STAT+: Pharmalittle: Employers hire virtual providers as obesity drug gatekeepers; Vertex non-opioid nerve pain drug succeeds in mid-stage trial
U.S. employers facing surging costs from obesity drugs are hiring virtual providers like Teladoc to implement weight-loss management programs.
Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you. Given that this is already the middle of the week and we have survived this far, no reason not to continue, yes? Just consider the alternatives. In fact, this modest accomplishment calls for celebration. So please join us in quaffing a ritual cup of needed stimulation. Our choice today is Swiss chocolate almond. Or grab a bottle of water, if you prefer. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest to help you along. Once again, we hope you have a successful day and, of course, keep in touch. We enjoy hearing your tips and tidbits. …
U.S. employers facing surging costs from paying for Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and similar obesity drugs are hiring virtual health care providers like Teladoc to implement weight-loss management programs, according to Reuters, which spoke with a dozen consultants, pharmacy benefit managers, analysts, and health care providers. These programs may require diet and exercise before granting access to the medicines, and in some cases will become an employee’s sole covered option for medications like Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s rival therapy Zepbound, which have list prices of more than $1,000 a month.
Two gene therapies were approved for sickle cell disease last week, but for many researchers the Holy Grail remains something far more modest: a pill, STAT explains. Only a pill can actually have an impact on the scale of sickle cell. The gene therapies, with the risks and hospital stays and bespoke manufacturing they entail, will not be an option for the vast majority of U.S. patients or for virtually any of the 20 million patients across the Global South. A pill could be distributed everywhere. And this week, Novartis unveiled early animal data at the annual American Society of Hematology meeting suggesting that, by leveraging a new technology, they might have a promising candidate.
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