STAT+: Pharmalittle: Genentech weighs delaying cancer therapy after drug pricing law; Novo continues to restrict supplies of low-dose Wegovy

Rise and shine, everyone, another very busy day awaits. Even so, there is nothing like a pleasant morning to lift the spirits. A cool breeze and warm sun are enveloping the Pharmalot campus, where the short person has left for another productive day and the official mascots are running about. As for us, we are immersed in the usual daily ritual — quaffing a few cups of stimulation. Our choice today is, once again, roasted coconut. So, time to get cracking. As always, please do keep us in mind if you hear something fascinating. Meanwhile, here are your tidbits. Dig in and have a grand day. …

Genentech chief executive officer Alexander Hardy may be willing to delay treatments for cancer patients if it means making more money, STAT tells us. Hardy argues that the new Medicare negotiation program could encourage the company to slow-walk research on how a drug could treat diseases with smaller populations in favor of making sure diseases with larger patient populations are the first to market. By doing so, the company would sell more medicines in the window before Medicare is allowed to negotiate prices, because the clock for when discounts can kick in is based on when the drug first goes on the market.

Novo Nordisk will continue to restrict U.S. supplies of starter doses of its hugely popular Wegovy weight-loss drug, most likely into 2024, as the company struggles to keep up with soaring U.S. demand, STAT notes. The news came as the drugmaker raised its full-year profit and sales forecasts for a second time. The company is riding a wave of sky-high demand for its highly effective diabetes and weight-loss drugs, Ozempic and Wegovy, but will extend the limits introduced for Wegovy supplies. In May, Novo Nordisk said it would halve supply of starter doses to the U.S. market for several months to ensure supplies for existing patients.

Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…