STAT+: Pharmalittle: Is Pascal Soriot leaving AstraZeneca? PBMs try to counter congressional crackdown

Hello, everyone, and nice to see you again after our extended break. A little time away is always a good thing, but now we have returned to our usual routine. Of course, we are starting by firing up the coffee kettle to concoct a few cups of stimulation. Our choice today is cinnamon sticky bun. You can never be too sweet, you know? Meanwhile, we have, once gain, gathered a few tidbits for you to peruse. We hope you have a smashing day and, as always, please do keep in touch. We appreciate your feedback and encouragement. …

The exploding popularity of drugs like Wegovy and Mounjaro has propelled dozens of companies to develop their own obesity treatments, with most trying to emulate the same approach as the blockbuster products, STAT writes. Nearly 70 obesity treatments are in development, and about two-thirds use a similar mechanism as Wegovy and Mounjaro, according to the STAT Obesity Drug Tracker. A minority of companies are pursuing entirely different approaches, hoping they will stand out. Among the obesity drugs in development that are taking the same approach of activating hormone receptors, a little over half of them are targeting a combination of different hormones.

AstraZeneca appeared to play down speculation about the future of its chief executive officer after its shares fell more than 4% on Monday following a U.K. tabloid report that Pascal Soriot was considering leaving the drugmaker as soon as next year, Reuters notes. The company initially declined to comment on the Mail on Sunday report, but later issued a statement saying: “We do not comment on market rumors. We have regulatory obligations and were there any truth in a rumor that could significantly impact our share price we would make an announcement.”

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