Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. We can tell by the parade of school buses and other motor vehicles passing by our window, not to mention the furious panting of the official mascots as they forage for breakfast on the campus grounds. As for us, we are engaged in the usual ritual of brewing cups of stimulation. Our choice today is maple French toast cinnamon, which is quickly becoming a household favorite. As always, you are invited to join us. The neurons could use all the help they can get, would you not agree? Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest for you to digest as you embark on your own journey today, which we hope is meaningful and satisfying. On that note, time to start hustling. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. expressed openness to adopting a key progressive proposal for lowering drug prices during a closed-door meeting with Senate Finance Committee staffers, Politico reports. President Trump’s health secretary nominee last week indicated he would consider authorizing the government to seize the patents of high-priced medicines from manufacturers and share them with other drugmakers as a way to force down costs. The approach — long supported by progressive Democrats and only tentatively by former President Biden — would use executive authorities to take certain drug patents developed using taxpayer money and license them to other manufacturers that might make and sell them for less. Advocates for the policy say it would allow new levels of competition for some of the most expensive prescription drugs, which are now protected by patents.
Veru disclosed that its investigational drug helped preserve lean mass in patients taking the obesity treatment Wegovy, though some experts were skeptical that the topline results were adequate to prove the benefits of the drug, STAT writes. In a Phase 2b trial, older patients taking Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Veru’s experimental drug, called enobosarm, lost on average 1.2% of lean mass after 16 weeks, compared with a 4.1% loss in patients taking Wegovy and placebo. Veru claimed this difference was statistically significant. As more patients lose weight on highly effective obesity drugs such as Wegovy, some researchers and doctors have raised concerns that they may be losing too much lean mass in addition to fat. Nonetheless, Veru shares plunged 47%. What seems to have concerned investors is that, while the enobosarm group lost 27% more fat mass than patients taking Wegovy alone, the difference was not statistically significant and the overall reduction in body weight was similar to that achieved with Novo Nordisk’s drug on its own, according to Pharmaphorum.
This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers
Unlock this article — plus in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news alerts.
Already have an account? Log in