Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, especially since the middle of the week is upon us. After all, we have made it this far, so we are determined to hang on for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not so appetizing. And what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So fire up your coffee kettle, grab that cup of stimulation, and get cracking. Our flavor today is caramel toffee, for those tracking our habits. And of course, here is the latest menu of tidbits to get you started. We hope you have a wonderful day, and please do keep in touch. …
A bipartisan group of lawmakers are set to introduce legislation to break up pharmacy benefit managers, which have faced years-long scrutiny from Congress and the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, The Wall Street Journal reports. A Senate bill, sponsored by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), would force the companies that own health insurers or PBMs to divest their pharmacy businesses within three years. A companion bill, which sponsors say draws on a history of government prohibitions on joint ownership within industries, was also scheduled to be introduced in the House on Wednesday. If passed, the legislation would be the most far-reaching intervention yet into the operations of pharmacy benefit managers and their parent companies, cutting off a major source of revenue for the companies and frustration for patients. It is unlikely the bills could get enacted into law in this Congress, because it is wrapping up its session. Backers are trying to lay the groundwork for passage next year.
Eli Lilly, the company that makes the blockbuster weight loss treatment Zepbound, will start studying its obesity products as treatments for alcohol and drug addiction, making it the first major drugmaker to do so, STAT tells us. Emerging research suggests that GLP-1 drugs — Zepbound is one such treatment — not only reduce food cravings but may also suppress desires for other substances. Yet, so far, no pharma companies have tested the therapies specifically in addiction. Lilly’s competitor Novo Nordisk has started a trial testing GLP-1 drugs in alcohol-related liver disease and will study whether the treatments affect the amount of alcohol people drink, but it is looking at that question as a secondary measurement, not as the main outcome of the trial. Scientists have found that the drugs, which have more potent and long-lasting effects than the naturally occurring GLP-1 hormone, act in the brain to suppress food cravings and alter circuits that drive desire. Lately, several observational studies have found an association between GLP-1 drugs and lower rates of substance use disorder.
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