Amgen

Larry Gruber, a psoriatic arthritis patient, found his insurer Oscar HMO of Florida withheld a drug coupon meant to reduce his out-of-pocket costs, forcing him to pay $10,600 to meet his deductible. Insurers like Oscar Health use copay accumulator programs to retain pharmaceutical company discounts, which critics argue harms patients by making medications unaffordable and allows insurers to 'double-dip' on costs.

A Colorado judge suspended the state's price cap on the arthritis drug Enbrel, ruling it interferes with federal patent law. The cap, set at $31,000 annually, was blocked ahead of its 2027 implementation. Colorado's Prescription Drug Affordability Board, the first state entity to price-cap a drug, now faces legal uncertainty as Amgen challenges the policy.

A U.S. judge blocked Colorado from capping the price of Amgen's Enbrel, citing potential harm to the company, while a new Medicare program will offer obesity drugs at $50/month. Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly's weight-loss treatments will be included in the trial.

The FDA has recalled nearly 1 million bottles of kidney and heart medications Corlanor (ivabradine) and Sensipar (cinacalcet) distributed by Amgen Inc. The recall for Corlanor is due to a foreign substance, while Sensipar's recall stems from CGMP deviations. The FDA noted the risk to patients is low.

Companies are launching numerous AI projects, but many lack strategic purpose or completion, leading to inefficiency. Executives from firms like West Monroe, Amgen, and Carvana warn that excessive AI initiatives can hinder progress and recommend prioritizing business-led transformations over technical focus.

GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Eli Lilly’s Zepbound are popular, prompting competitors like Pfizer and Amgen to develop similar products. The article discusses market competition and strategies by Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly to maintain dominance in the weight loss drug sector.

A pharmaceutical company is challenging Colorado's first-in-the-nation price cap on a brand-name drug in court. Colorado's Prescription Drug Affordability Board (PDAB) set a cap on the drug Enbrel after determining it was unaffordable, prompting a lawsuit from Amgen. A judge is considering whether to issue a temporary injunction to block the cap while the case proceeds.

Peyton Greenside, CEO of BigHat Biosciences, critiques the hype around AI-driven drug development, emphasizing that while AI can rapidly design proteins, the actual drug-making process remains time-consuming and costly. The company, founded in 2019, partners with major pharmaceutical firms like Johnson & Johnson, Merck, and Amgen.