Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: Novo Nordisk's Wegovy Subscription Program

Welcome to Pharmaceutical Executive Daily, your quick briefing on the top news shaping the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry.

In today's Pharmaceutical Executive Daily, Novo Nordisk launches the first multi-month subscription program for Wegovy targeting cash-paying patients through telehealth partners, Merck enters an $838 million research collaboration with antibody discovery startup Infinimmune, and Eli Lilly agrees to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals in a deal valued at up to $7.8 billion to expand into sleep-wake disorder treatments.

Novo Nordisk has introduced a subscription-based pricing model for Wegovy, offering self-pay patients who enroll through select telehealth providers, including Ro, WeightWatchers, LifeMD, and Hims and Hers, the option to choose three, six, or twelve-month plans at fixed monthly prices. Patients on the twelve-month plan can access the Wegovy injection for $249 per month, a potential savings of up to $1,200 per year, and the pill for the same price with savings of up to $600 per year.

Merck has entered a research collaboration with Infinimmune, a California-based biotech that uses AI to mine libraries of human memory B cells for novel antibody targets, in a deal worth up to $838 million in upfront and milestone payments. Merck will hold exclusive rights to develop and commercialize any therapies that emerge from the collaboration, which spans multiple undisclosed disease targets and builds on discussions that began in late 2024.

Finally, Eli Lilly has agreed to acquire Centessa Pharmaceuticals, a clinical-stage company developing orexin receptor 2 agonists for sleep-wake disorders, for $38 per share in cash plus a contingent value right worth up to $9 per share, for a total potential deal value of approximately $7.8 billion. The acquisition centers on cleminorexton, Centessa's lead candidate showing a potential best-in-class profile in Phase IIa trials across narcolepsy type 1, narcolepsy type 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia.

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