Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is, despite the dreary gray skies hovering over the Pharmalot campus. We are doing our best to maintain sunny spirits, though, because once again, we recall some helpful wisdom from the Morning Mayor, who taught us that “every new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.” To celebrate the notion, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and inviting you to join us. Our choice today is Bailey’s Irish creme, for those tracking our habits. Feel free to reach for your own cup while you peruse the items of interest assembled below. After all, the neurons can use all the help they can get. On that note, have a lovely day and do keep in touch. We appreciate any and all thoughts and suggestions. …
The U.K. will start offering Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug next year, but will restrict the medicine to people with the greatest need as the country tries to adapt to new ways of treating obesity amid surging demand, STAT tells us. Authorities recommended tirzepatide, sold as Mounjaro, for people with a body mass index of more than 35 and at least one related health condition. But those criteria would make 3.4 million patients eligible for the drug in England alone. Instead, the U.K.’s National Health Service will aim to first treat roughly 220,000 people with tirzepatide — those who have the highest clinical need — alongside a specialized, reduced-calorie diet and increased physical activity. The limited launch will come as “the NHS tests a variety of new services to care for people living with obesity” and is designed “to ensure health care professionals can continue to meet the full range of health needs of all their patients,” the U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence explained.
The number of layoffs in the U.S. pharmaceutical industry rose last month and, overall, the rate at which jobs have been shed this year continues to outpace what occurred in 2023, according to Challenger, Gray & Christmas, the outplacement and executive coaching firm. A total of 766 jobs were eliminated in November, exceeding the 424 positions that were cut during the previous month, although this was well below the 1,743 jobs that were lost in November 2023. All totaled, biopharma companies have shed 13,517 jobs so far this year, a 17.6% increase over the cuts that occurred during the same period last year.
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