amgen drug candidate, called MariTide, may provide longer-lasting weight loss than highly popular obesity drugs on the market like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound. Amgen is already seeing if that means its drug could also be dosed differently from those other medicines, which are costly and expected to be taken consistently for life. The Amgen drug, a monoclonal antibody, already stands out because it is designed to be taken monthly, while Wegovy and Zepbound are taken weekly.