Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the new year. We are returning from an extended respite and hope that you similarly had an opportunity to power down and refresh over the past week or so. Of course, all good things must come to an end, so time to confront the usual routines once again. We understand this may be difficult, but perhaps firing up the coffee kettle for a cup of stimulation can help. Nothing like a good habit, yes? Our choice today is strawberry creme, so please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, we have attempted to play catch up and assembled a few items for you to peruse as you ease back in. We hope you have a meaningful and manageable day. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
Novo Nordisk filed another citizen’s petition with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration seeking to block compounding pharmacies in the U.S. from making versions of one of its GLP-1 agonist drugs, Pharmaphorum notes. The latest attempt focuses on liraglutide, an older, once-daily injectable product sold as Victoza and Xultophy for diabetes and Saxenda for obesity. While Victoza sales are falling as patients switch to newer, once-weekly drugs like semaglutide-based Ozempic and Wegovy — used for diabetes and obesity — the once-daily product still made more than $550 million in sales in the first nine months of 2024. In its petition, Novo Nordisk says that the Outsourcing Facilities Association, a trade group representing compounding pharmacies, has incorrectly nominated liraglutide on the list of bulk substances with a “clinical need” to compound — for example, if there is a shortage in the marketplace.
A new report suggests that Paxlovid might help some long Covid patients, but which patients might benefit remains unclear, The New York Times writes. The report, published Monday in the journal Communications Medicine, describes the cases of 13 long Covid patients who took extended courses of the antiviral drug. Results were decidedly mixed: Nine patients reported some improvement, but only five said it lasted. Four reported no improvement at all. Perhaps more than anything, the report underscores that nearly five years after the pandemic began, there is still little known about what can help the millions of people with long Covid. While some people improve on their own or with various therapies and medications, no treatment has yet been shown to be widely successful.
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