Amgen’s experimental obesity drug, MariTide, led to an average 20% reduction in weight in a Phase 2 clinical trial. While investors hoped for greater weight loss, some analysts say less burdensome monthly dosing of MariTide could make it competitive against weekly injectable weight drugs Zepbound and Wegovy.
Harvard spinout GRO Biosciences has a platform technology for engineering therapeutic proteins that won’t prompt an immune response against them. The startup’s lead program is a potential competitor to an Amgen gout drug acquired in a multi-billion dollar deal.
As technology advances, AI-powered tools will increasingly reduce the administrative burdens on healthcare providers.
Amgen’s Imdelltra has FDA approval in extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, making it the first bispecific T cell engager approved for treating this type of cancer. Analysts project the new Amgen drug will become a blockbuster seller.
Amgen is confident its injectable obesity drug would have a differentiated profile compared to medications now on the market from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly and it’s now preparing for Phase 3 testing. But an oral obesity drug in Amgen’s pipeline will not advance beyond Phase 1.
Sandoz drugs Jubbonti and Wyost are approved for use in all indications covered by the Amgen products, Prolia and Xgeva. But no launch date is planned yet, due to ongoing patent litigation between the two companies.
The FDA said Amgen’s Prolia may lead to low levels of calcium, or hypocalcemia. The osteoporosis drug’s black box warning follows an FDA review of Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services studies that found Prolia led to a significant increase in the risk of severe hypocalcemia compared to treatment with an older class of medicines.
Executives from Imagine360, Verily, BrightInsight, Lantern, and Rhapsody shared their approaches to reducing healthcare costs and facilitating digital transformation.
Amgen and the Federal Trade Commission are settling the lawsuit the regulator filed to block the pharmaceutical giant’s $28 billion Horizon Therapeutics acquisition. As part of the settlement, Amgen agrees not to “bundle” its products with Horizon’s drugs in negotiations with health plans.
The Federal Trade Commission is suing to stop Amgen’s acquisition of Horizon Therapeutics. But rather than claiming product overlap, the agency contends Amgen will use its influence to keep at bay competition for Horizon’s products.
Amgen’s Lumakras became the first FDA-approved drug that addresses the elusive KRAS mutation, but Mirati believes its newly approved therapy, Krazati, could be better. The small molecule’s features include the ability to penetrate into the brain, where it can address cancer that has spread to the central nervous system.
Sanofi submitted the first unsolicited offer to acquire Horizon Therapeutics, but Amgen ultimately won what became a competitive bidding process. Amgen says Horizon's drug lineup complements its own portfolio of autoimmune and inflammatory disorder products.
Closing cancer health equity gaps require medical breakthroughs made possible by new funding approaches.
An Amgen drug led to weight loss that was sustained, clinical data that support advancing the molecule to a Phase 2 test expected to start in early 2023. While AMG 133 trails rival products from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, Amgen hopes to offer patients a dosing edge.
Amgen posted positive Phase 2 data for olpasiran, further building the case for the drug's blockbuster potential in heart disease as it proceeds to a pivotal test. Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals, which originally developed olpasiran and licensed it to the big pharma company, is cashing in now by selling its royalty rights to the molecule.
Amgen said its drug Lumakras met the main goal of a Phase 3 study in non-small cell lung cancer driven by a particular genetic mutation. The pharmaceutical giant offered no specifics, but the results set the stage for an interesting regulatory race with a rival drug from Mirati Therapeutics
Amgen’s drug portfolio boasts several biologic drugs that are blockbuster sellers. In acquiring ChemoCentryx for $3.7 billion, the pharmaceutical giant gains a company entirely focused on developing small molecule alternatives to biologic medicines.
The nonprofit Digital Medicine Society is partnering with the likes of Google and the FDA to develop a free resource designed to help digital health startups navigate the regulatory process.