STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about J&J building U.S. plants, a weight loss-drug race in India, and more
J&J plans to spend over $55 billion to build four plants in the U.S. as the Trump administration pressures companies to expand manufacturing domestically
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is, so far at least, rather modest. We have a great deal of reading to catch up on and plan to take care of sundry errands. This may leave us more time for another listening party, where the rotation may include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? Now that spring has sprung, this is an opportunity to explore the great outdoors again by taking a long trek in a park or mountains or rambling down city streets. You could take in a moving picture show, make time to tidy around your castle, or reach out to someone special. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …
Eli Lilly launched its blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drug Mounjaro in India on Thursday, beating rival Novo Nordisk for a much-awaited entry into the world’s most populous country grappling with increasing rates of obesity and diabetes, Reuters reports. Mounjaro, a once-weekly injection approved by India’s drug regulator, is priced at $50.67 for a 5-milligram vial and $40.54 for a 2.5-milligram vial, its lowest doses. A patient in India may have to spend about $200 a month when taking a weekly dose of 5 milligrams, subject to a doctor’s prescription. Mounjaro carries a list price of $1,086.37 for each monthly fill in the U.S., but the amount patients pay largely depends on their insurance plan. Lilly, however, said that pricing in different geographies cannot be compared given significant variation in health care systems, economies, and reimbursement policies in each country.
The move by President Trump to fire two Democrats on the U.S. Federal Trade Commission leaves a question mark over the future of an agency antitrust action alleging pharmacy benefit managers used illegal rebate programs that spiked the price of insulin, Bloomberg Law explains. Last September, the agency sued CVS Caremark, OptumRx, and Express Scripts in its administrative court. The case gained bipartisan support in Washington, with key Republican lawmakers publicly backing it. Commissioners have ultimate authority over decisions in the FTC in-house court. But at the time of their dismissal on March 18, Alvaro Bedoya and Rebecca Kelly Slaughter were the only commissioners overseeing the proceedings because the GOP members had recused themselves. The case, which the PBMs are fighting to block, shines a spotlight on the downstream consequences of Trump’s attempt to fire Bedoya and Slaughter, who have each called the move illegal and vowed to challenge it in court.
