Pharma Pulse: GoodRx Rollout for Oral Wegovy; Major Reprieve for 340B Hospitals; Sanofi’s $2.5B AI Bet

Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast where we bring you the latest insights shaping patient access, supply chain/logistics, data & tech, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and let’s get into today’s headlines.

• We lead today with a major move to expand access to the first oral GLP-1 for weight loss. GoodRx has announced that it is offering Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill at over 70,000 pharmacies nationwide. For a limited time, eligible self-pay patients can access the starting doses for just $149 a month. This pricing is a significant departure from the $1,300-plus list price, and with GoodRx’s integrated telehealth program, the company is aiming to remove the traditional barriers to both eligibility and affordability.
• Turning to policy, hospitals are breathing a sigh of relief after a US district court judge in Maine temporarily blocked the 340B Rebate Pilot Program. The program, which was set to go live on New Year’s Day, would have forced hospitals to pay full price for drugs upfront and wait for rebates. The judge ruled that the administration likely violated the Administrative Procedure Act by rushing the rollout, effectively pausing what hospital leaders called a "devastating sea change."
• Lastly, Sanofi is doubling down on AI. The pharma giant has entered a second, even larger collaboration with Earendil Labs, valued at up to $2.5 billion. The deal focuses on using Earendil’s AI-driven protein discovery platforms to develop next-generation bispecific antibodies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. With $160 million in upfront and near-term payments, Sanofi will take the lead on global development, betting that Earendil’s predictive modeling can solve the "incomplete response" problem seen in many current autoimmune therapies.

That’s it for this episode of Pharma Pulse. For more insights on trends transforming pharmaceutical access and care delivery, visit pharmaceuticalcommerce.com.

Thanks for listening—until next time, stay well and stay informed.

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