Ailsa Craig, co-manager of the International Biotechnology Trust PLC, is keeping an eye on Amgen Inc., which is developing a therapy that involves less frequent injections than Lilly’s drug. Results from a mid-stage study are expected next year.Novo is making more medicine than ever before as it struggles to keep up with demand, which is good news for suppliers including Catalent Inc., which fills Wegovy pens with the clear liquid. The drugmaker has also brought on Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Shares of Zimmer Biomet Holdings Inc., which makes knee and hip implants for patients with osteoarthritis, are down 12 per cent since the start of August. Obesity is a contributing factor to osteoarthritis, so a reduction in obesity could mean fewer people need implants. Although Dexcom has been a “victim,” the medical-technology firm should perhaps be “in the survivors’ camp,” he said. Dexcom recently told investors that more people on insulin were using a continuous glucose monitoring device after starting GLP-1 therapy than beforehand. An Abbott spokesperson said it’s “very possible” that weight-loss drugs could further expand usage of such devices.
Teleflex Inc., which makes the Titan stomach stapler, suggested that GLP-1 treatments had led to decreased demand. Medtronic PLC also noted that the therapies were having a “little bit of impact” on bariatric surgery, which was a small part of its business. Equipment provider Conmed Corp. estimated that about two per cent of its instruments were used in bariatric procedures.Article contentNovo’s drugs for diabetes and weight loss share the same active ingredient called semaglutide.