December 12, 2024 — These two companies have a history of surprising us and they’ve done it again – this time in a joint initiative. Lilly announced a bold move yesterday to distribute their lower priced vials of tirzepatide for obesity through the telehealth company known as Ro. A spokesperson for Lilly explained the arrangement by saying: “Ro is […]
December 4, 2024 — Why can’t they just go away? When compounded GLP-1 medicines started showing up two years ago, they seemed like a temporary distraction. In The New Yorker, Jia Tolentino described a dubious concoction of semaglutide she obtained from a compounding pharmacy for herself to mix and inject. “No thanks,” we wrote, hoping this sketchy business would […]
November 24, 2024 — FDA is in a quandary about compounding of the new obesity drugs, semaglutide and tirzepatide. The U.S. President-Elect has a nominee to lead FDA with a connection to this compounding kerfuffle. Marty Makary is a surgeon and professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. He is also Chief Medical Officer for the telehealth company […]
November 22, 2024 — FDA told a Federal judge yesterday that the agency isn’t yet sure whether there’s still a shortage of tirzepatide in the U.S. The agency needs more time to think about this. So for now, we have a stalemate on compounding of both semaglutide and tirzepatide. They are still on the FDA shortage list and compounders […]
October 27, 2024 — It seems that both Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are dreaming of a bigger ban on competition for their wildly successful obesity drugs. With semaglutide and tirzepatide, they have valuable assets that meet a tremendous medical need. And they really do not like the compounding pharmacies taking big bites from their apples. So this week, […]
October 17, 2024 — On again, off again. With impressive nimbleness, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reversed course on tirzepatide compounding in large-scale pharmacy facilities. On October 2, they told those facilities to knock it off. Late last week, the agency told them to carry on – for now. FDA was responding to a lawsuit filed by compounding […]
October 13, 2024 — We are witnessing quite a number of battles unfolding and harming innocent people in diverse settings. They range from actual wars to political contests to the lucrative business of healthcare. A common thread in all of these situations is shamelessness in pursuing money, power, or both. That shamelessness is especially troubling when it pops up […]
