Cardiovascular

Bristol Myers Squibb has been in a rapid growth phase to make up for upcoming losses of exclusivity. Scrip spoke with executives about further catalysts coming in the next 18-24 months.

Amgen saw revenue rise 19% to $33.4bn in 2024 and said revenue should grow to $34.3bn-$35.7bn in 2025 despite losing exclusivity for its biggest franchise – Prolia and Xgeva (denosumab) – this year.

Lilly’s revenue is rising rapidly based on its successes in diabetes and obesity, and the company is reinvesting in big plays in those markets as well as in cancer, lipid-lowering and other indications.

Repatha was not an overnight success, but the work Amgen has done to turn its PCSK9 inhibitor into a blockbuster is informing its strategy for Lp(a)-reducing olpasiran and obesity drug MariTide.

In Vivo speaks with Ashley Zehnder, CEO of Fauna Bio, a company using AI to identify drug targets based on natural disease resistance in animals.

Semaglutide 7.2mg bests placebo for weight loss at 72 weeks, but with efficacy lower than seen with Novo Nordisk’s CagriSema or Lilly’s Zepbound.

Will Novartis’ monopoly on Entresto, one of the biggest-selling small molecule drugs in the US, last until its proffered mid-2025 date? An unfavorable decision by the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit that has handed victory to ANDA sponsor MSN Labs could upend the originator’s projection.

The proposal states that Part D plans could define "obesity" for coverage determination, but CMS said overly restrictive criteria would be inconsistent with formulary review requirements and step-therapy would not be allowed.

Much anticipated Phase II results in obesity for Amgen’s GLP-1 agonist/GIP antagonist showed up to 20% weight loss, but without detailed data the drug’s competitiveness is hard to ascertain.

Deal Snapshot: Novo is partnering with Ascendis on less frequently dosed drugs for metabolic diseases, committing up to $285m for a lead program, a once-monthly GLP-1 receptor agonist.