Despite an anticipated hit from declining Covid-19 sales, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca is faring pretty well—the company’s latest earnings report shows a 19% increase in revenue compared to the same quarter in 2023, bringing in a total of $12.7 billion.

Last year, executives from the UK-based company—which is one of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies in the world by revenue—braced for a drop in sales of Covid products, which include a vaccine called Vaxzevria and two antibody therapies, Evusheld and sipavibart.

Sales did in fact decline significantly: Vaxzevria global sales declined 99% to $11 million in 2023, and worldwide sales of the antibody drugs fell 86% to $312 million.

But AstraZeneca came prepared with a number of lofty goals to make up for the projected gaps in revenue, including initiating 30 Phase 3 clinical trials by the end of 2023 and introducing 15 new drugs to the market by 2030, Healthcare Brew previously reported.

So, how are those goals going? It’s a bit of a mixed bag.

Keep reading here.—MA

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Walgreens has released its own brand of naloxone, a medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose.

Available online now, Walgreens Brand Naloxone HCl Nasal Spray comes with two doses for $34.99, about $10 cheaper than the name-brand version, Narcan. The over-the-counter medication will also be available in stores by the end of May in the pain aisle, according to a press release, making the life-saving nasal spray more accessible.

In March 2023, the FDA approved an over-the-counter designation for Narcan, made by Emergent BioSolutions in Maryland. FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said in a statement at the time that the new designation “will help improve access to naloxone, increase the number of locations where it’s available, and help reduce opioid overdose deaths throughout the country,” Healthcare Brew previously reported.

Keep reading here.—CM

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Healthcare industry experts and innovators weighed in on everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to patient-provider relationships at Healthcare Brew’s first live event, Bench to Bedside & Beyond: The Future of Health Tech, which took place in NYC on Wednesday.

Fourteen panelists sat down for six different conversations led by Morning Brew reporters on the 66th floor of Manhattan skyscraper The Spiral, where heavy morning clouds gradually gave way to spectacular views of the city as the morning progressed.

Many of the sessions explored technology’s pace and place in healthcare, with panelists at turns excited about ways it can be used to alleviate problems across healthcare—from staffing shortages to boosting representation in research—while also cautioning that its integration can’t overlook cybersecurity and accessibility.

Careful integration, for example, includes making sure the interface is inclusive and accessible to all populations, said Ramita Tandon, Chief Clinical Trials Officer for Walgreens.

“As we start to make the shift and start to think about our consumers and patients, it’s about understanding, how do we build the right highway as we bring this innovation, as we bring all these new technologies into these communities that could really benefit from all the innovation that we’re seeing across the ecosystem,” she said.

Keep reading here. —NB