Pharmalittle: FDA OKs first RSV vaccine for older adults; Lilly Alzheimer’s data puts pressure on Medicare

By Ed Silverman May 4, 2023

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Rise and shine, another busy day is on the way. We can tell by the volume of email arriving this morning and the cacophony of vehicular sounds outside our window. Since we are on the road, however, finding acceptable cups of stimulation is more challenging than we would like, so we will soon attempt to forage about this foreign land for something suitable. Meanwhile, we have managed to assemble the latest menu of tidbits to help you on your journey, which we hope will be meaningful and productive. So time to get cracking. Have a smashing day everyone and, as always, do keep in touch. We grow lonely when you fail to reach out. …

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration licensed the first-ever vaccine for respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, completing an elusive quest that has been decades in the making, STAT writes. The GSK shot, called Arexvy, was approved for adults ages 60 and older. GSK beat a crowded field of competitors to cross the finish line first. A vaccine that was developed by Pfizer and aimed at the same demographic is expected to be approved by the end of the month. The Pfizer vaccine has also been tested to protect infants in their first six months of life — the age group at highest risk of being hospitalized with RSV — and is expected to gain FDA approval for that population later this year.

The enormous demand for weight loss treatments like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy could support as many as 10 competing products with annual sales reaching up to $100 billion within a decade, mostly in the U.S., Reuters explains. More than half a dozen companies, from Pfizer and Amgen to smaller players like Altimmune, are working on weight loss therapies similar to Wegovy, a Novo Nordisk drug, viewing them as important future growth drivers. Novo was first to introduce an effective treatment shown to help people lose up to 15% of their weight. Eli Lilly is expected to receive approval in the U.S. for a weight loss therapy for a similar drug, called Mounjaro, later this year.

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