More than two dozen life science, pharmaceutical and biotech organizations partnered Oct. 4 to build a coalition advocating for mergers and acquisitions in the life sciences industry. 

Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir), a COVID-19 antiviral treatment, was found to be effective in reducing hospitalizations and deaths only among "the most clinically extremely vulnerable individuals," according to a study published Oct. 2 in JAMA. 

As Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drug Co. continues to make waves in the pharmaceutical market, it will soon begin to offer Clomid, a common fertility drug, to its customers.

Takeda Pharmaceuticals, a Japan-based drugmaker, is voluntarily withdrawing Exkivity (mobocertinib) in the U.S. after a phase 3 trial failed to confirm the lung cancer drug's efficacy.

The drugmakers behind the first 10 medications selected by CMS for Medicare price negotiations have all agreed to participate in the program, the agency said Oct. 3.

There's one healthcare professional that serves as the connection between patients, physicians, and prescriptions: Your local pharmacist. Encouraging patients to review medications with a pharmacist yearly is pivotal to bettering health outcomes for patients.

The Biden administration is aiming to expand insurance coverage for certain over-the-counter medications, including contraception, The Hill reported Oct. 2.

More than 9 in 10 pharmacy technicians are experiencing workflow challenges and about 45 percent said they're unable to administer prescriptions because of drug shortages, according to a recent survey. 

Hundreds of pharmacy technicians, pharmacy clerks and pharmacy warehouse employees at Kaiser Permanente began picketing Oct. 1 in a strike planned to last through Oct. 21. 

CVS pharmacists protesting challenging working conditions in Kansas City returned to work Sept. 28 after CVS leaders vowed to make numerous improvements, USA Today reported. 

Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, MD, opened an investigation Sept. 28 into how Cleveland Clinic and a Bon Secours hospital is involved in the 340B drug pricing program.

Compared to COOs and CFOs, the pathway from pharmacy leader to a hospital C-suite is less established. Here's how four hospital C-suite executives with pharmacy backgrounds rose through the ranks.

FDA advisers on Sept. 27 voted against recommending an experimental treatment for Lou Gehrig's disease. 

The label for Novo Nordisk's weight loss drug Ozempic now acknowledges some users' reports of ileus, or intestinal blockage. 

In the last three months of 2022, physicians signed more than 9 million prescriptions for obesity drug Saxenda and two diabetes medications, Ozempic and Mounjaro, according to a report by Trilliant Health, a data analytics company. 

Accredo Health Group, a specialty pharmacy owned by the Cigna Group, is planning to expand its business in Delaware, the Delaware Business Times reported Sept. 25.

The FDA has issued warnings to at least 28 manufacturers of over-the-counter medications and health products this year for failing to adequately test ingredients for toxins that caused hundreds of deaths overseas, according to a Sept. 26 exclusive report from Reuters. 

From 2021 to 2022, the 340B drug pricing program grew 22 percent, according to a Sept. 24 Drug Channels report. 

Some CVS pharmacists in Kansas City are calling out of work Sept. 27 to bring attention to increasingly difficult working conditions, USA Today reported. 

One cancer drug shortage has ended and at least 14 oncology drugs are in short supply, according to the FDA, the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and physicians.