Novo Nordisk notches another phase 3 success for GLP-1 drug

The weekly diabetes candidate semaglutide successfully completed four prior phase 3 trials which compared Novo's next-gen hopeful to existing treatments. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 25, 2016

Merck CEO Frazier acknowledges pricing 'challenges,' need for new models

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, CEO Ken Frazier said the pharma industry as a whole needs to find new and more effective ways to link drug prices to value. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 24, 2016

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

Amgen's bone-building osteo drug dazzles in phase 3, but could face hefty competition

The candidate's significantly more convenient dosing option could still give it a leg up over a potentially more effective competitor from Radius Health.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 24, 2016

Alibaba under siege as Chinese regulators & pharmacies fight its e-drug tracking system

On Wednesday, a group of 19 Chinese pharmacies demanded the Chinese health authorities shut down the system, citing unfair competition. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 24, 2016

Why uptake of new PCSK9 cholesterol meds has been so slow

More accelerated uptake of Sanofi/Regeneron's Praluent and Amgen's Repatha by both payers and doctors is not expected until there is convincing outcomes data available. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 24, 2016

Sanofi cashes in $245M review voucher to leapfrog Novo in crucial diabetes combo race

The French drugmaker's woes in its diabetes franchise have been real. And now it's using a pricey priority review coupon purchased from Retrophin to get a leg up in a heated battle with formidable rivals like Novo Nordisk.

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 24, 2016

CVS reports dramatic drop in Rx spending growth after 2014's double-digit spike

The company reported prescription drug spending among its members increased by only 5% last year, even as drug spending nationwide grew by 12%. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 23, 2016

Double whammy: Valeant stock hammered on Philidor accounting issues, CVS Jublia restrictions

All told, the pharma giant shed $6 billion in value between last Thursday and Monday's market close after a stream of bad news.

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 23, 2016

Allergan's Q4 earnings best expectations on back of US sales

Botox and the chronic dry eye drug Restasis led the way among branded products, respectively earning $655.7 million and $364.6 million globally in the fourth quarter. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 23, 2016

Sandoz to Supreme Court: Don't let branded drugmakers have extra leg up on biosims

The generics unit of Novartis wants the high court to reverse an earlier ruling which would effectively give brand name drug manufacturers more time to react to a biosimilar launch.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 19, 2016

The next overdose crisis? Benzo-related deaths on the rise in US

More than 7,000 people died from overdosing on benzodiazepines in 2013, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 19, 2016

Armed with strong new data, Regulus aims to defy skeptics of its hep C injectable

But given that currently available oral therapies from Gilead, AbbVie, and Merck cure almost all forms of chronic hepatitis C (HCV), the biotech still has a hard case to make. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 18, 2016

UPDATE: AstraZeneca & Daiichi rebuff Vermont governor's call to pull OIC Super Bowl ad

"[O]ur message encourages a clinically important conversation about OIC between patients and their doctors, which may also facilitate a broader discussion about safe and appropriate opioid use," wrote AZ in a letter to Gov. Peter Shumlin (D). "While these discussions are separate and distinct, both are important for patients and their families."

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 17, 2016

New, emotional BIO ad highlights innovation in effort push back on pricing critics

Titled "Time is Precious," the new ad is the beginning of a broader campaign by the industry trade association. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 17, 2016

AMD Awareness Month: For drugmakers, value is the name of the game

At the BIO CEO 2016 conference last week, top executives from Regeneron and Inotek discussed what needs to happen to fill the many unmet medical needs in ophthalmology—and how it all ultimately relates to value.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 17, 2016

Express Scripts putting all Valeant scripts under the microscope amid pricing furor

The benefits manager recently dropped Valeant's diabetes drug Glumetza in favor of a generic alternative. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 17, 2016

Looking ahead at orphan drugs' future: More breakthroughs, exploding sales

Worldwide orphan drug sales are predicted to grow to $178 billion by 2020, with growth exceeding that of the broader prescription drug market. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 16, 2016

HHS chief mulling controversial 'march-in' to smack down patents & tackle drug prices

Sylvia Burwell, who heads up the Department of Health and Human Services, has responded positively to a group of lawmakers who want to invoke "march-in" rights to lift patent protection on expensive drugs. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 16, 2016

New PCSK9s & heart meds face slow uptake, brush up against payer review requirements

The heart drug Entresto, along with two new PCSK9 inhibitors, have had slower than anticipated uptake. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 16, 2016

Report: Walgreens threatened to dissolve Theranos arrangement barring quick fixes

According to the Wall Street Journal, the drug store giant issued a "warning letter" to the embattled blood testing upstart giving it until the end of the month to resolve a number of issues which have invited federal regulatory scrutiny.  

By Sy Mukherjee • Feb. 11, 2016

Imprimis marches on with price cut strategy, will offer cheaper version of Retrophin's kidney stone med

The company previously introduced a cheaper version of Daraprim after former Turing CEO Martin Shkreli increased its price by 5,000%. 

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 11, 2016

Egypt facing major drug supply crisis fueled by weak currency & political turmoil

Since the country's political uprising in 2011, the value of the Egyptian pound has declined substantially, making it harder to import essential drugs. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 11, 2016

Breaking down Super Bowl 50's pharma ads: A bold moment for gut drugs

Two ads that got a lot of attention during the big game last Sunday were AstraZeneca's Movantik commercial for opioid-induced constipation and Valeant's Xifaxan ad for IBS-D. We spoke with Michael Smith, Vice President of the nonprofit patient group G-PACT, about why they were so significant.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 10, 2016

You've got InMail: Pharma ratcheting up use of LinkedIn for marketing

Pharma companies see LinkedIn InMail as a safer marketing option than other social media channels. 

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 10, 2016

A besieged drug industry launches major new ad campaign to woo lawmakers

The trade group PhRMA spent $18.4 million last year on federal lobbying while the biopharma sector faced intense scrutiny on drug prices.

By Nicole Gray • Feb. 9, 2016