STAT Plus: Regeneron’s Yancopoulos is still bitter over Praluent sales. Can Novartis do better?
SAN FRANCISCO — George Yancopoulos, Regeneron Pharma’s top scientist, is still a bit bitter about the commercial flop of its cholesterol-lowering PCSK9 inhibitor Praluent. At an event on the sidelines of J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, he also threw a tiny bit of shade at Novartis, which believes it can do better with a longer-acting PCSK9 inhibitor it acquired through the $10 billion buyout of The Medicines Company.
Speaking at an event organized by Medicxi Partners, Yancopoulos touted Regeneron’s ability to develop drugs at a rate much higher than the industry average, but “a drug like Praluent should have been available to tens of millions of people.”
