Good morning, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, despite the cloudy skies looming over the Pharmalot campus. After all, the birds are still chirping and a tolerable breeze is wafting by. Moreover, this marks the middle of the week, which means we have managed to survive this far. And this calls for celebration, yes? So please join us as we hoist another cup of delicious stimulation. Our choice today is peppermint mocha. Meanwhile, here are a few items of interest. Have a grand day and drop us a line if you hear something saucy. …
Merck is discontinuing a late-stage trial of its blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda in some prostate cancer patients after interim data showed it was unlikely to meet the study’s main goals, Reuters writes. The interim analysis showed the therapy did not extend survival or help extend the time a patient lives without the disease worsening. The drug was being tested in combination with androgen deprivation therapy and Xtandi in patients with hormone-sensitive prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. The data is a setback for Merck, which has been working to expand use of Keytruda, which has powered its growth for years but will lose exclusivity in 2028.
A physicians’ group filed a complaint with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration alleging that a recent 60 Minutes segment about the Wegovy weight-loss drug was actually an advertisement and demanded the agency withdraw the report from circulation, STAT notes. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine argued that the segment “extensively promoted” Wegovy, but failed to sufficiently note any risk of side effects associated with taking the medicine. In other words, it lacked fair balance. Drug ads are supposed to contain such information, but the group claimed the segment “offered a negligible reference to the drug’s ‘complications and adverse impacts.’”
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