1. In Vivo

The Other Pandemic

COVID-19 Highlighted Risks And Costs Of Obesity. Pharma Is Getting Interested

 
• By Melanie Senior

When Novo Nordisk’s anti-obesity medicine Wegovy launched in June 2021, patients and physicians could not get enough. As COVID-19 underscored the risks of obesity, along came the most effective drug yet – on a par with surgery, in terms of weight loss achieved. Pharma’s interest in this disease has reawakened, and Wegovy may be just the first of a new generation of more powerful anti-obesity medicines.

Obesity Dugs Concept
• Source: Alamy

When Novo Nordisk AS launched anti-obesity drug Wegovy (semaglutide) in the US in June 2021, physicians and patients could not get enough. Supplies quickly ran out, even though the drug is not covered by government insurers Medicare or Medicaid. “This drug is at least twice as effective as anything we’ve seen before,” said Louis Aronne, professor of metabolic research at Weill Cornell Medicine’s Comprehensive Weight Control Center. “We are inundated with patients.”

Trials of Wegovy, a glucagon-like peptide (GLP)-1 agonist, showed a 15% average weight loss, in combination with diet and exercise,...

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• By Ashley Yeo

New report by global law firm Taylor Wessing and Bayes Business School forecasts a steadily increasing volume of major life sciences M&A in the coming five years, but highlights concerns over cybersecurity and unrealistic valuations. Taylor Wessing partner Andrew Edge spoke to In Vivo.

Navigating the GLP-1 Opportunity In China: Strategic Imperatives For Western Pharma

 
• By Jo Shorthouse

The Chinese appetite for GLP-1s is noticeable. While the market opportunity for western pharma is huge, so are the strategic market access challenges, though not unsurmountable, L.E.K. Consulting told In Vivo.

Strategic Surprises: The Drugs That Rewrote The Forecasts

 
• By Edwin Elmhirst

Many assets do not meet their pre-launch predictions, either exceeding or falling short of their forecast sales. In this article, In Vivo highlights several historic examples and the factors that influenced their unexpected performance.