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[ad_1] Pavlo Gonchar | LightRocket | Getty Images Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday sued the Biden administration over Medicare's new powers to slash drug prices, making it the third pharmaceutical company to challenge the controversial provision of the Inflation Reduction Act .   The lawsuit filed in federal district court in New Jersey argues the Medicare negotiations violate the First and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. Earlier suits brought separately by drugmakers Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb , as well as by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and PhRMA , the pharmaceutical industry's largest lobbying group, made similar arguments. J&J's complaint asks a judge to block the U.S. Health and Human Services Department from compelling the drugmaker to participate in the program. The company said its suit aims to stop the "innovation-damaging congressional overreach that threatens the United States' primacy in developing transformative therapies

[ad_1] Representatives speak with customers at a UnitedHealthcare store in Queens, New York. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images UnitedHealth Group' s stock price jumped Friday after the health-care conglomerate reported second-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings that topped Wall Street's expectations despite rising medical costs . The results eased investor concerns after the Minnesota-based company flagged a surge in demand for non-urgent surgeries and outpatient services last month and spooked the market. related investing news UnitedHealth Group is the biggest health-care company in the U.S. by market cap and revenue, and is even bigger than the nation's largest banks. Given its size, UnitedHealth Group is considered a bellwether for the broader health insurance sector. Its market value was around $447 billion as of Friday afternoon. Here's what UnitedHealth Group reported compared with Wall Street's expectations, based on a survey of analysts by

[ad_1] HRA Pharma expects a final decision by the FDA this summer on its application for nonprescription sales of Opill, which is generically called norgestrel. Source: Perrigo The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first over-the-counter birth control pill , a landmark decision that will allow more women and girls in the U.S. to prevent unintended pregnancies without a prescription .  The daily pill, called Opill, was first  approved  by the FDA as a prescription in 1973.  The pill's manufacturer, Paris-based HRA Pharma, said the contraceptive would most likely be available at drugstores, convenience stores, grocery stores and online retailers in the U.S. in early 2024. HRA Pharma, a unit of Dublin-based pharmaceutical company Perrigo , said there will be no age restrictions on sales of the pill. HRA Pharma has not announced the price of the pill, which will determine how affordable it will be to the public. But the company is committed to making the pill

[ad_1] Jay Reinstein, who suffers from Alzheimer's, receives an injection so he can have a PET scan at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, DC on June 20, 2023. Michael Robinson Chávez | The Washington Post | Getty Images Sales of the Alzheimer's drug Leqembi may be slow initially due to logistical requirements but could pick up in 2024, analysts said after the groundbreaking treatment won approval in the U.S.  Wall Street is chewing over the Food and Drug Administration 's Thursday approval of Leqembi – a milestone in the treatment of the disease , even though the drug isn't a cure.  Leqembi, from drugmakers Eisai and Biogen , is the first medicine proven to slow the progression of Alzheimer's in people at the early stages of the memory-robbing disease.  Medicare on Thursday announced it is now covering the antibody treatment for patients enrolled in the insurance program for seniors, broadening access for those who can't afford the d

[ad_1] The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday fully approved the Alzheimer's treatment Leqembi, a pivotal decision that will expand access to the expensive drug for older Americans. Medicare announced shortly after the FDA approval that it is now covering the antibody treatment for patients enrolled in the insurance program for seniors, though several conditions apply. Leqembi is the first Alzheimer's antibody treatment to receive full FDA approval. It is also the first such drug that to receive broad coverage through Medicare. Leqembi is not a cure. The treatment slowed cognitive decline from early Alzheimer's disease by 27% over 18 months during Eisai's clinical trial. The antibody, administered twice monthly through intravenous infusion, targets a protein called amyloid that is associated with Alzheimer's disease. Medicare coverage is a crucial step to help older Americans with early Alzheimer's disease pay for the treatment. With a median income