STAT+: Pharmalittle: Eisai reports injectable version of Alzheimer’s drug as effective as IV; Pfizer says combo flu and Covid shot shows strong response
The Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi is as effective when given as an under-the-skin injection as the already-approved intravenous version.
Hello, everyone, and how are you this morning? We are doing just fine, thank you, as we muddle along, trying to organize our to-do list and set our priorities. There is an intensity to such mundane tasks, though, that calls for a cup of stimulation. So as we fire up the coffee kettle today, we are reaching for Vermont maple walnut. As always, you are invited to join us. Or grab a bottle of water if you prefer. Meanwhile, we have spent some time rummaging about for items of interest and collected the assortment below. We hope you find them useful and, more important, that you have a meaningful and productive day. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
A broad push by federal, state, and private sectors to lower insulin costs in the U.S. is likely to persevere even as the Medicare drug-price negotiation program faces legal resistance from the pharmaceutical industry, Bloomberg Law explains. If the program can withstand the legal challenges, millions of Americans covered by private insurers may see major savings due to the unprecedented transparency it forces on drugmakers over pricing. Taken together, the program, the Inflation Reduction Act’s cap on out-of-pocket costs for Medicare participants, and state efforts are on track to help lower insulin prices.
The manufacturer of the Alzheimer’s disease drug Leqembi released a study showing a version that can be given with a simpler, under-the-skin injection is equally effective as the approved intravenous infusion, STAT writes. But hopes that the subcutaneous injection would also cause lower rates of brain swelling and bleeding — the most worrisome side effects — were not borne out. If the under-the-skin formulation secures approval — Eisai, which is partnered on the drug with Biogen, intends to file its application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March — self-injections, twice per week, could be done at home.
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