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Ozempic for all, Zepbound is back, and the top CEO pay: Pharma news roundup

Ozempic for all, Zepbound is back, and the top CEO pay: Pharma news roundup

Plus, CVS will cut almost 3,000 jobs as it plans AI investments — and considers breaking up

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Image for article titled Ozempic for all, Zepbound is back, and the top CEO pay: Pharma news roundup
Graphic: Images: Mario Tama / Staff, jetcityimage, Joseph Prezioso, Joseph Prezioso

The mayor of Rio de Janeiro is promising to make a generic version of Ozempic available through the city’s public health network — if he wins reelection. The top 5 highest-paid pharma CEOs all made over $60 million last year. And CVS Health Corporation (CVS) is set to slash 2,900 jobs as part of a multiyear, cost-saving initiative aimed at reducing expenses and increasing investments in AI.

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

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 In this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter.
In this photo illustration, boxes of the diabetes drug Ozempic rest on a pharmacy counter.
Image: Mario Tama / Staff (Getty Images)

A Brazilian politician is making an interesting campaign pitch: Ozempic for all. Eduardo Paes, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro, is seeking reelection and just promised to make a generic version of Ozempic available through the city’s public health network if he wins. 

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Eli Lilly and Company World Headquarters.
Eli Lilly and Company World Headquarters.
Image: jetcityimage (Getty Images)

The shortage of Eli Lilly’s (LLY) blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs is officially over, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The news could put pressure on companies that have been able to sell off-brand versions of GLP-1 weight loss drugs due to widespread shortages. 

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The Moderna logo is seen at the Moderna campus in Norwood, Massachusetts on on Dec. 2, 2020, where the biotechnology company is mass producing its COVID-19 vaccine.
The Moderna logo is seen at the Moderna campus in Norwood, Massachusetts on on Dec. 2, 2020, where the biotechnology company is mass producing its COVID-19 vaccine.
Image: Joseph Prezioso (Getty Images)

Health care stocks underperformed the broader market in 2023, with many companies falling short of their profit targets and some CEOs missing out on bonuses. Yet despite these setbacks, the CEOs of the industry’s top 300 companies still raked in a staggering $3.5 billion collectively last year, according to a new report by STAT News. Although average CEO pay dropped from $13 million in 2022 to $11 million in 2023, the highest earners still took home more than $100 million each. Here’s how much money the the top 5 highest-paid CEOs in health care made in 2023. 

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Image for article titled Ozempic for all, Zepbound is back, and the top CEO pay: Pharma news roundup
Image: Kinga Krzeminska (Getty Images)

We’re only a few months away from the end of the year, but pharma companies still have a steady stream of clinical trial results to announce before then. Several companies — including Novo Nordisk (NVO), Viking Therapeutics (VKTX), and Amgen (AMGN) — are expected to post the results of their next-gen weight loss drugs. Plus, CRISPR Therapeutics (CRSP) is set to share preliminary findings from a trial testing CTX112, a genetically engineered cell therapy for cancer and autoimmune diseases. Learn more about these and other must-watch clinical trials. 

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Ozempic is a medicine for adults with Type 2 diabetes that, along with diet and exercise, may improve blood sugar — although some doctors are prescribing it “off label” for weight loss.
Ozempic is a medicine for adults with Type 2 diabetes that, along with diet and exercise, may improve blood sugar — although some doctors are prescribing it “off label” for weight loss.
Image: Steve Christo - Corbis / Contributor (Getty Images)

It took GLP-1 medications such as Ozempic just seven years to surpass insulin as the the second-most common treatment for Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report by the market research and analytics firm Trilliant Health. 

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Close-up of red "CVS Pharmacy" sign on outside of a building
A general view of a CVS Pharmacy store on Aug. 23, 2024, in Oceanside, New York.
Image: Bruce Bennett / Staff (Getty Images)

CVS Health Corporation (CVS) is set to cut approximately 2,900 jobs as part of a multiyear, $2 billion cost-saving initiative aimed at reducing expenses and increasing investments in technology. 

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Logo on building exterior at the Silicon Valley headquarters of pharmaceutical company Roche in Santa Clara, California.
Logo on building exterior at the Silicon Valley headquarters of pharmaceutical company Roche in Santa Clara, California.
Image: Smith Collection/Gado / Contributor (Getty Images)

Roche (RHHBY) told investors Monday that it plans to make significant cuts to both the cost and time it takes for it to develop new drugs, including its slate of experimental weight loss and diabetes medications. 

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Image for article titled Ozempic for all, Zepbound is back, and the top CEO pay: Pharma news roundup
Graphic: Images: Reuters Photographer, Hollie Adams, Hims & Hers, NurPhoto / Contributor

Exploding sales of prescription weight loss medications have catapulted Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY) to becoming the world’s most valuable pharmaceutical companies. This relentless demand has not only led to continuing shortages but also boosted Denmark’s GDP last year. Morgan Stanley (MS) analysts project that the global market for GLP-1 prescription drugs could reach $105 billion by 2030. With so much money at stake, a range of companies have begun offering weight loss medications.

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Check out which companies entered the weight loss market this year. 

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