Friday, August 29, 2025

Please note: Teva Daily News will not publish Monday, September 1 in observance of the U.S. Labor Day holiday. Publication will resume on Tuesday, September 2.

US FDA Approves Teva Pharmaceuticals' Generic Obesity Drug

(8/28, Mariam Sunny, Reuters) ...The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Teva Pharmaceuticals' cheaper generic version of Novo Nordisk's older weight-loss drug, Saxenda, the Israel-based company said on Thursday... Full

Teva Claims A First With US Launch Of Liraglutide For Weight Loss

(8/28, Dave Wallace, Generics Bulletin) ...The firm said that the approval and launch demonstrated its "continued commitment to its complex generic medicine portfolio as part of its ‘Pivot to Growth' strategy," also alluding to the potential demand for weight-loss GLP-1s in the US. "Generic Saxenda is the first-ever generic GLP-1 indicated for weight loss, addressing increased demand for this category of therapies in the US market," Teva said, noting that Saxenda had annual sales of $165m as of June 2025. No other approved generic versions of Saxenda are currently reflected by the US Food and Drug Administration's approved drug database... Global Sub. Full

With Saxenda Generic, Teva Launches First Copycat GLP-1 for Obesity

(8/28, Kevin Dunleavy, Fierce Pharma) ...In its launch announcement, Teva did not indicate what it will charge for its version of Saxenda. The company did not respond immediately to a request for pricing information. It's unclear what kind of demand Teva will see with its Saxenda generic. In its second-quarter earnings report, Teva did not reveal sales of its Victoza generic but did partially blame a 6% decline in U.S. generic revenues on declining sales of the product "driven primarily by increased competition."... Full

FDA Approves First-Ever Generic Weight-Loss Drug In A Blow To Novo Nordisk

(8/28, Allison Gatlin, Investor's Business Daily) ...This year, analysts project $12.63 billion for Wegovy and $551 million from Saxenda. Still, Saxenda could be a boon for Teva Pharmaceutical. Compounding pharmacies have chipped away at sales of Novo Nordisk's weight-loss behemoth, Wegovy, showing patients crave a lower-cost option. Generic drugs often cost significantly less than their branded counterparts... Full

Teva Launches First Generic GLP-1 Drug for Obesity

(8/28, Formulary Watch) ..."With this approval, and by launching a generic for Saxenda (liraglutide injection), we will provide patients in the United States the first ever generic GLP-1 product specifically indicated for weight loss," Ernie Richardsen, senior vice president, head of U.S. Commercial Generics at Teva, said in a news release... Full

Teva Introduces Generic Saxenda

(8/28, Sandra Levy, Drug Store News) ...Liraglutide injection is indicated for adults with obesity or overweight who also have weight related medical problems, and pediatric patients (12-17 years) with a weight greater than 60 kg and obesity to help them lose weight and keep the weight off...[Ernie Richardsen, senior vice president, head of U.S. Commercial Generics at Teva] "This is the fifth first-to-market entry of a Teva generic this year and is an important addition to Teva's diverse complex generics portfolio, demonstrating once again our proven ability to sustain a world class generics powerhouse."... Full

The Path to Lower Seniors' Drug Costs Without Embracing Foreign Price Controls

(8/28, Jon Decker, RealClearHealth) ...President Trump is right to call out foreign countries for freeloading off American medical innovation. However, the push by some politicians, like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, to adopt a Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing model would do nothing to solve the problem—in fact, it would make it worse. Instead of ending foreign freeloading and holding other countries accountable, MFN would import the same socialist-style price controls that cripple foreign health care systems, giving our global competitors an even greater advantage while American patients, and especially seniors, pay the price... Full

Chairman Comer Expands PBM Investigation, Seeks Information About Foreign Headquartered Group Purchasing Organizations

(8/28, Committee On Oversight) ...House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) is expanding the investigation of the role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) by seeking information about how they use foreign headquartered group purchasing organizations (GPOs) to evade transparency and oversight in the United States. In letters to the Chief Executive Officers of The Cigna Group and Optum Rx, Chairman Comer seeks documents and information about the PBMs' group purchasing organizations that are headquartered overseas... Full

PBMs Support Legislation to Promote Competition and Make Drugs More Affordable

(8/28, PCMA) ...PBMs support lower list prices for all prescription drugs for every patient and have launched innovative programs to lower costs, including breaking down barriers to biosimilar use and offering cost-sharing programs to address out-of-pocket costs... Full

Exploring Alternatives to the Prescription Drug Rebate System

(8/29, JC Scott, DC Journal) ...The bottom line is that the PBM industry is at the table and ready for others to join us to explore new ways to pursue our mission of lower costs. A discussion on rebate reform also allows us to clear up the facts: PBMs want lower list prices, not bigger rebates. The primary critics of the rebate system are the very drug companies that want to charge higher prices and don't want to be forced to the negotiating table to have to lower their costs. Any conversation about new ways to achieve savings should be grounded in the reality that drug prices are not correlated to rebates or discounts – drug companies alone set their prices. PBMs support lower list prices on all prescription drugs for every patient... Full

What Are Effective Ways of Reducing Drug Prices

(8/29, Mike Hollan, PharmExec.com) ...One of the biggest issues Americans face is the high cost of healthcare in general. Drug prices are a particular pain point, with many medications costing Americans more than they can afford. Multiple administrations have attempted to address this issue, but it remains a major problem. The current administration is attempting multiple ways of reducing drug costs, with the promotion of direct-to-consumer drug sales being one of the proposed solutions. Michael Grosberg, vice president of product management, spoke with Pharmaceutical Executive about direct-to-consumer sales and what impact they'll likely have on drug prices... Full

Mark Cuban's War On America's $5 Trillion Healthcare Machine: ‘They Can't React as Quickly'

(8/28, Rebecca Bellan, TechCrunch) ...Cuban also pointed out another reason that drug prices skyrocket in the U.S.: artificial shortages. "Believe it or not, in this day and age, there are things like pediatric cancer drugs, Pitocin, sterile water, [and] this long list of drugs I can't even pronounce right, that go in short supply because the manufacturers want them to go in short supply, because that's how they jack up the price," Cuban said... Full

FDA Recommends More Monitoring of Alzheimer's Patients On Eisai-Biogen's Drug Leqembi

(8/28, Sriparna Roy, Reuters) ...The FDA said it identified six deaths early in treatment, which prompted an in-depth analysis of serious and fatal outcomes related to ARIA-E before the fifth Leqembi infusion. The health regulator said it is requiring the prescribing information of Leqembi to include an earlier monitoring between the second and third infusion... Full

Sandoz Delivers On German Rivaroxaban Launch

(8/29, Dave Wallace, Generics Bulletin) ...Sandoz has launched its generic rival to Bayer's Xarelto (rivaroxaban) in 10mg, 15mg and 20mg strengths in Germany. The launch follows a recent legal victory over the originator that saw the German part of Bayer's European patent 1,845,961 invalidated due to a lack of inventive step. Sandoz says it is planning further launches in additional markets... Global Sub. Full

Abbott Snatches First Prolia/Xgeva Biosimilar Approval In Thailand

(8/28, Urte Fultinaviciute, Generics Bulletin) ...Thailand will welcome the first denosumab biosimilars on its market, as Abbott builds on its Asia-Pacific portfolio...According to the agency's website, the biosimilar referencing Prolia, indicated to treat osteoporosis, was approved under the name Resyniv. Meanwhile, the Xgeva biosimilar version for the treatment of cancer-related skeletal events was named Dnoclast. Abbott's denosumab biosimilars are expected to be accessible to approximately 3 million Thai people suffering from osteoporosis and bone-disease-related illness in the country, as the burden of the aging population, disability, and healthcare costs is expected to rise sharply... Global Sub. Full

Switching From Reference Adalimumab to Biosimilar Shows No Major Differences in Patients With RA, PsA

(8/28, Gillian McGovern, Pharmacy Times) ...There were no differences in disease activity, functional capacity, or radiographic progression when patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) switched from reference adalimumab (Humira; AbbVie) to a biosimilar, adalimumab-adaz (originally GP2017 and SDZ-ADL, Hyrimoz; Novartis), according to authors of research published in Reumatismo... Full

Roche Begins Building $700M Obesity Drug Manufacturing Facility in N.C.

(8/28, Kevin Dunleavy, Fierce Pharma) ...When it came to deciding where to build a new manufacturing facility for its ambitious metabolic drug program, Roche undertook a thorough search that included 12 high-tech clusters in the U.S. and "multiple properties in each," according to the Swiss company's High Volume Portfolio Lead Paul Bezy. After all that, Roche settled on a familiar pharma manufacturing location: Holly Springs, North Carolina..."They run the government like it's a business, from an efficiency and a speed standpoint," Bezy said in an interview this week. "They understand what pharma companies need, and they seem to be specifically targeting this industry to create the right ecosystem, the right support system, for what it takes to bring a high-tech pharmaceutical facility online."... Full

AbbVie's Gilgamesh Deal Highlights Pharma's One-Asset Mind

(8/29, Kyle LaHucik, Endpoints News) ...One route — the single-asset deal — has become popular in 2025. Lilly, Sanofi, GSK and AbbVie have all taken the approach this year, with AbbVie's acquisition of a psychedelic compound from its existing partner Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals being the latest example...Industry experts told Endpoints News they believe the single-asset acquisition and the spin-co model will continue to be attractive. This is despite these two approaches representing only a sliver of the 30-plus M&A deals in the drug development industry that have been announced so far this year... Sub. Req’d

Denmark Slashes 2025 Growth Forecast Amid Novo Nordisk Slowdown

(8/28, Jenni Reid, CNBC) ...Denmark slashed its annual growth forecast to 1.4%, citing expectations of weaker pharmaceutical exports along with a revision to past figures. Higher U.S. tariffs and a slowdown in the rapid growth of its star pharma company, Novo Nordisk, contributed to the revision, the economy ministry said. However, it hiked its 2026 growth forecast to 2.1% from 1.4% on hopes for a pick-up in consumption... Full

China to Keep Driving Pharma Industry Transformation, Daiichi Sankyo's China Head Says

(8/29, Zhang Yushuo, Yicai Global) ...China has been the innovation powerhouse of the pharmaceutical industry and will continue to hold this role in the years to come, according to the China president of Japanese pharmaceutical firm Daiichi Sankyo. "I firmly believe China holds both tremendous growth potential and global strategic importance," Michio Hayashi, who was appointed Daiichi Sankyo China president in April, told Yicai in an exclusive interview. "As a powerhouse of global pharmaceutical innovation, China will continue to drive industry-wide transformation."... Full

Note: Article links may expire over time or require a free registration. All news articles are the property of their respective publishers and copyright holders. [contextual emphasis added].

Teva global subscription access: registration is required to access FirstWord Pharma+ News and The Generics Bulletin. Please note you must be on the Teva Network (in a Teva location or connected via VPN) to access Teva's InfoNOW news resources. If you have any questions or issues, please email InfoNOW@tevapharm.com.

•      FirstWord Pharma+ News registration: first-time users, register here with your Teva email address. You will automatically receive a daily FirstWord Pharma+ newsletter; click on any news item to access your account.

•      Generics Bulletin, Pink Sheet, Scrip (Citeline) registration: go to the Generics Bulletin site and choose "Sign In" in the upper right-hand corner. First-time users, choose "Sign Up Here" and enter your Teva email address.