Good morning, everyone. Damian Garde here, filling in for Ed Silverman on yet another dog day of what has been a particularly canine summer. So begins another working week for those of us unlucky, unwise, or un-European enough to not be on a beach someplace. Here as always are a few items to get your day started. And if you hear anything curious out there, do let us know.
The FDA approved a high-dose version of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals’ blockbuster ophthalmology treatment Eylea, Reuters tells us, reversing an earlier decision that had seemed to derail the company’s plans. Regeneron’s new product is four times the dose of original Eylea, given less frequently. The company is facing mounting competition to the ocular drug, an aging product that accounts for the majority of its annual revenue.
Thanks to the surging popularity of obesity drugs, telehealth companies are pivoting from consumer-focused marketing and instead pitching payers and employers trying to figure out how to sustainable cover an expensive class of medicines, STAT tells us. In the last six months, digital health companies including Teladoc, Found, Hello Alpha, and Calibrate have advanced enterprise products that pair virtual visits and prescriptions with lifestyle coaching. The goal is persuade more and more payers and employers to offer their programs as a way to support lasting weight loss and metabolic health — or even require them if patients want their drugs reimbursed.