And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is rather modest. We plan to promenade extensively with the official mascot, catch up on our reading, and maybe hold a listening party with Mrs. Pharmalot (for now, the rotation will start with this and this). And what about you? This may be an opportunity to park yourself in front of the telly and catch up on your binge watching or, conversely, lively up yourself by venturing to a museum or danceteria. Or you could simply sit quietly and take stock of the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you on Tuesday due to a long holiday weekend on this side of the pond. …
Drugmakers are prioritizing biologic medicines over treatments given as pills because a new U.S. law gives biologics more time before becoming subject to government price limits, Reuters explains. The Inflation Reduction Act allows Medicare to negotiate prices for certain medications. The pharmaceutical industry opposed the legislation and has begun implementing strategies to mitigate its impact. Such a shift in focus could result in the availability of far fewer cheap, generic pills in the long run. The law sets a nine-year exemption period for drugs that are mainly pills, while biologics, generally injections or infusions, are protected from negotiation for 13 years.
A former high-ranking technology employee at Takeda Pharmaceutical U.S. headquarters in Massachusetts and her boyfriend were arrested on federal charges for allegedly setting up a fake consulting firm that defrauded the Japanese drug giant of about $2.3 million, The Boston Globe reports. Priya Bhambi, 39, who was fired in November after an internal investigation, and Samuel Montronde, 37, allegedly used proceeds from the fraud to buy a gray 2019 Mercedes-Benz for $58,993 last June and the following month, Bhambi bought a condominium for nearly $1.9 million on Seaport Boulevard in Boston’s upscale Seaport District, according an affidavit filed by an FBI agent.
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