STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Moderna’s RSV vaccine, Aurobindo problems, and more
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so-familiar routine of online meetings, phone calls, and deadlines has returned. But what can you do? The world, such as it is, continues to spin at a brisk pace. So time to give it a nudge in a better direction with a cup or three of stimulation. Our choice today is salted caramel mocha, a whiff of the Jersey shore. Meanwhile, here are a few tidbits to digest. We hope your day goes well and you conquer the world. And of course, do remain in touch. We accept all manner of confidential communications and secret dossiers …
New diabetes and weight loss drugs may benefit patients undergoing hip replacement without adding to complication risks, Reuters reports, citing preliminary data released at a meeting of orthopedic surgeons. In one study reviewing use of Ozempic — the brand name for Novo Nordisk’s semaglutide prescribed for diabetes — the drug was associated with 44% lower odds of developing an infection of the newly implanted joint, after other risk factors were taken into account. Semaglutide is sold under the name Wegovy for weight loss. Those taking Ozempic also had 32% lower odds of needing to be readmitted to the hospital, with no increase in risk for postoperative complications.
Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk, plans to invest about $35 billion by 2030, Reuters writes. Novo Holdings would invest about $5 billion a year in the next five years, and that could go up to $7 billion a year by 2030. The company, the investment arm of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, has 77% of voting shares in Novo Nordisk that makes the blockbuster obesity drug Wegovy and diabetes treatment Ozempic. Novo Holdings also has controlling stakes in industrial enzymes maker Novonesis, formerly known as Novozymes, and manages a portfolio of 160 companies that includes investments across life sciences.
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