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Ozempic supply trackers, bird flu vaccines, and Merck's future: Pharma news roundup

Ozempic supply trackers, bird flu vaccines, and Merck's future: Pharma news roundup

Plus, Nestle bets on the GLP-1 market, and Novo Nordisk blames America's health care system for high Ozempic prices

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Image for article titled Ozempic supply trackers, bird flu vaccines, and Merck's future: Pharma news roundup
Graphic: Images: Denis Balibouse, Dado Ruvic, Mario Tama, MangTeng

Healthcare companies including Ro and Eli Lilly are introducing online supply trackers to help patients navigate ongoing GLP-1 drug shortages. Moderna says it is in talks about receiving U.S. government funding for its bird flu vaccine trial. Merck said that it is acquiring Eyebiotech (EyeBio) for $3 billion, as the company tries to diversify beyond its best-selling cancer drug Keytruda.

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

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Nestle CEO Mark Schneider
Nestle CEO Mark Schneider said the rise of GLP-1s has created an opportunity for the food industry.
Image: Denis Balibouse (Reuters)

Nestle CEO Mark Schneider says that the rise of weight loss drugs known as GLP-1s have shifted the nutritional needs of consumers, creating a new opportunity for food companies. 

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Moderna confirmed it is talks with the U.S. government to advance its bird flu vaccine candidate.
Moderna confirmed it is talks with the U.S. government to advance its bird flu vaccine candidate.
Image: Dado Ruvic (Reuters)

The U.S. government is close to finalizing a deal to fund a late-stage trial of Moderna’s mRNA H5N1 bird flu vaccine, as officials are considering requiring vaccines for farm workers vulnerable to infection. 

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boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter
The top selling drug of 2023 generated $25 billion in revenue in 2023.
Image: Mario Tama (Getty Images)

Collectively, the top 10 blockbuster drugs of 2023 generated over $131 billion in sales last year. Looking closer at these figures provides insight into the shifting landscape of the pharmaceutical industry, including the rise of weight loss drugs, the fall of COVID-19 vaccines, and what happens when the patent for the top-selling drug for nearly a decade expires. 

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Dressing burned wound hand with gauze pad
Sales of NexoBrid rose 32% year over year to $5 million in the first quarter of 2024.
Image: MangTeng (Getty Images)

Stock of Israel-based MediWound is up 72% from last year after demand for its severe burn treatment, NexoBrid, surged due to its use in the ongoing war in Gaza

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Merck logo
Merck’s Keytruda was the best selling drug of 2023, with $25 billion in sales.
Image: Brendan McDermid (Reuters)

Pharma giant Merck said on Wednesday that it is acquiring the privately-held eye drug developer Eyebiotech (EyeBio) as the company tries to diversify beyond its best-selling cancer drug Keytruda. 

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A combination image shows an injection pen of Zepbound, Eli Lilly's weight loss drug, and boxes of Wegovy, made by Novo Nordisk
Zepbound and Wegovy are in shortage, according to the FDA.
Image: Reuters Photographer (Reuters)

As Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly struggle to keep up with soaring demand for their popular diabetes and weight loss drugs, healthcare companies are introducing supply trackers to help patients navigate ongoing shortages. 

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A box of Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk is seen at a pharmacy
The list price of Ozempic is $935.
Image: Hollie Adams (Reuters)

Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk has finally responded to U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’s criticism of the company’s high list prices for its popular diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy. 

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Dairy cows feed in Chino, Ca
Image: Alex Gallardo (Reuters)

Researchers are developing an mRNA-based vaccine against the contagious H5N1 bird flu virus that is spreading rapidly among poultry and cattle and has already infected two humans in the United States. 

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A box of Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk is seen at a pharmacy
Chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million Americans or about one in seven adults, according to the National Institute of Health.
Image: Hollie Adams (Reuters)

Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic, known for its weight-loss side effects, can also help patients living with chronic kidney disease, per a study funded by the pharmaceutical company. 

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Zepbound injection pen
Eli Lilliy’s sales rose 26% year over year to $8.8 billion in the first quarter of 2024 driven primarily by sales of Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Image: Bloomberg / Contributor (Getty Images)

Pharma giant Eli Lilly said on Friday that it will pile $5.3 billion
into manufacturing its popular weight loss drugs, more than doubling its investment in a manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Indiana. The new spend brings the company’s total investment in the site to a whopping $9 billion, up from its original $3.7 billion commitment — making it now the largest manufacturing investment in the company’s history. 

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