Four major drugmakers allegedly paid tens of millions of dollars to intermediaries supplying lifesaving medicines to Russian government entities, according to reporting by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists. The payments were reportedly part of a system that helped keep prices high and restricted access for cancer patients and others with serious illnesses.
Whistleblower reports cited in the investigation allege that Merck, known as MSD outside the United States, Eli Lilly, Novartis and AstraZeneca paid what were described as excessive bonuses to R-Pharm and other Russian intermediaries between 2020 and 2023. The middlemen were also involved in questionable bidding practices or faced scrutiny over alleged bid rigging and anticompetitive conduct.
Investors and physicians are also watching an experimental therapy that could challenge Dupixent, the leading immunology drug by sales. Kymera Therapeutics plans to report results before the end of the year from a mid-stage clinical trial of its lead candidate, KT-621, in eczema.
Jefferies analysts have described the forthcoming data as one of the year's most consequential readouts in immunology and inflammatory disorders. The outcome could significantly affect Kymera, its competitors and the treatment landscape for the millions of people in the United States living with eczema.
Sources: STAT News.