What's more prescribed than opioids? Weirdly, a thyroid drug

A new GoodRx report finds the most popular drug in 26 states is levothyroxine, which breached 100 million prescriptions annually from 2012 to 2016. 

By Jacob Bell • March 23, 2018

Amgen taps Omnicom's Hearts & Science for media job

The California biotech has placed its media spend in the hands of an Omnicom agency after 14 years with another group. 

By Suzanne Elvidge • March 23, 2018

Explore the Trendline➔

Commercialization

New drugs for obesity and Alzheimer’s look set to become blockbusters, reshaping pharma marketing strategies just as many current top-sellers near looming patent cliffs.

By BioPharma Dive staff

Roche's Hemlibra to be biggest blockbuster of next 5 years, report says

A dozen drugs approved in 2017 should reach blockbuster status over the five-year period, with many exceeding $2 billion in annual sales, according to a report from Clarivate Analytics.

By Lisa LaMotta • March 22, 2018

Sun Pharma breaks into biologics with Ilumya

Though it's an important milestone, some analysts noted the generics giant and its new psoriasis drug will face an uphill battle in the fight for market share.

By Jacob Bell • March 22, 2018

FDA to study how drug promotion affects doctors' decisions

Drugmakers spend billions of dollars trying to get their products in front of prescribers, and the FDA wants to know how influential that practice has become.

By Jacob Bell • March 21, 2018

Broad pharmacy availability set to boost GSK's Shingrix

CVS and Walgreens now stock GSK's shingles vaccine at pharmacies nationwide, which will help the pharma steal market share from Merck.

By Randi Hernandez • March 21, 2018

Mundipharma inks third biosimilar deal with Celltrion

The European conglomerate will commercialize the South Korean company's copycat version of Herceptin.

By Lisa LaMotta • March 20, 2018

Docs more likely to prescribe opioids after pharma pay, study finds

Opioid manufacturers paid physicians more than $43 million over a two-year period, according to CareDash.

By Meg Bryant • March 16, 2018

Federal panel calls for 'urgent action' on cancer drug prices

Rising drug costs have sparked concerns over patient access while also luring greater investment by drugmakers. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • March 14, 2018

Copay exceeds drug cost in 23% of claims: JAMA research

Due to limits on what a pharmacist can say, patients are often not aware if their copay is more than what the insurer paid the pharmacy for a drug.

By Randi Hernandez • March 14, 2018

Administrative, drug costs drive US health spending far above other nations

A study published in JAMA found the U.S. pays roughly twice as much for healthcare than other high-income countries, despite similar utilization rates.

By Les Masterson • March 13, 2018

Drug spending growth to come solely from specialty meds, report says

Developed markets will shell out more than $300 billion for the often complex, expensive treatments this year, according to new estimates from IQVIA.

By Jacob Bell • March 13, 2018

GSK dodges another Advair copy as FDA reaffirms Hikma rejection

Hikma challenged a CRL and lost. Now, the company needs to conduct a new clinical study if it wants a shot at approval for its copycat.

By Jacob Bell • March 12, 2018

Gottlieb takes aim at payers, pharmas for blocking biosimilars

The FDA chief lambasted PBMs, insurers and branded drugmakers for allegedly blocking market entry of the copycat biologics.

By Lisa LaMotta , David Lim • March 8, 2018

For Cosentyx, Taltz, Siliq: A marketing race to differentiate

The IL-17 arena is getting pretty crowded, pushing drugmakers to explore various routes to market dominance.

By Jacob Bell • March 7, 2018

Teva tries rebranding in North America

The Israeli company is looking to change its image amid multiple challenges.

By Lisa LaMotta • March 7, 2018

Pharma taking liberties with DTC ads, says study

A new study analyzes current DTC ad campaigns and dissects whether disclosure of beneficial side effects could be misleading or interpreted as off-label promotion.

By Randi Hernandez • March 7, 2018

23andMe's DTC cancer test tentatively OK'd by FDA

Take-home genetic tests have gained traction with consumers, but regulators are warning they're no substitute for screenings at the doctor's office.

By Jacob Bell • March 7, 2018

UnitedHealthcare to use rebates to lower drug costs for patients

The major insurer plans to begin routing savings from drugmaker rebates directly to some consumers in a bid to lower out-of-pocket costs for prescription medicines.

By Ned Pagliarulo • March 6, 2018

Benzo overprescribing risk may be overlooked amid opioid crisis

A new commentary in the New England Journal of Medicine argues for greater monitoring and physician education around benzodiazepine use.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 28, 2018

Collegium warned for opioid drug marketing

The company was hit with a warning letter from the FDA after failing to prominently disclose the risks of the drug at a recent conference. 

By Jacob Bell • Feb. 28, 2018

PhRMA pitches value-based care, skeptics raise flags

Drugmakers have touted value-based contracting as a solution to rising prescription drug costs. But the connection isn't always straightforward.

By Randi Hernandez • Feb. 27, 2018

Hemlibra headed for Europe, eyes wider market

Some peg $5 billion in peak sales for Roche's new hemophilia drug, but that's only if it wins new indications in the U.S. and Europe.

By Jacob Bell • Feb. 27, 2018

Rubraca struggling from behind in PARP market

Clovis has battled to stay relevant in a competitive market that includes rival drugs from AstraZeneca and Tesaro.

By Lisa LaMotta • Feb. 27, 2018

Avonex's freefall still likely amid patent case loss

Newer treatments have lowered sales of the Biogen multiple sclerosis drug, and analysts expect that to continue regardless of the '755 patent.

By Jacob Bell • Feb. 26, 2018