Hims & Hers Health Inc., an online pharmacy platform founded in 2017, said it would offer compounded GLP-1 drugs with the same active ingredient (semaglutide) as Novo Nordisk’s mega-blockbuster diabetes drug Ozempic and weight-loss treatment Wegovy, at a significantly lower price of $199 per month. This represents an 85% discount compared to the branded versions…
Navigating the new regulatory terrain pharma companies face with IRA and 340B
The ever-evolving landscape of pharmaceutical regulations has long been challenging to navigate, but now pharma companies face additional complexities with the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the ongoing implementation of the 340B drug pricing program. In recent years, the IRA has made waves for its impact on the pharmaceutical industry, including proposals…
Transparency-Rx promises reform in the PBM landscape
Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have recently emerged as a punching bag with the pharma trade group PhRMA accusing such orgs of driving up drug prices. Now, an alliance of PBMs known as Transparency-Rx has emerged, promising a reform initiative in a digital campaign attempting to put pressure on rival PBMs. This coalition’s efforts could reshape…
Decade-plus review of drug recall trends from 2011 to 2023
Earlier this year, we took a look at the most common causes of drug-related recalls in 2022 and the first quarter of 2023. Now, we are expanding our lens to examine drug-related FDA recalls from 2011 to 2023. Understanding the recall landscape In recent decades, prominent incidents like the Tylenol poisonings in 1982 have underscored…
Sanofi, Merck and Novartis top pharma M&A in recent years
Despite a temporary slowdown during the early days of the pandemic, the pharma sector has witnessed a steady rise in M&A activity over the years. The number of deals climbed from 23 in 2018 to 43 in 2022. Major players driving this trend include Sanofi, Merck & Co. and Novartis. Those three players have made…
CRB installs new senior director of sustainability
The life sciences and food and beverage consulting firm CRB has named Mike Dieterich as its senior director of sustainability. Dieterich has more than 17 years of experience working in energy and sustainability. He’s led sustainability initiatives at companies such as AstraZeneca where he served as director, U.S. sustainability from January 2018 to April 2023.…
FDA releases guidance on pharmaceutical supply chain security
The FDA recently published guidance to help the pharma industry detect suspicious and illegitimate products within the pharmaceutical supply chain. These regulations, established under the Drug Supply Chain Security Act (DSCSA), concentrate on product tracing, verification, and identification for specific drug products distributed in the U.S. So far this year, the agency has released more than…
ATA Freight expands in India to serve growing pharma industry
The international logistics company ATA Freight is opening a new facility in Hyderabad due to growing demand from India’s quickly-growing pharmaceutical industry. The Hyderabad facility will primarily cater to the pharmaceutical industry. “ATA Freight already has a strong footprint in India’s pharmaceutical industry, serving many of the area’s leading pharma manufacturers,” said ATA freight chief…