November 26, 2024 | Daily JAM, LLY, Morning Briefing, NVO |
The Biden administration has proposed making GLP-1 weight loss drugs free for low-income people and retirees who qualify as obese. Expensive drugs such as Ozempic, Wegovy and Zepbound, which cost $1,000 a month, would be covered for the 40% of the U.S. population who qualify as obese. Currently, the federal plans only cover the drugs when patients have other conditions caused by obesity, such as diabetes, heart disease. The leading drugs are made by Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO). Shares of Eli Lilly were up 4.55% today while Novo Nordisk rose 1.50%. The incoming Trump Administration will have to decide whether to move ahead with the plan. You can either think of this as a smart piece of health care policy or an effort to jam up an incoming administration that already faces challenges in devising coherent policy on healthcare. I go with the “jam ‘em up” theory myself.
July 25, 2024 | Daily JAM, Jubak Picks, LLY, NVO, Stock Alerts, VKTX |
Viking Therapeutic (VKTX) has announced that its subcutaneous obesity drug candidate VK2735 is moving into Phase III development. Viking is currently preparing for an end-of-Phase II meeting with the Food & Drug Administration later this year. Just as significant–maybe more?–pharmacokinetics data for VK2735 continues to show the potential for once-a-month dosing. The market-leading GLP diabetes/weight-loss drugs from Eli Lilly (LLY) and Novo Nordisk (NVO) require weekly injections. That dosing advantage gives VK2735 the potential to be the best-in-class obesity drug. (Viking is also at work on an oral version of the drug.)
March 26, 2024 | Daily JAM, Jubak Picks, LLY, Mid Term, Morning Briefing, NVO, Stock Alerts, VKTX |
First, it was Viking Therapeutics (VKTX) on the attack with trial results that shows its GLP-1 dibetes/weight loss drug out performing current leader of the pack drugs fro Novo Nordisk (NVO) and Eli Lilly (LLY). On the news Viking soared.
Then Novo Nordisk struct back with data of its own showing progress on an oral formulation of its rugs. (All existing GLP-1 drugs are delivered by injection.) That cratered Viking Shares. Now, March 26, Viking has released new Phase 1 trial data from a multiple ascending dose study of the oral version of VK2735, a dual agonist of the glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP-1) and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) receptors.
March 7, 2024 | Daily JAM, Jubak Picks, LLY, NVO |
Yes, I know this is my third post (plus video) on diabetes/weight-loss drug leader Novo Nordisk (NVO) in three weeks. But the company keeps pumping out research updates that keep powering the stock higher. Think of this as a momentum stock where the momentum comes from the R&D pipeline and not moves in the share price. (The last post was https://jubakam.com/another-reason-t…-success-for-glp/) Today, the company reported early results for a next-generation oral weight loss drug called amycretin, showing a 13.1% weight loss after 12 weeks. That’s a bigger weight-loss than either Novo Nordisk’s own Wegovy or Eli Lilly’s (LLY) competing drug Zepbound. Shares of Novo Nordisk were up 8.9% today to $135.85. I added them to my Jubak’s Picks Portfolio on February 20. The position is up 11.91% since then.
March 5, 2024 | Daily JAM, Jubak Picks, LLY, Morning Briefing, NVO, Volatility |
Back on February 20, I posted a video recommending a buy of Novo Nordisk (NVO). In the video, “Buy GLP-1,” I said that the stock, along with Eli Lilly (LLY) was riding the momentum of increased sales of GLP-1 drugs, originally developed to treat diabetes, as weight-loss drugs. Buy, I said, despite the huge run-up in the shares, because new trials and analysis of existing data were pointing to expanded uses for the drugs. Today, Novo Nordic announced exactly the kind of news that I had talked about.
