Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. We can tell by the sound of the motor vehicles passing by our window and the furious panting of the official mascots as they forage for breakfast on the campus grounds. As for us, we are engaged in the usual ritual of brewing cups of stimulation. Our choice today is blueberry cobbler, a household favorite. As always, you are invited to join us. The neurons could use all the help they can get, would you not agree? Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest for you to digest as you embark on your own journey today, which we hope is meaningful and satisfying. On that note, time to hustle. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
When Eli Lilly last year started offering lower-priced vials of its blockbuster obesity drug Zepbound, which were previously sold in injectable pens, it framed the move as a way to expand patient access, STAT reminds us. But some experts were not convinced, noting that Lilly was only offering the lowest doses in vials, and the new prices, $399 or $549 a month, are still prohibitive for many patients. Now, though, Lilly chief executive officer David Ricks says he is considering expanding the vial offering. Lilly has been offering the vials only to patients paying on their own without insurance, also known as self-pay. Ricks said that about one in three or one in four patients on Zepbound are using self-pay, which he called a meaningful category. The decision to offer vials has also been seen as its way to combat the rise in compounding. Patients have been turning to compounding pharmacies that make cheaper copies of Zepbound, since the branded treatment has been too costly and, up until recently, has been in shortage.
After years of sparring, the Biden administration and Gilead Sciences have settled a contentious lawsuit over patents for a pair of HIV prevention pills in a case that raised questions about the extent to which government-funded research should lead to affordably priced medicines, STAT reports. As part of the deal, Gilead receive a license to “certain” current and future patents concerning HIV prevention. Additional terms were not disclosed, although a Gilead spokeswoman wrote to say the settlement does not contain any payments from Gilead or the federal government. At issue was a battle over patents for Truvada and a newer, upgraded version called Descovy — two highly effective and lucrative medications — as well as the role played by the federal government in making it possible to prevent transmission of a highly infectious disease that plagued the American public for decades.
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