A group of eight Democratic senators is asking biopharma companies to spill the beans about their private most-favored-nation pricing deals with U.S. President Donald Trump. Led by Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, the senators sent letters Dec. 11 to Astrazeneca plc, Eli Lilly and Co., Novo Nordisk A/S and Pfizer Inc. seeking the details of those deals. While it’s difficult to discern how the deals will benefit patients, it’s clear the companies stand to gain a lot from the agreements, the letter asserted.
Restricting the recommended use of COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S. wasn’t enough. Now the Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is trying to get the FDA to revoke the BLAs for all versions of the Moderna Inc. and Pfizer Inc.-Biontech SE COVID-19 vaccines.
A month after besting rival Novo Nordisk A/S in a bidding war for obesity drug developer Metsera Inc., Pfizer Inc. is again adding to its GLP-1 arsenal, this time via a $2 billion licensing and collaboration agreement with Yaopharma, a subsidiary of China’s Fosun Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
In a verbal sparring over who can deliver the lowest drug prices in the U.S., several Senate Democrats are urging President Donald Trump to immediately release the list of second-round Medicare-negotiated drug prices, instead of doing what they characterize as “ambiguous” and “opaque” pricing deals with individual biopharma companies.
Pfizer Inc. has divulged gastric inhibitory polypeptide receptor (GIPR) antagonists reported to be useful for the treatment of type 2 diabetes and obesity.
Pfizer Inc. emerged over the weekend as the winner of the bidding war for Metsera Inc., with the two reaching an amended agreement after market close Nov. 7 that values the obesity drugmaker at about $10 billion. The next day, the other contender, Novo Nordisk A/S, confirmed it does not intend to increase its most recent offer.
Eli Lilly and Co.’s amylin receptor agonist, eloralintide, showed impressive weight loss and improved tolerability in phase II results reported at ObesityWeek 2025, setting the stage for a phase III trial to start next month. The once-weekly drug demonstrated superior mean weight reductions from 9.5% to 20.1% vs. only 0.4% for placebo over 48 weeks, with all treatment arms meeting the primary endpoint, mean percent change in body weight from the average baseline of 240.5 lbs. (109.1 kg).
Pfizer Inc. upped its original $7.3 billion September offer to buy Metsera Inc., but the obesity specialist maintained that a now-improved unsolicited bid by semaglutide developer Novo Nordisk A/S is superior.
Pfizer Inc. has delivered on its threat of legal action against the attempt by Novo Nordisk A/S to scupper its acquisition of Metsera Inc., and has filed two lawsuits, one alleging breach of contract, and a second claiming that a merger of Novo Nordisk and Metsera would violate antitrust regulations.
The BioWorld Biopharmaceutical Index extended its rebound through August and September, closing the third quarter (Q3) slightly in positive territory after losing ground earlier in the year.
