Latest news with #Remicade
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
J&J accelerates past Stelara's fall with better-than-expected portfolio growth
This story was originally published on PharmaVoice. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily PharmaVoice newsletter. Johnson & Johnson came out of the gates with a strong showing in second-quarter earnings yesterday despite a major headwind from the loss of exclusivity for immunology blockbuster Stelara. How did the pharma giant stay on the upswing? By pumping up newer meds and leaning on strengths in oncology and neuroscience. All in all, the company's pharmaceutical quarterly sales rose 4.9% worldwide to more than $15 billion. J&J CEO Joaquin Duato said on the company's earnings call that executive vice president and worldwide chairman of J&J Innovative Medicine Jennifer Taubert deserved a shoutout for raking in record pharma sales while Stelara's revenue fell like a stone. 'Credit to [Taubert] and her team achieving the first $15 billion quarter despite $1.2 billion of year-on-year erosion in the quarter from Stelara. I don't think any other company can do that.' Joaquin Duato CEO, J&J Here's what executives said about the challenges and opportunities in J&J's top three therapeutic areas, and how the company weathered the storm of a major patent cliff — pointing to ways its Big Pharma brethren can overcome their own headwinds in the years to come. Saving immunology Stelara has been a breadwinner for J&J for more than a decade, bringing in peak sales of almost $11 billion in 2023. Then the biosimilars started to arrive, first in Europe in 2024, and then in the U.S. this year. That brought about a $1.2 billion sales drop in the second quarter of 2025 from the same period the year before. But the company is riding a wave of newer immunology drugs that, while not yet making up for all of Stelara's losses, have kept the therapeutic area poised for future growth. 'It's hard to pick one particular product that gives us reason for our enthusiasm in the back half … but if I had to point … I would say Tremfya.' Joseph Wolk CFO, J&J Tremfya's sales have been growing steadily and recently expanded into inflammatory bowel disease, which contributed to 30% growth in the quarter, along with indications in Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. CFO Joe Wolk said Stelara had 70% of prescriptions filled with IBD, making that indication a particularly enticing chunk of the market. On the call, Duato pointed to a peak sales estimate of $10 billion annually for Tremfya, which would bring it in line with Stelara's performance at the end of its exclusive lifecycle. Add that to the double-digit growth of marketed immunology products Remicade and the Simponi franchise, as well as a pipeline shaping up to make a splash in years to come, and the overall 16% decline in sales for immunology looks like it will become a short-lived slump in the long run. No.1 in oncology? Duato made big promises for J&J's growing prowess in oncology beyond what analysts have predicted. 'With more than 10 products in market across 26 approved indications and over 25 treatments in late-stage development, we expect to become the No. 1 oncology company by 2030 with sales of more than $50 billion.' Joaquin Duato CEO, J&J The company saw 22% growth in oncology overall in the second quarter, with particular contributions from the multiple myeloma drug Darzalex and the prostate cancer treatment Erleada. Also performing well was the CAR-T cell therapy Carvykti, overcoming obstacles in the space with $439 million in sales for the quarter. Taubert also said the bladder cancer pipeline candidate TAR-200 is undervalued by analysts and has been designed to fit into urologists' routine clinical practice in a way that could make its 2028 numbers reach 'at least three times higher' than what industry watchers have estimated. '[TAR-200] is probably the asset that has the biggest disconnect between our internal forecasts and what the Street expects.' Jennifer Taubert EVP, worldwide chairman, J&J Innovative Medicine Neuroscience on the rise The ketamine-based depression drug Spravato has turned out to be a winner for J&J with more than 50% growth on the market to $414 million in sales in the first quarter. While execs celebrated the win, they're also looking forward to what schizophrenia and bipolar depression newcomer Caplyta has in store. J&J picked up Caplyta in the acquisition of Intra-Cellular Therapies that closed earlier this year for $14.6 billion. 'Caplyta adds to J&J's robust lineup of therapies with $5 billion-plus potential in peak year sales, and further solidifies sales growth above analyst expectations through the rest of the decade.' Joaquin Duato CEO, J&J Overall, neuroscience grew almost 15% for J&J, bringing in more than $2 billion in the second quarter. Recommended Reading J&J's 2024 strategy will focus on newer meds to offset Stelara's patent cliff Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Cision Canada
01-07-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
DRI Healthcare Announces Closing of Internalization Transaction
TORONTO, July 1, 2025 /CNW/ - DRI Healthcare Trust (TSX: (TSX: DHT.U) ("DRI Healthcare") today announced that it has completed its previously announced transaction to internalize its investment management function. "We are excited to complete this transaction and begin our next chapter as one integrated organization," said Gary Collins, Executive Chair of DRI Healthcare. "We believe that our new structure will lead to better strategic alignment of interests with unitholders and stronger governance with greater transparency, ultimately benefitting all stakeholders." "We have a strong and dedicated team, now entirely under the DRI Healthcare banner, aligned to invest in high-quality assets and build an industry leading portfolio," said Ali Hedayat, Chief Executive Officer of DRI Healthcare. "With a robust pipeline of strong growth prospects coupled with the newly reduced fee structure, we anticipate enhanced value generation as we continue growing the business over the long term." Transaction Terms As a result of the transaction, the management agreement with DRI Capital Inc. ("DRI Capital") was terminated in exchange for a $48 million termination payment (plus accrued management and performance fees), and the Trust internalized the manager function by acquiring the relevant assets of DRI Capital for a purchase price of $1 million. As a result of the transactions contemplated by the asset purchase agreement, the employees of DRI Capital also transitioned to a Trust subsidiary. DRI Capital also agreed to indemnify the Trust and its affiliates in respect of, among other things, damages relating to the previously disclosed irregularities related to certain alleged consulting and other expenses charged to DRI Healthcare. The transaction was recommended for approval by a special committee of the board composed of independent trustees (the "Special Committee"). In recommending the transaction, the Special Committee evaluated a number of alternatives, including maintaining the status quo, terminating the management agreement for cause, replacing DRI Capital with a new third-party manager, privatizing the Trust, and implementing an internalization transaction. About DRI Healthcare DRI Healthcare is a pioneer in global pharmaceutical royalty monetization. Since our founding in 1989, we have deployed more than $3.0 billion, acquiring more than 75 royalties on 45-plus drugs, including Eylea, Keytruda, Orserdu, Remicade, Spinraza, Stelara, Vonjo and Zytiga. DRI Healthcare's units are listed and trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canadian dollars under the symbol " and in U.S. dollars under the symbol "DHT.U". To learn more, visit or follow us on LinkedIn. Caution concerning forward-looking statements This news release may contain forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities legislation. Forward-looking information can generally be identified by the use of words such as "expect", "continue", "anticipate", "intend", "aim", "plan", "believe", "budget", "estimate", "forecast", "foresee", "close to", "target" or negative versions thereof and similar expressions. Some of the specific forward-looking information in this news release may include, among other things, statements regarding the Trust's ability to execute on its strategy, the internalization of the Trust's manager and the terms and conditions, benefits and the value to be provided to unitholders. Forward-looking information is based on a number of assumptions and is subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the Trust's control that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking information. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that the internalization of the Trust's manager will not generate the levels of anticipated benefits for the Trust and its unitholders, and those additional risks and uncertainties that are disclosed in the Trust's most recent annual information form and under "Risk Factors" in the Trust's Management's Discussion and Analysis. No assurance can be given that these are all the factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release. You should not put undue reliance on forward-looking statements. No assurances can be given that any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will transpire or occur, or if any of them do occur, the actual results, performance or achievements of the Trust could differ materially from the results expressed in, or implied by, any forward-looking statements. All forward-looking information in this news release speaks as of the date of this news release. The Trust does not undertake to update any such forward-looking information whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise except as required by law. Additional information about these assumptions and risks and uncertainties is contained in the Trust's filings with securities regulators, including its latest annual information form and Management's Discussion and Analysis. These filings are also available at the Trust's website at
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Kansas college student wins appeal, insurance approves treatment
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — An update on a story we brought you in March. Natalie Graves has Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. She was on a medical infusion treatment called Remicade. Instead, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas offered her two other options, Inflectra and Avsola. When she switched, she said her disease's symptoms flared up again. 'I had a colonoscopy on Thursday to assess the overall damage to what's going on, and they found that I have some erosions and ulcers caused by that biosimilar medication not being able to manage and control my Crohn's,' Graves said. Graves first received a denial letter early in 2024. After filing an appeal, which was also denied, her doctor attempted to contact her insurance company directly, but with no success in reversing the denial. Longtime Wichita chef receives life-saving liver transplant A viewer reached out to KSN last month and donated a month's worth of medication from their pharmacy in Tennessee to their doctor in Kansas City. Following that, Graves filed an appeal, and last week, learned that Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas reversed the previous denial, approving her treatment until March 2026. She said she was shocked by how quickly things changed in her favor. 'So incredible, that within six weeks of a post being posted, and a news story, that my 12-month battle was shortened and ended just like that,' Graves said. KSN reached out to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas on Thursday, and in a statement, a representative said: 'Due to patient privacy, we are unable to provide specifics about an individual or case. Prescription drug costs are a main driver of rising healthcare costs. We are committed to controlling costs for our members. Our policy supports the use of biosimilar drugs when possible as they are safe, effective, and expected to have similar results at a significantly lower cost.' For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Celltrion's Remdantry™, previously known as Inflectra®, will be available in Canada as of April 1, 2025
Remdantry™ (previously known as Inflectra®), developed and manufactured by Celltrion, is the first monoclonal antibody biosimilar infliximab in Canada and will be commercially available across Canada as of April 1, 2025 Celltrion offers a full-service patient support program offering a wide range of services from financial assistance to patient education in Canada TORONTO, March 27, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Celltrion, Inc., a leading global biopharmaceutical company, announced that Remdantry™ will be available in Canada as of April 1, 2025. Remdantry™, previously known as Inflectra®, is the new brand name for its first monoclonal antibody biosimilar to Remicade (infliximab) in Canada. Celltrion received Health Canada Notice of Compliance (NOC) for Remdantry on March 7, 2025. Remdantry™ will use the same Drug Identification Number (DIN) as Inflectra®, and the formulation, indications and dosages of Remdantry™ will remain the same as that of Inflectra®, which was originally approved by the Health Canada for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), plaque psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in January 2014 and for Crohn's disease (CD), fistulising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC) in June 2016.1 "The availability of Remdantry™ in Canada is a step forward in Celltrion's long-standing commitment to providing ongoing support to Canadian patients who have been using our products for years," said Jungyong Shin, Managing Director at Celltrion Healthcare Canada. "Celltrion has a long-standing track record of manufacturing Inflectra® for over 10 years and will continue to provide Remdantry™ to the Canadian market as planned. Given that the product will be sourced from South Korea, Celltrion does not anticipate any disruptions to the supply chain from external market factors, including tariffs considerations, ensuring a steady and uninterrupted availability for Canadian patients." Celltrion offers CELLTRION CONNECT™, a patient support program tailored to support patients and healthcare providers. The program provides guidance with reimbursement navigation, financial assistance, infusion and nurse support services for patients throughout their treatment. In Canada, Celltrion has received Health Canada approval for six biosimilars including: Remdantry™, Remsima® SC, Yuflyma®, Vegzelma™, SteQeyma® and Omlyclo™. Notes to Editors: About Remdantry™, Celltrion's infliximab, in Canada Remdantry™ (infliximab for injection) is a biosimilar to the reference biologic drug Remicade®, that consists of a chimeric immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) monoclonal antibody that binds with high affinity to the human tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNFα). Remdantry™ is indicated for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), plaque psoriasis (PsO), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Crohn's disease (CD), fistulising Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis (UC). About Celltrion, Inc. Celltrion is a leading biopharmaceutical company that specialises in researching, developing, manufacturing, marketing and sales of innovative therapeutics that improve people's lives worldwide. Celltrion is a pioneer in the biosimilar space, having launched the world's first monoclonal antibody biosimilar. Our global pharmaceutical portfolio addresses a range of therapeutic areas including immunology, oncology, haematology, ophthalmology and endocrinology. Beyond biosimilar products, we are committed to advancing our pipeline with novel drugs to push the boundaries of scientific innovation and deliver quality medicines. For more information, please visit our website and stay updated with our latest news and events on our social media - LinkedIn, Instagram, X, and Facebook About Celltrion Healthcare Canada Limited Celltrion Healthcare Canada is committed to delivering innovative and affordable medications to promote patients' access to advanced therapies. Its products are manufactured at state-of-the-art mammalian cell culture facilities, designed and built to comply with Health Canada regulations. Celltrion Healthcare Canada currently has 6 biosimilars including: Remdantry™, Remsima® SC, Yuflyma®, Vegzelma™, SteQeyma® and Omlyclo™. For more information, please visit: Inflectra® is a registered trademark of Pfizer is a trademark of Celltrion, Inc. and is used under license in Canada 1 Inflectra product monograph. Available at: (accessed on March 6, 2025) View source version on Contacts Media Relations ContactGlobalPR@ Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘My health is in jeopardy': Insurance denies Kansas nursing student's prescription
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A college student from Anthony is speaking out after Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas denied a medicine she has been using successfully for years. Natalie Graves has Crohn's disease, a chronic inflammatory bowel disease. She was on a medical infusion treatment called Remicade. Instead, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas offered her two other options, Inflectra and Avsola. When she switched, she said her disease's symptoms flared up again. 'I had a colonoscopy on Thursday to assess the overall damage of what's going on, and they found that I have some erosions and ulcers caused by that biosimilar medication not being able to manage and control my Chron's,' Graves said. Graves first received a denial letter early in 2024. After filing an appeal, which was also denied, her doctor tried contacting her insurance company personally, with no success in getting the denial reversed. Graves, whose parents have been policyholders with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas for 26 years, said she feels like a test subject. 'It is really frustrating. I'm not a guinea pig. I'm a human being. I'm not just a policyholder. I'm a patient who has a life to live,' Graves said. 'A change needs to be made.' A spokesperson for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas declined to go on camera for an interview but provided the following statement: We are committed to controlling costs for our members. Biosimilars are products highly similar to other biologics that are FDA-approved. Our policy is to use biosimilar drugs when possible as they are equally safe, effective and expected to have the same results at a significantly lower cost. Members who do not tolerate a specific prescription drug have several alternatives. These alternatives include other medications, as well as an appeal process which includes an external review. Members may also be eligible to have their provider submit a reconsideration request. Members with questions about their appeal process are encouraged to call the customer service number on the back of their card.' Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas In the field of gastroenterology, for more than 40 years, Dr. Mark Allen said he has seen dozens of patients denied coverage by their insurance company. He believes it impacts doctors' ability to treat patients nationwide. He spoke in Topeka to support House Bill 2157, which would have established restrictions on step-therapy protocols used by insurance companies when approving prescriptions. It ultimately failed in committee in 2022. 'All gastroenterologists have faced increasing problems with insurance-mandated switching to different drugs,' Dr. Allen said. 31 million Americans borrowed money for health care last year: Poll He said not every person responds to each medicine the same, which is why treatment must be individualized. 'Involve any part of the GI tract. Therefore, the treatment options have to be tailored to that specific patient. Switching drugs is not always in the best interest of the patient,' Dr. Allen said. Graves wants answers, but more importantly, to be placed back on the drug that was working. 'That's completely outrageous and so upsetting. It's not just my life being affected. It's so many other people. Our hands are tied. I have no control over my own health; my own doctor doesn't even have control over my own health,' she said. KSN asked Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas' representatives how many policyholders have been denied from their preferred treatment and how their appeals process works. The insurance company did not respond to a specific list of questions. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
