Top of the morning to you. A delicious cool breeze and shiny sun are hovering over the Pharmalot campus, where birds are singing, mascots are barking, and another cup of stimulation is brewing (our choice today is roasted coconut). A fine start to the day, yes? Hopefully, things will continue on this trajectory, despite the smoky skies heading our way from Canada. In any event, the time has come to get busy. So here are some tidbits for you to peruse. We hope you have a smashing day and conquer the world. And, of course, do remain in touch. Our in basket is always open. …
The owner of a pharmaceutical wholesaler has been indicted for his alleged role in distributing misbranded HIV pills, a sign that U.S. authorities are now targeting an extensive scheme that pumped the medicines into the pharmaceutical supply chain, STAT reports. Steven Diamantstein, who runs Scripts Wholesale in Brooklyn, N.Y., was indicted for participating in a conspiracy in which at least $150 million worth of HIV medicines were purchased at “steeply discounted” prices from patients and then repackaged and relabeled for distribution at much higher prices. He allegedly worked with several other individuals and pharmacies between 2017 and 2021 as part of the scheme.
Problems at a Catalent production facility led U.S. regulators to deny a key drug application from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, the latest headache for one of the main manufacturing partners to the drug industry, Reuters tells us. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected the Regeneron application for a stronger formulation of its best-selling eye medicine after finding problems during an inspection. Earlier shortcomings found during an FDA inspection at the same facility tightened supply of Moderna’s Covid booster shot last fall. Catalent was reportedly linked to problems with the production of Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy, which was in shortage for about a year.
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