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Merck, the company that makes Antivenin, now says that the drug is available and that it has “taken a number of steps to ensure uninterrupted supply.” Merck sells only between 300 to 800 vials of Antivenin each year. The drug is made by injecting horses with the venom, then extracting antibodies the animals produce, and it should not be given to anyone with an allergy to horses. (Cimons, 8/7)

The World Health Organization on Monday flagged a batch of contaminated common cold syrup, manufactured by an Indian company, the latest in a series of warnings by the agency about substandard medicines from the country. The United Nations agency said the batch of the syrup, branded Cold Out, found in Iraq was manufactured by Fourrts (India) Laboratories for Dabilife Pharma, and had higher than acceptable limit of contaminants diethylene and ethylene glycol. (8/7)

A behind-the-scenes feud over a drug development program erupted into public view as Nektar Therapeutics filed a lawsuit accusing Eli Lilly of undermining a project in favor of another deal. At issue is a partnership that began in 2017 to develop and potentially market a drug, known as Rezpeg, to treat various autoimmune diseases, and in particular, eczema. But the arrangement went awry after Lilly spent about $1.1 billion in 2020 to acquire another company called Dermira, which was developing a competing medication to treat atopic dermatitis, according to the lawsuit. (Silverman, 8/7)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Seeking Medicare Coverage For Weight Loss Drugs, Pharma Giant Courts Black Influencers 

Pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk has turned to influential Black Americans in pursuit of what would be a lucrative victory: having Medicare cover a new class of weight loss drugs, including the company’s highly sought Wegovy, which can cost patients more than $1,000 a month. During a conference of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation last fall — a jampacked gathering featuring prominent Black lawmakers and President Joe Biden — Novo Nordisk sponsored a panel discussion on obesity for which it selected the moderator and panelists, company spokesperson Nicole Ferreira said. The foundation is a nonprofit affiliated with the Congressional Black Caucus, a powerful group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill. (Pradhan, 8/8)

Government regulators may soon decide whether to crack down on distracting visuals in television drug commercials or require subtitles about side effects, a regulation that’s been 13 years in the making. White House budget experts are reviewing changes to the regulation of broadcast drug advertisements that the Food and Drug Administration proposed in 2010, according to the Office of Management and Budget website. That proposal aimed to make commercials present drug risks in a manner that consumers notice and understand. (Wilkerson, 8/8)