Rise and shine, everyone, another busy day is on the way. We can tell by the speed at which the notes are arriving through the various communications channels on our laptop and phone, and by the number of motor vehicles passing by our window. As for us, we are trying to slow things down by engaging in the usual ritual of brewing cups of stimulation. Our choice today is Tuscan tiramisu. We stocked up on this choice during a recent shopping binge. As always, you are invited to join us. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest for you to digest as you embark on your journey today, which we hope is meaningful and satisfying. On that note, time to hustle. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
Eli Lilly will offer more doses of its obesity drug Zepbound in vials and lower the prices of the doses it already sells, as the company seeks to draw patients away from cheap, compounded copies of weight loss medications, STAT reports. Zepbound was originally sold in injectable pens at a list price of about $1,000 per month, but Lilly last year launched the lowest doses of the medication, 2.5 milligrams and 5 milligrams, in vials at $399 and $549 a month. The company framed the move as a way to increase access, but some experts were skeptical, noting that the prices were still prohibitive, as the vials are only available to patients who pay on their own without insurance, and many patients will still go on to need higher doses. In the new offering, Lilly is lowering the price of the 2.5-mg. and 5-mg. vials to $349 and $499 per month. It will also start selling 7.5-mg. and 10-mg. doses in vials at $599 and $699 a month. On the first fill and refill of those higher doses, patients will be able to pay a lower price of $499 per month.
Pharmacy compounders sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over its decision last week to remove Novo Nordisk’s weight loss and diabetes treatments Wegovy and Ozempic from the agency’s shortage list, a move that will sharply curtail the ability of compounders to sell cheaper versions of the medicines, Reuters writes. The lawsuit, filed in Fort Worth, Texas federal court by the Outsourcing Facilities Association and FarmaKeio Custom Compounding claims the FDA finding that there was no longer a shortage of the drugs’ active ingredient semaglutide was arbitrary and capricious. They filed a similar lawsuit against the agency last year over its removal of tirzepatide, the active ingredient in Eli Lilly’s rival weight loss and diabetes drugs from the shortage list. That case remains pending, with the association seeking a preliminary ruling blocking the FDA decision. U.S. regulations allow compounding pharmacies to manufacture and sell large quantities of brand-name medicines only if they are in short supply.
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