Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so familiar routine of phone calls, online meetings, and deadlines has returned. But you knew this would happen, yes? After all, the world — such as it is — continues to spin. So we will make an effort to nudge it in a better direction by brewing a few cups of stimulation. Our choice today is strawberry creme. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest for you to peruse. We hope you have a smashing day and conquer the world. And as always, do keep in touch. We appreciate feedbacks and tips. …
Eli Lilly will acquire Morphic Holding for $3.2 billion in cash and gain access to an experimental drug for different types of inflammatory bowel diseases, STAT notes. Morphic’s lead drug is an oral treatment that is being evaluated in Phase 2 studies in ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Morphic is developing a portfolio of oral integrin therapies for treating serious chronic diseases, including fibrosis, autoimmune, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and cancer. Last year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Lilly’s Omvoh for treating adults with moderate-to-severe active ulcerative colitis.
AbbVie paid health care providers roughly $145.7 million last year to promote its drugs, according to a STAT analysis of newly released government data. The massive sum spent by the company, which makes the blockbuster Humira anti-inflammatory drug, is the most a pharmaceutical company has doled out on marketing to doctors since such data became available in 2017. The figure includes compensation for consulting and other services like speaking fees, lodging and travel for doctors, and meals, as well as a small number of payments made directly to hospitals.
