1. Novo Nordisk said its growth this year will be hindered by the loss of a significant PBM contract for its best-selling insulin NovoLog. Lars Rebien Soerensen, the company’s CEO, told Bloomberg that lower prices for insulin and competition from biosimilars have lowered the company’s future growth prospects. (Bloomberg)
2. The Dentsu Aegis Network, a group of agency networks, has taken a majority stake in Merkle for roughly $1.5 billion. Merkle Health recorded $90 million in revenue in 2015, a jump of 5%, according to the MM&M Agency issue. (Campaign)
3. An experimental AstraZeneca lung-cancer drug, selumetinib, failed to meets its main goal in a late-stage trial. Last year the drug failed in another study investigating it as a treatment for a rare eye cancer. (Reuters)
4. A vaccine for the Zika virus is likely still years away. Only two major research organizations are conducting development for a vaccine: GlaxoSmithKline and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. (Stat)
5. The FDA gave Japanese drugmaker Eisai the go ahead to begin a Phase-III trial for its experimental BACE inhibitor, E2609, as a treatment for early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Eisai is jointly developing the drug with Biogen. (Reuters)
