In a first, China has featured insulin in its centralized drug procurement program — but the bulk order comes at a sizable cost for multinational pharma players.
Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and Eli Lilly were among eight companies, domestic and foreign, whose insulin products won tenders from the Chinese public hospital system. In exchange, the drugs’ prices were cut, on average, by 48%, saving the medical institutions a collective $1.4 billion on the first batch of 210 million doses, according to state media.
As a result of the tender process, some domestic drugmakers scored bigger orders because they offered lower prices than their (previously dominant) foreign counterparts.
According to local reports, the prices got as low as $2.81 (RMB17.89) per vial.
Given centralized price negotiation in reimbursement and procurement in China, competing on discounts — and how far they can go — has become imperative for the pharma industry. But where drugmakers concede on price, they typically expect to make up with volume.
Over the weekend, Novo Nordisk noted a combination of lower prices and reduced volumes could have a negative impact on sales, slowing growth down by about 3%. Analysts expect it to catch up with next-generation diabetes drugs such as its GLP-1 agonists.
While oncology researchers have long pursued the potential of cellular immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, it was unclear whether these therapies would ever reach patients due to the complexity of manufacturing and costs of development. Fortunately, the recent successful development and regulatory approval of chimeric antigen receptor-engineered T (CAR-T) cells have demonstrated the significant benefit of these therapies to patients.
The nonprofit Institute for Clinical and Economic Review on Wednesday released a new report highlighting the ways in which payers are generally ensuring fair access to prescription drugs, even when based on a set of criteria set by the nonprofit.
While noting the lack of transparency hindered the report’s results, ICER said that the ‘great majority’ of payer policies in the formularies evaluated are structured in a way to support many key elements of how ICER defines ‘fair access.’
Stéphane Bancel, Moderna CEO
Even as public health officials remain guarded about their comments on the likelihood Omicron will escape the reach of the currently approved Covid-19 vaccines, there’s growing scientific consensus that we’re facing a variant that threatens to overwhelm the vaccine barricades that have been erected.
Stéphane Bancel, the CEO of Moderna, one of the leading mRNA players whose quick vault into the markets with a highly effective vaccine created an instant multibillion-dollar market, added his voice to the rising chorus early Tuesday. According to Bancel, there will be a significant drop in efficacy when the average immune system is confronted by Omicron. The only question now is: How much?
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Reshma Kewalramani, Vertex CEO (Vertex via YouTube)
Vertex claimed its second early-stage win of the fall Wednesday, announcing positive results in a small study on a genetically defined form of kidney disease.
The 16-patient, Phase II trial focused on patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, a rare disease where kidneys are unable to filter blood properly. Over 13 weeks on an experimental pill, the level of protein in the patients’ urine fell by an average of 47.6%.
Paul Hudson, Sanofi CEO (Cyril Marcilhacy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Paul Hudson has spotlighted vaccines, immunology and dermatology as some of the top R&D focuses at Sanofi. His latest deal brings all of them together.
The French pharma giant isn’t sharing any financial details about the buyout of Origimm, a low-profile, private Austrian biotech whose technology promises to identify antigens causing skin disease and build vaccines against them. Their lead candidate targets acne vulgaris.
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Philip Dormitzer, new GSK global head of vaccines R&D
GlaxoSmithKline has appointed Philip Dormitzer, formerly chief scientific officer of Pfizer’s viral vaccines unit, as its newest global head of vaccines R&D, looking to leverage one of the leading minds behind Pfizer and BioNTech’s RNA collaboration that led to Covid-19 jab Comirnaty, the British drug giant said Tuesday.
Dormitzer had been with Pfizer for a little more than six years, joining up after a seven-year stint with Novartis, where he reached the role of US head of research and head of global virology for the company’s vaccines and diagnostics unit.
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In another setback for Biogen, the big biotech lost its appeal to revive a patent for the once-blockbuster drug Tecfidera, marking a likely conclusion to the case.
The US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit issued the ruling Tuesday morning, saying Biogen failed to satisfy the ‘written description’ requirement for patent law. As a result, Mylan-turned-Viatris will be able to sell its multiple sclerosis generic without fear of infringement and Biogen will have to find a new revenue driver elsewhere.
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After years as the top spending pharma TV advertiser, AbbVie’s Humira brand finally downshifted earlier this year, ceding much of its marketing budget to up-and-coming sibling meds Skyrizi and Rinvoq. However, now Humira is back on TV with ads for another condition — Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS).
The chronic and painful skin condition results in lumps and abscesses caused by inflammation or infection of sweat glands, most often in the armpits or groin. Humira was first approved to treat HS in 2015 and remains the only FDA-approved drug for the condition. Two TV ads both note more than 30,000 people with HS have been prescribed Humira.
https://endpts.com/china-boasts-48-price-cut-on-insulin-as-domestic-drugmakers-eclipse-big-pharma-in-bulk-order/
