Pharma and Biotech Daily: Navigating the Changing Landscape of the Industry

Pharma and BioTech Daily

Good morning from Pharma and Biotech daily: the podcast that gives you only what's important to hear in Pharma e Biotech world. GSK's vaccine sales are slowing down, while Merck's Gardasil sales dropped in China, leading to a slide in Merck's shares. Keytruda reached a sales milestone of $7 billion. Leqembi was voted down by European regulators. Bristol Myers' beat completes a strong week of pharma earnings. Vertex's pain drug received speedy FDA review, and trends in the obesity drug market are discussed. Eisai plans to appeal the negative recommendation for their Alzheimer's drug. Overall, the pharma industry is experiencing various developments and challenges, with companies adjusting their forecasts and strategies to navigate the changing landscape.Stryker plans to be "very active" in mergers and acquisitions, with the CEO hinting at potential interest in soft tissue robots after a record quarter of orthopedic robot installations. Labcorp is expanding its Ultima pact to boost genomic diagnostics by using Ultima Genomics' machine to sequence genomes for $100. The FDA sent a warning letter to defibrillator battery manufacturer Amco, which supplies batteries to companies like Philips, Stryker, and Zoll. At the FDA's first home health hub meeting, a patient shared a day in the life with diabetes, aiming to improve health equity by considering living conditions in device design. FDA officials outlined the benefits of AI lifecycle management, presenting a seven-stage diagram for monitoring artificial intelligence software development. Other news includes Flo Health reaching unicorn status with a $200 million raise, Google cutting ties with Amazon's One Medical, and a study finding that a blood test accurately diagnosed Alzheimer's 90% of the time.Humana is expected to lose a 'few hundred thousand' Medicare Advantage members next year after reducing its plan footprint for 2025. CHS is selling 3 hospitals and exiting Pennsylvania as part of plans to offload assets worth $1 billion this year. Google has cut ties with Amazon's One Medical, which was a major setback for the company. North Carolina is offering enhanced Medicaid funds to hospitals that help eliminate medical debt, with experts calling it a "win-win" for patients and providers. Additionally, a data breach at Healthequity could affect 4.3 million individuals.GSK is cutting vaccine forecasts due to slower U.S. sales of their shingles vaccine, while predicting faster overall growth. Pfizer's CEO remains confident in the company's position with an obesity drug, despite delays. Merck's shares dropped as sales of Gardasil decreased in China. Vertex's pain drug is getting a speedy FDA review, Keytruda hit a sales milestone, and biotech startup Airna raised $60 million for RNA editing medicines.GSK has lowered its full-year vaccine guidance for 2024 due to disappointing Q2 sales and challenges with updated CDC guidelines on RSV shots for seniors. The Biosecure Act could impact biotech and biopharma markets in the US and China. Other top stories include new data on Leqembi, rising biopharma investment activity, and updates on various companies in the industry.Experian has launched a retail media solution for networks looking for richer data, while Shapermint's AI ad tool is helping drive profits. Retail media networks are expanding their scope, potentially leading to challenges. Creators and marketers are advised to protect themselves while using AI. NBCUniversal has broken Olympics ad records, with over $1.2 billion in ad sales.Pharma companies are facing penalties for raising drug prices faster than the rate of inflation, with the negotiation period for price talks with Medicare set to expire soon. These penalties are part of the Inflation Reduction Act, which has been met with resistance from the pharma world.The Biosecure Act could have significant implications for biopharma markets in the US and China due to its prohibition on doing business with China-based