STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about lower Wegovy prices, a dispute over Merck’s Keytruda, and more
Novo Nordisk plans to offer its Wegovy weight loss drug at a reduced cost of $499 per month for cash-paying customers in the U.S.
Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, especially since the middle of the week is upon us. After all, we have made it this far so we are determined to hang on for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not particularly appetizing, as you might imagine. So what better way to make the time fly than to keep as busy as possible. So grab that cup of stimulation and get started. Our choice today is butter pecan, which is quickly becoming an old standby around here. Now, though, it is time to get cracking. Here is a menu of tidbits to help you get started. We hope you have a lovely day, and do keep in touch. …
Now that the Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, the Canadian government is levying tariffs in return and one notion that should be considered is suspending patent rights held by U.S. companies, including pharmaceutical companies, Richard Gold, a professor of law and medicine at McGill University who specializes in intellectual property issues, tells STAT. As he sees it, the pharmaceutical industry would have a lot to lose should the Canadian government take such a step and, therefore, would feel compelled to lobby the White House to roll back the tariffs. “This would tell the Americans that you don’t get the benefit of a free trade agreement if you don’t honor it and it will hurt you, not with a tariff but by taking away things you bargained for,” he says.
Meanwhile, Sandoz chief executive officer Richard Saynor maintains that the tariffs are likely to make medicines more expensive, limit access for patients, and cause the pharmaceutical supply chain to become unstable, according to Bloomberg News. As a result, he sees “little point” in increasing investment in the U.S. Most generics and biosimilars in the U.S. contain ingredients made elsewhere or are produced entirely abroad, which will hit consumers immediately, Saynor explained. “In the short term, I think it will drive even more patient-access instability,” he said. In the medium term, pricing increases will be passed on to payers and ultimately to patients.
