Rise and shine, everyone. The middle of the week is upon us. Have heart, though. You made it this far, so why not hang on for another couple of days, yes? Consider the alternatives, if you must. And what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So grab that cup of stimulation — our flavor today is maple bourbon — and get started. On that note, here is the latest menu of tidbits for you to peruse. Meanwhile, do keep us in mind if you hear anything interesting. We hope you have a simply smashing day and emerge unscathed. …
Eli Lilly is worried a deal to expand production of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug might hinder its ability to get drugs to customers, The Wall Street Journal says. The company told analysts it had concerns about Novo Holdings’ purchase of Catalent because it helps produce certain Lilly products. Novo Holdings owns a controlling stake of Wegovy maker Novo Nordisk, and plans to flip three of the acquired Catalent sites to Novo Nordisk after the deal closes. “Catalent is an integral part of manufacturing commercial and pipeline products for the industry, especially in diabetes and obesity, and we have products with these sites as well,” said Lilly chief financial officer Anat Ashkenazi.
A U.S. House committee passed a bipartisan bill to ban drug middlemen from charging fees based on drug list prices — the first in a raft of efforts to reform pharmacy benefit managers that would ban the practice in at least some of the employer-sponsored insurance market, STAT tells us. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), would only allow PBMs to charge a flat service fee, separating those fee from drug list prices. The bill also would ban a PBM practice called spread pricing in which they charge insurers more than they pay pharmacies. And it would prohibit PBMs from steering patients to pharmacies affiliated with them.