CVS HEALTH CORPORATION

The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines for 2025-2026 but restricted their use to adults 65 and older and individuals with risk factors for severe COVID-19.

Sycamore Partners has completed its acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance, taking the pharmacy giant private in partnership with Stefano Pessina and his family.

CVS Health, the largest U.S. pharmacy benefit manager, will not add Gilead's new HIV prevention drug Yeztugo to its commercial plans, citing clinical, financial, and regulatory factors despite the drug's proven 99.9% effectiveness.

Johnson & Johnson's Stelara experienced a dramatic 33.7% year-over-year sales decline to $1.08 billion in Q1 2025, driven by aggressive biosimilar competition following patent expiration in September 2023.

Walmart has launched the Walmart Healthcare Research Institute (WHRI) to connect patients visiting its nationwide health centers with clinical trial opportunities, following similar moves by CVS and Walgreens.

The three largest U.S. pharmacy benefit managers have excluded nearly all marketed Humira biosimilars from their 2025 standard formularies, marking a dramatic shift from 2024 when eight products were covered.

The FDA announced voluntary recalls of six popular acne products containing benzoyl peroxide after testing revealed elevated benzene levels above the conditional limit of two parts per million.

• Ascent Consumer Products has issued an urgent nationwide recall of SinuCleanse Soft Tip Squeeze Bottle Nasal Wash System after detecting Staphylococcus aureus bacterial contamination in specific lots. • The contaminated nasal wash system poses serious health risks, potentially leading to severe complications including meningitis, endocarditis, and brain infections, particularly threatening immunocompromised individuals and elderly patients. • The affected product, identified by lot number 024122661A1 with expiration date 12-31-2027, was distributed nationwide through major retailers including Walgreens and CVS in January 2025.

The pharmaceutical industry faces significant challenges with drug development costs exceeding $172 million per drug and Phase I to approval success rates below 10%, highlighting the need for innovative solutions.

Analysis reveals adalimumab biosimilar competition led to a 45% reduction in net spending during Q4 2023 compared to Q4 2022, despite biosimilars capturing only 1.35% of prescriptions.