Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, and given that the middle of the week is here, we are determined to hang on for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not so appetizing. And what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So we are digging about the pantry and firing up our coffee kettle to get things started. Our flavor today is Irish creme, for those tracking our habits. Now, though, the time has come to get busy. So please grab your own cup of stimulation and dig into the items of interest assembled below. We hope you have a wonderful day, and please do keep in touch. …
U.S. Senate health committee chair Bernie Sanders said major pharmacy benefit managers have agreed not to limit coverage of Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy if the company lowers the prices of the treatments, STAT tells us. This is the latest move by Sanders to pressure the company to cut the prices of its blockbuster diabetes and obesity therapies. Novo has been blaming pharmacy benefit managers for the high list prices of its drugs, arguing that it needs to be able to pay rebates to these middlemen to ensure favorable insurance coverage. But the announcement from Sanders, which was made during a committee hearing, undercuts that claim. Novo chief executive officer Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen did not promise to lower prices, but told the committee that the company is willing to talk to the pharmacy benefit managers about the offer.
In the latest slap at a pharmaceutical company by a local government, the city of Baltimore has filed a lawsuit accusing Biogen of striking an “unlawful” scheme with the largest pharmacy benefit managers to block generic competition of a best-selling multiple sclerosis treatment, STAT writes. The effort allegedly originated as Biogen planned to fend off generic companies that hoped to sell lower-cost alternatives to Tecfidera, which, several years ago, had been a franchise product and generated nearly half of its revenue. With looming patent expirations, Biogen sought to market a “next generation” version called Vumerity and convince doctors to switch patients to the newer drug. However, the plan went awry when its patents were declared invalid amid litigation with several generic companies.
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