The explosion of compounded GLP-1 offerings over the past two years is coming to an end, and many patients are left with no good options. Blockbuster obesity and diabetes drugs — such as Wegovy, Ozempic, and Mounjaro — are no longer deemed by regulators to be in shortage, so compounding pharmacies and the telehealth companies they work with must stop offering copies of the treatments.
A Maryland man who took Ozempic and then became legally blind is suing the drug's manufacturer, arguing it had an obligation to warn patients that loss of sight could be a possible side effect. Todd Engel, 62, was prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to manage his Type 2 diabetes. The lawsuit said about four months later, Engel was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, a condition in which a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve causes sudden and irreversible vision loss.
Novavax's closely watched COVID-19 vaccine is on track for full approval after additional discussions with the Food and Drug Administration, the company said Wednesday. The news sent company shares soaring more than 21% in morning trading and appeared to resolve concerns that Trump administration officials might be holding up a decision on the shot. Novavax makes the nation's only traditional protein-based COVID-19 vaccine. It is still being sold under emergency use authorization — unlike mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna that have earned full FDA approval for certain age groups.
Walgreens has agreed to pay up to $350 million in a settlement with DOJ, who accused the pharmacy of illegally filling millions of prescriptions in the last decade for opioids and other controlled substances. The nationwide drugstore chain must pay the government at least $300 million and will owe another $50 million if the company is sold, merged, or transferred before 2032.
Eli Lilly on Thursday reported promising results for a daily pill that could serve as an alternative to injectable weight-loss and diabetes drugs. One thing hampering the GLP-1 drug boom is the fact that they're shots — not oral medications — which keeps some prospective patients from taking them. Lilly — which makes the diabetes drug Mounjaro and the weight-loss treatment Zepbound — reported positive Phase 3 trial results for the oral medication orforglipron.
Pfizer is stopping development of its experimental oral GLP-1 drug for obesity after a patient in a trial suffered a liver injury potentially caused by the drug. The patient did not experience any symptoms, and the injury resolved after discontinuation of the drug, Pfizer said. After reviewing all clinical data for the medicine and consulting with regulators, Pfizer said it decided to halt research on it. The case occurred in a dose optimization trial, aimed at finding the highest tolerable dose in a short amount of time.