Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Clear blue skies and cool breezes are wafting over the Pharmalot campus, where the official mascots are snoozing after foraging for their breakfast. This means we are free to focus on the matters at hand — rummaging through our to-do list and making cups of stimulation. Our choice today is Mexican cinnamon. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you get started yourself. We hope your day is productive and meaningful. And of course, do keep in touch. We appreciate the insights and ideas….
Merck reported that a new formulation of its best-selling drug, Keytruda, appears to deliver similar blood levels of the medicine when it is given as a shot as when it is given intravenously, STAT tells us. For Merck, the new under-the-skin, or subcutaneous, formulation could represent a major way of holding on to a larger share of Keytruda’s $25 billion in annual sales than would otherwise occur when a U.S. patent expires in 2028. Keytruda is a cancer immunotherapy, which stimulates the immune system to attack tumor cells and is the best-selling medicine in the world. The subcutaneous injection could be given in a doctor’s office every six weeks, instead of requiring a 30-minute IV drip at the same interval. Analysts expect that Merck might be able to continue to charge a higher price for the in-office version while competition from biosimilar medicines pushes down the price for Keytruda’s existing formulation.
Although more pharmaceutical companies are tailoring their business models to focus on low-income countries, overall industry efforts remain limited and patient access continues to suffer as a result, STAT writes, citing a new analysis. Notably, momentum has stalled in reaching licensing deals that are designed to make lower-cost generic drugs available in parts of the world where brand-name medicines are unaffordable, and few companies have pursued technology transfer agreements. Meanwhile, most clinical trials are not conducted in lower- to middle-income countries, even though they represent the majority of the global population. Moreover, the few large drug companies that have launched programs dedicated to improving access in poor countries largely fail to consistently and thoroughly report how many patients are being reached.
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