Pharmalittle: Drugmaker payments to Russian middlemen alleged

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and refreshing, because that oh-so familiar routine of Zoom meetings, deadlines, and bustling about has predictably returned. Not surprising, though, is it? To cope, we are pursuing the usual ritual of firing up the coffee kettle and brewing cups of stimulation. Our choice today is cinnamon mocha. Yummy. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you along on your journey. We hope today is productive and meaningful, and do stay in touch. …

Four big drugmakers paid tens of millions of dollars to proxies to supply lifesaving drugs to Russian government entities as part of a corrupt system that helped keep prices high and limit access for cancer patients and others with serious ailments, The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists reports. Whistleblower reports allege that between 2020 and 2023, Merck (known as MSD outside of the U.S.), Eli Lilly, Novartis, and AstraZeneca paid “excessive” bonuses to a company called R-Pharm and other intermediaries in Russia, even as the middlemen participated in dubious bidding practices or faced scrutiny for alleged bid rigging or anticompetitive conduct.

Investors and doctors are intensely following an experimental therapy positioned to rival Dupixent, the top-selling drug in immunology, and results from a key study are fast approaching, STAT tells us. Kymera Therapeutics plans to announce data from a mid-stage clinical trial of its lead asset, KT-621, in eczema before the end of the year. Analysts at the Jefferies investment bank have called the pending results “one of the most impactful readouts this year” for immunology and inflammation disorders. Why? Success, or failure, could have major consequences for Kymera, its growing list of competitors, and millions of people in the U.S. who live with eczema.

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