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In 2022, a large U.S.-based study examined whether a daily polypill could benefit people who have already had a heart attack or stroke (and are therefore at very high risk of having another one). Among 2,500 patients followed a median of three years, those randomized to a daily polypill had substantially fewer events than those in the usual care group. On the strength of the evidence, the World Health Organization recently added a cardiovascular polypill to its list of essential medicines. (Arthur L. Kellermann, 2/14)

In 2001, Gilead secured FDA approval of tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF), one of first medicines to treat HIV — a product still on the market, despite the potential side effect of causing skeletal and kidney damage. In the years that followed, the company invested in research leading to additional TDF-based regimens critical to the fight against HIV. (Dan Troy, 2/13)

It’s been one year since the launch of the first adalimumab biosimilar for Humira in the United States, which was followed by eight additional adalimumab biosimilar launches. These nine FDA-approved products offer lower-cost alternatives to the world’s bestselling drug, Humira, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and other autoimmune disorders. This made 2023 a watershed year for millions of U.S. patients paying too much for their necessary medications. (Juliana M. Reed, 2/14)