Ozempic's cheaper side, weight loss drug competition, and Amazon delivery: Pharma news roundup
Plus, Novo Nordisk's $1 billion bet, and Moderna looks beyond the COVID vaccine,
A new study found that Novo Nordisk’s nearly $1,000 per month diabetes medication Ozempic can be produced for less than $5 a month. Novo Nordisk and Johnson & Johnson both announced billion-dollar deals to acquire heart treatments. And Moderna teases its future beyond COVID-19 vaccines.
Check out that and more pharma news highlights.
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Walgreens Boots Alliance stock fell slightly in pre-market trading Thursday, after the pharmacy giant posted second-quarter earnings that beat Wall Street expectations but warned of a “challenging” retail environment.
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Clinical-stage pharma company Altimmune announced Wednesday that its experimental weight loss drug was found to minimize muscle mass loss in a phase-2 trial.
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Novo Nordisk’s nearly $1,000 per month diabetes medication Ozempic can be produced for less than $5 a month, according to a new study.
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Moderna is trying to figure out its future. Though more than 10,000 Americans were hospitalized because of covid-19 last week alone, the vaccine that made it one of the companies to watch during the pandemic is becoming less and less popular.
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Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson could soon buy heart device maker Shockwave Medical, the Wall Street Journal reported. The acquisition would be its second consecutive in the space in two years.
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Moderna said Tuesday that its updated COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated a stronger immune response than its current jab in results from a phase-3 clinical trial. The new vaccine, called mRNA-1283, also promises to have a longer shelf life and its pre-filled syringe design could help increase access around the world. And Moderna said the shot will “pave the way” for a combined flu and covid vaccine in the future.
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Viking Therapeutics stock jumped 25% to $87 per share on Tuesday after the pharmaceutical company released promising clinical trial results for its experimental weight loss pill. It’s the latest development in the race among several pharmaceutical companies to introduce new weight loss drug alternatives to the current market leaders Wegovy, Zepbound, and Ozempic.
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Amazon is upping the ante against its retail competitors, and this time it’s in the pharmacy space. The e-commerce giant is expanding its same-day pharmacy delivery service to New York City and the greater Los Angeles area, the company said Tuesday.
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After dominating the market for weight loss drugs, Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk has set its sights on tackling treatments for heart disease next.
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Biotech company Amgen is testing a new injectable weight loss treatment as it looks to beat other drugmakers to the punch.