Government

Speaking on third quarter earnings calls this week, Novo and Pfizer’s CEOs see little change to their Most Favored Nation drug pricing deals, which were signed with the Trump administration last year.
The majority of the large pharmas have now reported third quarter earnings—spoiler alert: Eli Lilly made more money than anyone expected. Plus, the FDA dropped another initiative aimed at accelerating rare disease treatments; HHS greenlights the compounding of six unapproved peptides; and uniQure’s embattled gene therapy for Huntington’s disease has finally been accepted for review.
Following the withdrawal of billions of dollars in investments from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly, German lawmakers have proposed a clause to the country’s healthcare reforms set to take effect Jan. 1.
The $100,000 H-1B visa fee has significantly affected who biopharma companies hire, according to two experts. It’s not the only program adjustment affecting foreign-born job seekers’ odds of working in the U.S.
Just one-third of patients prescribed new medicines filled them within 30 days, with a new report from the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review and West Health suggesting that cost is the problem.
FDA
Following several recent initiatives, the FDA’s newest rare disease framework sets out to standardize the agency’s approach to scientific evidence and bring rare disease therapies to patients faster.
FDA
Summit Therapeutics scores a $2 billion equity investment from AstraZeneca to support ivonescimab’s late-stage development; uniQure crashes after four-year data from its Huntington’s disease gene therapy failed to impress; Kyverna Therapeutics brings new light to a struggling CAR T space in autoimmune disease.
In Thursday’s Senate committee meeting, FDA commissioner nominee Heidi Overton was repeatedly questioned about her ability to retain the FDA’s independence under President Donald Trump, as well as about her views on vaccines and abortion drugs.
FDA
Novo plans to hit $23B in revenue by 2035, has further reduced its workforce by 4,000 and is boosting manufacturing capacity for its Wegovy pill, but investors are unconvinced it will be enough to turn things around; Viking Therapeutics and Roche report positive results for their weight loss assets; Ultragenyx snags FDA approval for its Sanfilippo syndrome gene therapy; IPOs keep on coming.
While increases in the interest rate from the Federal Reserve are usually bad for biotech, the sector at this moment is poised to withstand the blow, according to analysts, though earlier stage companies may be left in the lurch.
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