CVS has excluded Amgen’s new migraine drug, Aimovig, from its coverage. The PBM agreed to cover Aimovig’s rivals from Teva and Eli Lilly, giving patients easier access to those drugs and representing a setback for sales of Aimovig. (Reuters)
Investors have required Walgreens to disclose how it is monitoring and managing risks related to the opioid crisis. The company has been required to make a report detailing changes to its corporate governance in response to the opioid crisis; how Walgreens’ board oversees opioid-related programs; and whether executive bonuses consider any opioid-related objectives. (CNBC)
The first criminal trial of pharmaceutical executives who marketed opioids is beginning. The trial of five Insys executives charged with paying bribes and kickbacks to doctors to prescribe the drug Subsys is starting on Monday. (Boston Globe)
AbbVie missed expectations for its Q4 earnings, as biosimilar competition has eaten away at Humira. International sales of the blockbuster drug, where biosimilars are in the market, dropped almost 15%. In the U.S., Humira sales were up 9% last quarter. The drugmaker has several years before Humira biosimilars enter the U.S. market. (Pharmaphorum)
A group of international researchers has urged governments to draw up a global compact to fight obesity. The Lancet Commission on Obesity, which is made up of 26 researchers from 14 nations, published a report accusing “Big Food” of undermining healthy eating policies. (CNBC)
