Fake weight loss drugs, Novo Nordisk's CEO to face Bernie Sanders: Pharma news

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Image for article titled Fake weight loss drugs, and Novo Nordisk's CEO will face Bernie Sanders: Pharma news roundup — Graphic: Images: Mario Tama, Justin Sullivan / Staff, Mario Tama / Staff, The Washington Post / Contributor

The World Health Organization issued a warning regarding fake batches of Ozempic in Europe and the U.S. the same day Eli Lilly filed lawsuits against companies selling counterfeit versions of its weight loss drug Zepbound. Gilead’s HIV prevention injection was found to work with 100% efficacy in a clinical trial. Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen has agreed to voluntarily testify in September before the Senate’s health committee.

Check out those stories and more pharmaceutical news highlights from this week.

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Look out for fake Ozempic in the U.S. and Europe, WHO warns

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a global alert Wednesday warning the public about fake batches of Ozempic across Europe and the Americas.

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Gilead says its HIV prevention shot was 100% effective in a clinical trial

Gilead reported $6.7 billion in sales for the first quarter of 2024.

Gilead announced that its twice-yearly injection, lenacapavir, worked with 100% efficacy at preventing HIV infections in a late-stage clinical trial.

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Ozempic and other weight loss drugs could help alcoholics, too

Morgan Stanley analysts anticipate the global market for GLP-1s, which are currently approved to treat diabetes and obesity, will reach $105 billion by 2030

The evidence is starting to pile up that Ozempic and other GLP-1 medications could help people with substance abuse disorders. Researchers from the University of North Carolina found that people with alcohol use disorder drank less after taking semaglutide, the active ingredient in Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic, compared with with people who took a placebo.

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Eli Lilly is cracking down on knock-off versions of its popular weight loss drug Zepbound

In 2023, sales of Mounjaro and Zepbound reached $5.3 billion.

Eli Lilly said Thursday that it is taking legal action against six entities for selling unapproved versions of its popular weight loss and diabetes medication tirzepatide — the generic name of Mounjaro and Zepbound.

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Drug names: Branding a molecule

Stelara, Comirnaty, Sronyx — why are drug names often so strange? It’s actually primarily due to safety. Settling on a name can take a drug manufacturer up to four years and involves several regulatory agencies.

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Tech founder claims he successfully slowed down his aging by editing his DNA

Bryan Johnson, founder of Kernel, OS Fund and Braintree delivers remarks during the opening night of Web Summit in Altice Arena on November 06, 2017 in Lisbon, Portugal — Image: Corbis/Getty Images (Getty Images)

The tech entrepreneur who once had his son’s plasma infused with his blood in an attempt to extend his own life now claims that he successfully slowed the aging process by undergoing an untested DNA editing procedure on a Honduran island.

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Bernie Sanders will grill Novo Nordisk’s CEO over Ozempic and Wegovy prices

Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen has agreed to voluntarily testify in September before the Senate’s health committee to address the pharma giant’s high prices for its diabetes and weight loss drugs in the U.S.

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Ozempic is now boosting sales for smaller-sized clothes, fashion executives say

Morgan Stanley analysts anticipate the global market for GLP-1s will reach $105 billion by 2030.

In another ripple effect on the economy, Ozempic and other weight loss drugs are boosting sales of smaller-sized clothes.

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Food companies worried about weight loss drugs can just make healthier food, Eli Lilly CEO says

David Ricks, the CEO of Mounjaro and Zepbound maker Eli Lilly, says that food, diet, and fitness companies have called him for advice regarding the growing popularity of the company’s diabetes and weight loss drugs.

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Eli Lilly wants to replace Zepbound with an even stronger weight loss drug

Collectively, sales of Mounjaro and Zepbound reached $5.3 billion in 2023.

Skyrocketing sales of tirzepatide — the active ingredient in Mounjaro and Zepbound — transformed Eli Lilly into the most valuable pharmaceutical company in the world, but CEO David Ricks says the company is already looking ahead to a successor for the blockbuster drug.

Fake weight loss drugs, and Novo Nordisk's CEO will face Bernie Sanders: Pharma news roundup

Plus, GLP-1s could help with substance abuse disorder, and Ozempic boosted sales of smaller-sized clothes