STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Trump and pharma tariffs, losing too much weight with an experimental Lilly obesity drug, and more
In today's Pharmalittle roundup, Trump and pharma tariffs, losing too much weight with an experimental Lilly obesity drug, and more.
Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Although chilly outdoors, the sun is shining and the official mascots have already begun napping after a brisk outdoor race around the Pharmalot campus. As for us, we are brewing cups of stimulation. The neurons need all the help they can get, especially with such a busy stream of news. Our choice today is maple bourbon, which we believe is quite appropriate. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, we have assembled another menu of tidbits for you to peruse. We hope your day is meaningful and productive, and you accomplish much. And of course, do keep in touch. We treasure your insights and feedback …
In ongoing trials of Eli Lilly’s next-generation obesity drug, several trial participants are running into an issue they never expected: They are losing too much weight, STAT reports. One participant lost 22% of her weight in nine months — substantially faster than the rate seen with approved GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy or Zepbound. Her weight dropped so much that researchers reduced her dose of the treatment, called retatrutide. Still, she continued to feel too nauseous, so she decided by herself to start skipping every other dose. Another patient, whose weight plunged 31% over a similar span, has been constantly making himself eat calorie-dense foods like peanut butter to avoid losing more. Not only have the participants, who are in their 40s and 50s, been able to lose a significant amount of weight for the first time in their lives, but many of their related health conditions — like knee pain, high cholesterol, and fatty liver disease — are also now in much better control. At the same time, though, they’re finding the weight loss effects to be too extreme.
Pharmaceutical executives are scheduled to meet with President Trump later today to discuss a range of issues affecting the sector — including his recent suggestion that he may impose a “25% or higher” tariff on drug imports, Pharmaphorum notes. Analysts at ING have said that tariffs would be a “bitter pill to swallow for both consumers and producers,” as they would drive up their costs, and would also break World Trade Organization rules that exempt all pharmaceutical products from this sort of toll. Trump has previously indicated he wants to reduce imports — particularly for raw materials like active pharmaceutical ingredients — and encourage domestic production so the U.S. is less reliant on supplies from other regions like China, India, and Europe. But as a highly regulated industry, with changes to production processes subject to strict rules and regulatory oversight, that transition is likely to require months or even years to achieve. In the meantime, manufacturers could see their cost of production rise, and may pass those increases onto health systems and — ultimately — the patients who use their drugs.
