Category: weight loss
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STAT+: Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic shots could be made for as little as $3 a month, analysis finds
STAT+: Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic shots could be made for as little as $3 a month, analysis finds Generic versions of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster Wegovy and Ozempic medications could be mass produced for about $3 per person per month, a cost that could greatly widen access in low- and middle-income countries, according to a…
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STAT+: Will Novo Nordisk’s slashing of obesity drug prices save patients’ money? It depends
STAT+: Will Novo Nordisk’s slashing of obesity drug prices save patients’ money? It depends Novo Nordisk made headlines Tuesday by announcing it would slash the list prices of its GLP-1 drugs and arguing that doing so would expand access. For insured patients who have to pay coinsurance — a certain percentage of the list price…
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STAT+: Novo Nordisk accuses Hims & Hers of ‘illegal mass compounding’ over a cheaper version of Wegovy pill
STAT+: Novo Nordisk accuses Hims & Hers of ‘illegal mass compounding’ over a cheaper version of Wegovy pill In an unexpected move, Hims & Hers is making available a cheaper, compounded version of the Wegovy weight loss pill sold by Novo Nordisk, prompting the drugmaker to accuse the telehealth platform of “illegal mass compounding.” In…
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STAT+: Novo Nordisk sees lower sales, profits as Wegovy faces growing competition
STAT+: Novo Nordisk sees lower sales, profits as Wegovy faces growing competition Novo Nordisk on Tuesday said it expects sales and profits to decline this year, as the maker of Wegovy faces growing competition in the obesity market. The Danish pharma giant said it expects sales to decrease in the range of 5% to 13%…
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Live from JPM 2026, a sit-down with Novo Nordisk’s CEO and VC Bob Nelsen
Live from JPM 2026, a sit-down with Novo Nordisk’s CEO and VC Bob Nelsen How did an office clerk become CEO of a major pharmaceutical company? What’s “Project Prometheus”? And what’s next in drug R&D? Allison, Adam, and Elaine are asking those questions live from the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco. Read the…
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JPM to bring more deals and happy CEOs
JPM to bring more deals and happy CEOs What news happened over the holidays? Why will pharma CEOs be greeted warmly in San Francisco next week? And who will buy Revolution Medicines? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” STAT’s weekly biotech podcast. We bring on former co-host…
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The top medical advances of 2025
The top medical advances of 2025 It has been a tough year for medicine. The U.S. research enterprise has been scrambled by a series of political decisions with long-reaching consequences. But make no mistake: Science didn’t stop, and medicine has had its share of major advances. As I have written for years, this is biology’s…
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STAT+: With the Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk undercuts Eli Lilly in direct-to-consumer market
STAT+: With the Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk undercuts Eli Lilly in direct-to-consumer market Novo Nordisk plans to sell its newly approved obesity pill directly to patients at a lower price than a competing medicine from Eli Lilly, as the Danish drugmaker tries to seize market share among consumers paying cash for blockbuster GLP-1 therapies. Novo…
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FDA approves pill version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, possibly widening access
FDA approves pill version of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, possibly widening access The Food and Drug Administration on Monday approved the oral version of Novo Nordisk’s injectable weight loss drug Wegovy, making it the first GLP-1 pill to be cleared by regulators for obesity and possibly allowing many more Americans to get access to a highly…
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Biotech’s year in review
Biotech’s year in review Is the biotech industry truly out of its slump? Why are employers dropping coverage of weight loss drugs? And what will the hosts bake for the holidays? We discuss all that and more on this week’s episode of “The Readout LOUD,” the last episode of the year. We bring on Bruce…
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STAT+: Meta is urged by state attorneys general to boost enforcement of weight loss drug advertising
STAT+: Meta is urged by state attorneys general to boost enforcement of weight loss drug advertising More than three dozen state attorneys general are urging Meta to better enforce its policies to thwart a “surge of misleading” pharmaceutical and wellness ads for weight loss drugs on Instagram and Facebook. And the state officials also want…
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The future of American science and a dispatch from ASH
The future of American science and a dispatch from ASH How did Terns Pharmaceuticals and its “hodgepodge” pipeline grab attention at the American Society of Hematology conference? Is Eli Lilly’s new drug making people lose too much weight? And what, exactly, is the Trump administration’s plan for reforming the National Institutes of Health? We discuss…
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Opinion: Public health should embrace GLP-1 drugs without abandoning obesity prevention
Opinion: Public health should embrace GLP-1 drugs without abandoning obesity prevention Following the White House’s recent announcement of price reductions and expanded coverage for GLP-1 medications like Wegovy and Zepbound, many patients searching for obesity treatments are about to gain access to highly effective options. The implications for U.S. public health are vast. Read the…
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STAT+: The $10 billion question: Will Pfizer hit it big with Metsera, or have regrets?
STAT+: The $10 billion question: Will Pfizer hit it big with Metsera, or have regrets? At a price of up to $10 billion, Pfizer has claimed victory in its bidding war against Novo Nordisk to acquire Metsera and its investigational obesity treatments. But in doing so, the company has also taken on significant risks. Will…
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STAT+: Trump administration nears deals for cheaper weight loss drugs with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly
STAT+: Trump administration nears deals for cheaper weight loss drugs with Novo Nordisk, Eli Lilly WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is nearing deals with Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk to lower the prices of their weight loss drugs and expand access to them, people familiar with the talks told STAT. The companies have been close to…
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STAT+: Kailera Therapeutics, an obesity drug startup, raises $600 million
STAT+: Kailera Therapeutics, an obesity drug startup, raises $600 million Investors announced one of the biggest private financing rounds of the year for a biotech company Tuesday, pouring $600 million into obesity startup Kailera Therapeutics. Bain Capital’s private equity group led the financing, which also included Royalty Pharma, the sovereign wealth fund in Qatar, and the…
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STAT+: Novo Nordisk links to telehealth providers for patients seeking Wegovy
STAT+: Novo Nordisk links to telehealth providers for patients seeking Wegovy Novo Nordisk has taken the next step in selling its drugs directly to patients by pointing them to telehealth providers that can write prescriptions for its popular obesity medication Wegovy. The company now links to select virtual providers on the NovoCare direct-to-patient pharmacy website…
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Vaccine policy frays, CDC nominee in the hot seat, & obesity drug side effects
Vaccine policy frays, CDC nominee in the hot seat, & obesity drug side effects What does the fracturing of vaccine advice and policy mean for the U.S. health care ecosystem? Will the potential head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stand up to her boss? And can Amgen overcome its obesity drug’s side…
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STAT+: GLP-1 drug helped type 1 diabetes patients keep healthy glucose levels and lose weight
STAT+: GLP-1 drug helped type 1 diabetes patients keep healthy glucose levels and lose weight Obesity drugs were first approved to treat type 2 diabetes, but there’s a growing movement to test them in type 1 diabetes, too. Research presented Monday at a large diabetes meeting showed some promise for this approach. Patients who took…
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STAT+: Amgen’s obesity drug led to high discontinuation rates in mid-stage trial, as company plans to adjust dosing
STAT+: Amgen’s obesity drug led to high discontinuation rates in mid-stage trial, as company plans to adjust dosing CHICAGO — Amgen’s monthly obesity candidate led to substantial weight loss but a high rate of side effects and discontinuations in a mid-stage trial, results that support the company’s decision to use a slower dosing schedule to…
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STAT+: Novo Nordisk’s amylin obesity drug keeps performing like Zepbound
STAT+: Novo Nordisk’s amylin obesity drug keeps performing like Zepbound CHICAGO — Late-stage results of Novo Nordisk’s obesity candidate CagriSema suggest the drug is comparable to Eli Lilly’s Zepbound on safety and efficacy, further data indicating that CagriSema may not be the standout treatment that investors had hoped for. Novo previously reported that patients on…
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STAT+: More universities open to private equity deals, and emerging companies turn to new targets
STAT+: More universities open to private equity deals, and emerging companies turn to new targets This is the online version of our BIO 2025 newsletter. Get more BIO updates directly to your inbox by signing up here, and sign up for our morning biotech news roundup newsletter here. Hello all, I have a fresh double…