Hello, everyone, and nice to see you again after a long holiday weekend on this side of the pond. The vacation season is now officially over, as well, and we hope you have returned feeling refreshed and invigorated. And why not? A little time off is a good thing. Besides, you can settle into your routine with a few cups of stimulation, should you need it. So while you fire up the coffee kettle, here are a few tidbits to get you going. We hope your day is smashing and, as always, we encourage you to keep in touch …
The Food and Drug Administration holds an all-day hearing today — Tuesday — about biosimilars. An assortment of speakers — drug makers, patient advocates, medical societies, payers, pharmacies, and FDA officials, notably Commissioner Scott Gottlieb — will talk about a host of topics, including drug development, market competition, interchangeability, affordability, and regulation. The session comes amid rising expectations for biosimilars and simultaneous concerns about cost and access. Here is the agenda.
Novartis (NVS) plans to streamline its worldwide production to increase its operating profit margin as the company braces for falling prices in the U.S., Bloomberg News writes, citing comments Novartis chairman Jorge Reinhardt made to NZZ am Sonntag. He expects pricing will be “one to two percent” lower this year, but even so, the drug maker wants to increase its operating profit margin toward 35 percent in no more than five years, from 32 percent. “Many of our 68 plants aren’t being fully utilized,” he says. The goal suggests job cuts are part of the plan, according to Swissinfo.
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