We’re reading about GSK drug comeback, a pricey Vertex medicine

And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up, but we plan to take in a moving picture show, manicure the Pharmalot grounds, and stop by a roadside tavern. We also hope to have time for another listening party, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? The great outdoors are beckoning, so perhaps this is a nice time to visit the countryside or, if you prefer to remain closer to home, stroll about the neighborhood. You could combine both endeavors by raking leaves, assuming you own a tree or two. If the weather fails to cooperate, you could stream something or catch up on your reading. Public libraries are a wonderful invention. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said it made the largest single seizure of trafficked weight loss medicines recorded globally, dismantling a factory making thousands of unlicensed weight loss injectables, Reuters writes. The regulator announced that it had seized 2,000 pens labeled as containing tirzepatide and retatrutide — drugs not approved for weight loss in the U.K. — tens of thousands of empty pens, and raw chemicals. The street value of the finished weight loss products alone is estimated to be more than $330,000. The site, on an industrial estate on the outskirts of Northampton, is believed to have been used for the large-scale manufacture, packaging, and distribution of unlicensed —  and potentially deadly — weight loss products. The regulator also found large amounts of sophisticated packaging and manufacturing equipment.

Frustrated by the price of a lifesaving cystic fibrosis treatment sold by Vertex Pharmaceuticals, a group of families is working with a generic manufacturer to revive a buyer’s club and distribute the medication in countries where the cost is out of a reach, STAT reports. The generic version of Trikafta will be priced at $6,375 for a child and $12,750 for an adult per year, compared with a list price that exceeds $300,000 annually in the U.S. And the drug will be made by Beximco Pharmaceuticals, a generic company based in Bangladesh, according to patient advocacy groups involved in creating the club. The move comes amid ongoing struggles in various countries where patients and their families have tried to obtain the treatment, which the World Health Organization has classified as an essential medicine. They maintain the high import cost, too many frivolous patents that inhibit generic competition, or a failure to register the drug for sale in some countries have created unfair barriers to access.