Top healthcare stories this week: Novo Nordisk, Hims & Hers, and UnitedHealth spotlighted

The stock market closed the week with a robust performance, with all three key indices reaching new highs on Friday.

Over the course of the week, the Nasdaq (COMP:IND), S&P 500 (SP500), and Dow (DJI) increased by 2.21%, 1.22%, and 1.05% respectively.

The S&P 500 Healthcare Index Sector (NYSEARCA:XLV) increased by approximately 0.4% over the week.

The leading S&P 500 healthcare stocks that increased and decreased in value over the past week are listed below:

Top Gainers:

Moderna (MRNA) +7.42%

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (REGN) +5.71%

Revvity (RVTY) +4.65%

Incyte (INCY) +4.13%

Bio-Techne (TECH) +3.69%

Top Losers:

DexCom (DXCM) -11.51%

Humana (HUM) -8.60%

Boston Scientific (BSX) -4.75%

The Cigna Group (CI) -4.25%

Centene (CNC) -4.48%

Here are some key health-related news updates from this week:

Novo Nordisk aims to obtain U.S. approval for a higher dose of Wegovy: report

Novo Nordisk (NVO) is planningTo file regulatory documents in order to gain FDA approval for a high-dose form of its popular weight loss drug Wegovy in the United States, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, referencing statements from the company’s chief scientific officer, Martin Lange.

This year, the Danish pharmaceutical company reported that patients taking Wegovy at a higher dose of 7.2 mg achieved approximately 21% weight loss over 72 weeks in a Phase 3 study, compared to about 18% and 2% weight reduction in those receiving standard Wegovy. and placebo, respectively.

In July, Novo (NVO) requested EU approval for the high-dose injection, submitting a marketing application to the European Medicines Agency based on late-stage trials where one-third of participants who received 7.2 mg of Wegovy experienced a weight loss of 25% or more.

In other noteworthy news, Novo Nordisk (NVO) shares rosemore than 6% on Thursday, their highest increase in a month, following a real-world study indicating its diabetes medication Ozempic surpassed Eli Lilly’s (LLY) older medication Trulicity (dulaglutide) for specific diabetic and cardiovascular patients.

Hims & Hers drops after FDA issues a warning letter regarding a compounded weight loss medication

The U.S. FDA issueda cautionary letter to Hims & Hers HealthHIMS) regarding its promotion of compounded semaglutide, the weight loss medication sold under the name Wegovy by Novo Nordisk (NVO).

Hims & Hers stock declined by almost 6% on Tuesday.

“Injectable GLP-1 on a weekly basis with the same active component as Ozempic and Wegovy” is one statement identified onhttps://www.forhers.com cited by the agency.

Compounded drug products have not received FDA approval,” the letter says. “Your statements suggest that your products are equivalent to an FDA-approved product, which they are not. Consequently, these statements are false or deceptive, and your products are therefore incorrectly labeled.

The FDA is requesting a reply from Hims & Hers regarding the actions they are implementing to resolve the infractions.

Eli Lilly unveils a new $5 billion manufacturing facility in Virginia

Eli Lilly (LLY) on Tuesday announcedIt will allocate $5 billion to construct a new production plant in Virginia as part of the weight loss medication company’s strategy to establish four additional manufacturing locations over the next five years.

Situated just west of Richmond, Virginia, the new facility is anticipated to concentrate on manufacturing active pharmaceutical ingredients and additional drug components for Lilly’s bioconjugate platform and monoclonal antibody line-up.

UnitedHealth is reportedly increasing its efforts to lobby Trump supporters during ongoing federal investigations.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is intensifyingIts efforts to influence lawmakers in Washington come as it deals with criminal and civil probes into its Medicare Advantage operations and faces challenges from new federal payment regulations that have affected its earnings, according to The Wall Street Journal on Sunday.

After the newspaper reported in May that the Justice Department was investigating the company’s Medicare activities, the insurer has arranged unusual high-level meetings with top officials, including the attorney general’s chief of staff, Chad Mizelle. CEO Stephen Hemsley also met with White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and had dinner with Medicare supervisor Chris Klomp to talk about billing and benefits policies.

GSK announces a $30 billion investment in the U.S. following Trump’s arrival in the U.K. for a state visit

GSK (GSK) saidIt plans to allocate a minimum of $30 billion throughout the U.S. for research and development along with supply chain infrastructure over the next five years, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s arrival in the U.K. for a second state visit.

This involves a new $1.2 billion investment in state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities along with artificial intelligence and cutting-edge digital technologies throughout GSK’s (NYSE:GSK) five current manufacturing facilities.

The funding will support the building of a new facility in Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, aimed at manufacturing treatments for respiratory conditions and cancer. Construction is set to start in 2026.