Eli Lilly is taking its direct-to-consumer playbook to Australia. The drugmaker is bypassing traditional pharmacy channels with a new model there, another sign that pharma companies are experimenting with more direct relationships with patients as competition in obesity medicines intensifies. (STAT News)
Novartis is betting up to $7.8 billion on Chinese mRNA biotech Abogen.The Swiss drugmaker will pay $575 million upfront for global rights to lead candidate ABO2203, plus potentially more than $7 billion in milestones, as Big Pharma continues scouting China for new medicines and platforms. (CNBC)
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against Pfizer, alleging unfair and deceptive marketing of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.It seeks monetary damages for each violation of Florida law plus an injunction against future violations. (Florida Phoenix)
AstraZeneca and Daiichi Sankyo are teaming up with Summit Therapeutics on another cancer combo. The companies will test AstraZeneca and Daiichi’s antibody-drug conjugate Datroway alongside Summit’s ivonescimab across several tumor types, including lung and breast cancers. (Reuters)
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told a crowd that “one of the biggest pressure campaigns” he faced from the White House came during his overhaul to the food pyramid: adding Oreo ice cream to the top.“I heard that that came from the vice president’s office, and I want to just ask you face-to-face in front of an audience, is that true?” Kennedy said to Vice President JD Vance at the 2026 MAHA Summit in Washington, D.C. (USA Today)
To read last Friday’s edition of Five things for pharma marketers to know, click here.
