January 30, 2026
TOPLINE
In case you missed it, this past week, Big Pharma giant Johnson & Johnson reported fourth quarter earnings, beating Wall Street analysts’ expectations. The expectation-beating earnings report comes on the heels of Johnson & Johnson hiking prices on 15 prescription drugs in its portfolio earlier this month.
During Johnson & Johnson’s fourth quarter earnings call, Joaquin Duato, chief executive officer (CEO) of Johnson & Johnson, was bullish on continued growth of the drug companies’ already blockbuster profits (being fueled by egregious pricing practices and anti-competitive tactics that keep prices high for American patients): “These moves fuel our confidence that growth in 2026 would be faster than in 2025. And we have line of sight to double-digit growth by the end of the decade, which is notable as Johnson & Johnson is the only healthcare company that will soon deliver more than $100 billion in annual revenue.” Johnson & Johnson’s earnings go hand in hand with the steady pattern of hiking prices on blockbuster drugs.
Stay tuned to CSRxP’s Big Pharma Earnings Watch series as more reports come out in the coming week after brand name drugmakers kicked off 2026 by raising prices on 872 prescription drugs in the first half of January, with a median increase outpacing the rate of inflation.
Read more on Johnson & Johnson fourth quarter earnings HERE.
QUOTES OF THE WEEK
“Patients face higher prices because Big Pharma has cornered the market and locked out new competitors.”
U.S. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
DATA POINTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
$3.4 Trillion
The amount of savings biosimilars have delivered in the last decade, according to research from the Association for Accessible Medicines.
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
@P4ADNOW: “Product hopping is just one of the many harmful tactics pharma uses to keep prices high. By abusing the patent system, big drug companies can avoid generic and biosimilar market competition and keep prices high. Learn how we can fight back at http://PatientsPushForCompetition.Org”
@Runaway_Rx: “Ever wonder how drug companies keep more affordable drugs off the market? 🤔 #BigPharma games the patent system by layering many different patents onto high-priced drugs to block affordable generic drug competition from entering the market.”
ROAD TO RECOVERY
R Street: Coalition Letter in Support of the Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (S. 1954/H.R. 5526)
Now that there has been bicameral, bipartisan introduction of the Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act by Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX) and Greg Landsman (D-OH) (H.R. 5526) as well as Senators Mike Lee (R-UT), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) (S. 1954), on behalf of patients, providers, taxpayers, and consumers, we urge you to advance this crucial legislation. The Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act would remove the distinction between biosimilars and interchangeable biosimilars. In doing so, the legislation would increase patient access to essential biosimilar medications and reduce healthcare costs.
AJMC: FDA Draft Guidance on Biosimilars Is a Win for Patients; Now Congress Must Finish the Job
At a moment when high drug prices continue straining families and the healthcare system, the US finally has a clear opportunity to turn scientific progress into real relief for millions of patients. The FDA’s October 29, 2025, announcement of reforms to streamline biosimilar development and modernize interchangeability is one of the most important steps yet—expanding access to safe, effective, more affordable biologic medicines. But realizing that potential now requires Congress to act. FDA has opened the door; policymakers must walk through it. The US faces an escalating drug-pricing problem that could be addressed through the increased uptake of biosimilar therapies.
PHARMA’S POOR PROGNOSIS
Reuters: Novo Nordisk Sued For Allegedly Monopolizing Diabetes Drug Victoza
Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk was hit with a class action lawsuit in New York federal court on Friday for allegedly misusing its patents to maintain a monopoly on its diabetes drug Victoza. The complaint, opens new tab from South Carolina-based drug wholesaler Smith Drug accused Novo of using a "pay-for-delay" scheme with generic drugmaker Teva Pharmaceutical to illegally delay cheaper generic versions of the drug. A Novo spokesperson declined to comment on the complaint. A spokesperson and attorneys for Smith Drug did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Spokespeople for Teva, which is not a defendant in the lawsuit, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Victoza, approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2010, was Novo's first-generation blockbuster GLP-1 drug. The lawsuit said that Novo sold more than $5 billion worth of the drug in the United States in 2018, though its sales have since decreased.
Reuters: Exclusive: Novo's Wegovy And Ozempic US Advertising Spend Doubles Rival Eli Lilly, Data Shows
Novo Nordisk spent nearly $500 million on U.S. advertising for its GLP-1 drugs Wegovy and Ozempic in the first nine months of 2025, more than double what Eli Lilly shelled out for its rival medicines, as the Danish drugmaker fought for market share, data seen by Reuters shows. The data from advertising tracking firm MediaRadar, which has not been previously reported, shows Novo spent an estimated $316 million advertising its weight-loss drug Wegovy in the U.S. and $169 million on diabetes medication Ozempic from January through September last year. That's up 54% and 44%, respectively from the same period in 2024. Indianapolis-based market leader Eli Lilly spent about $131 million advertising obesity treatment Zepbound in the same period versus $2 million in 2024. It spent $83 million promoting diabetes medicine Mounjaro. Combined, Novo spent about $487 million and Lilly an estimated $214 million on U.S. ads for these drugs. The companies declined to comment on their advertising budgets.
###
