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 rather modest. We plan to promenade with the official mascots, tidy up the grounds, and maybe have a listening party with Mrs. Pharmalot. The rotation may include this, this, this and this. And what about you? Once again, we note the great outdoors are beckoning — grab those apples and pumpkins while you still can. This may also be a chance to enjoy the solitude that comes with standing by an ocean or lake shore. Perhaps this is an opportunity to experiment in the kitchen and concoct something tasty. Or simply catch up on your reading. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon …
Sanofi plans to spin off its consumer health care business, making it the latest major drugmaker to sharpen its focus on prescription medicines, The Wall Street Journal writes. The plan is to increase investment in its drug-development pipeline and cut costs, and the split could take place as early as the fourth quarter of 2024. The consumer health care business, which includes allergy medicine Allegra and pain medications IcyHot and Aspercreme, generated revenue of more than $5 billion last year and employs some 11,000 people. Sanofi is searching for new sources of income to offset revenue drops as some of its products have lost patent protection.
The European Medicines Agency disclosed that its safety panel did not find a causal link between popular GLP-1 drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and thyroid cancer after a months-long review, Reuters says. The panel committee reviewed non-clinical, clinical, and post-marketing data of the drugs, and said that no updates to their prescribing information was required at the time. The agency has since April been monitoring the use of GLP-1 receptor agonists, a class of diabetes and weight loss drugs that includes Ozempic and Wegovy, for any signs that they increase the risk of thyroid cancer.