And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up, but we expect to manicure the grounds, stroll with the official mascots, and maybe work in a listening party, where the rotation could include this, this, and this. And what about you? We are in the thick of a very hot summer, so perhaps this is an opportunity to cool off, depending on your location, at the shore or a lake. Conversely, you could stay cool by remaining indoors at a museum, a temple of consumption, or curled up in the front of the telly. Or maybe you just want to plan the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon….
A key Senate health care panel has developed a plan to tackle reforms to middlemen in the prescription drug payment system, according to STAT. The draft legislation, authored by Senate Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and ranking member Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), includes several measures to regulate how pharmacy benefit managers are paid by health plans to negotiate with drugmakers. The most significant measure is a bill from Sens. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) that would prohibit pharmacy benefit managers from getting any income outside of service fees, and prohibits those service fees from being related to drug list prices.
Eli Lilly plans to acquire privately held drug developer Versanis for potentially up to $1.93 billion, in a bid to bolster its portfolio of obesity drugs, Reuters writes. The deal comes amid growing demand for weight-loss treatments, whose market size is expected to reach up to $100 billion in a decade, according to industry executives and analysts. Versanis is developing a drug called bimagrumab that is being evaluated in a mid-stage trial alone, as well as in combination with Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy or semaglutide, in adults who are overweight or obese.