2023级《经济学人》导读 阶段二 | Weight-loss drugs: Pharma frenzy

教育   2024-11-17 11:53   重庆  

Weight-loss drugs

Pharma frenzy






Title Analysis




pharma: n. a company that makes and sells pharmaceuticals 制药公司

frenzy: n. state of violent mental agitation 狂热,极度的兴奋

在这里pharma frenzy表示制药公司狂热的状态,所以我们可以适当猜测:是什么事情导致制药公司如此兴奋?结合开头的weight-loss drugs减肥药,据此我们可以大胆猜测这是否跟减肥药的研发有关,是与相关药品研发的某项技术有了新突破,还是找到了更加低廉而效用不减的制作原料?那这会对我们国内产生什么影响呢?国外研发出来的减肥药物会流进国内市场给存在肥胖焦虑的人带来福音吗?让我们一起走进这篇文章。






Lead-in




Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly face heavy competition.

诺和诺德公司和礼来公司面临着激烈的竞争

导语中提到了“激烈的竞争”,由此我们不由得再次猜测:到底是什么引起了这两家药品公司如此强烈的竞争危机感?


背景知识:

Novo Nordisk:诺和诺德是世界领先的生物制药公司,在用于糖尿病治疗的胰岛素开发和生产方面居世界领先地位。诺和诺德总部位于丹麦首都哥本哈根,员工总数30,000人,分布于70个国家,产品销售遍布179个国家。在欧美诺和诺德均建有生产厂。

Eli Lilly:礼来公司是一家全球性的以研发为基础的医药公司,总部位于美国印地安那州印第安纳波利斯市,致力于为全人类提供以药物为基础的创新医疗保健方案,使人们生活过得更长久、更健康、更有活力。






Overview









Mind Map









Text Analysis




Part one

Overview

这一部分主要以 Hims & Hers,Nordisk 和 Eli Lilly三家公司为例说明了减肥药市场的利润之高,由此引出该市场广阔的发展前景。


Text Explication

1.Among the many newcomers to the business of weight-loss drugs is Hims & Hers, an American e-pharmacy better known for hawking remedies forerectile dysfunction and hair loss.

Hims & Hers(也)在众多销售减肥药物的新兴药店中,它是一家以销售勃起功能障碍和脱发的药物而闻名的美国电子药店。

e-pharmacy: 电子药店。pharmacy n. A retail shop where medicine and other articles are sold. 药店。

hawk remedies for: 销售......的药物

hawk: vt. To offer (goods) for sale, as in the street. (沿街)兜售。

remedy: n. A remedy is something that is intended to cure you when you are ill or in pain. 治疗; 疗法; 药品。

erectile dysfunction: 勃起功能障碍

erectile: adj. (of tissues or organs, such as the penis or clitoris) capable of becoming rigid or erect as the result of being filled with blood (组织或器官,如阴茎或阴蒂)勃起的。

dysfunction: n. If someone has a physical dysfunction, part of their body is not working properly. 机能障碍; 功能不良。

语法分析

这是一个将状语置于句首且主语和谓语完全倒装的倒装句。它的正确语序是:Hims & Hers is among the many newcomers to the business of weight-loss drugs,其后的an American e-pharmacy better known for hawking remedies for erectile dysfunction and hair loss是Hims & Hers的同位语

Hims&Hers: Hims&Hers,一家关注男性和女性健康护理领域的DTC电商品牌,成立于2017年,三年时间将营收从2018年的2700万美元增长到2020年的1.38亿美元,直翻5倍,年复合增长率达到128%。由于出色的业绩,先后吸引了Founders Fund、Redpoint Ventures、SV Angel、心元资本等机构共计1.58亿美元的融资,并于今年初在纽交所上市,公司估值超过16亿美元。

2.Since May it has offered its own version of Wegovy, a blockbusterslimming jab, thanks to a quirk in American law that lets pharmaciesreplicate some brand-name drugs when there are shortages.

自5月份以来,它推出了自己版本的诺和盈(Wegovy),它是一种风靡一时的减肥注射药,这要归功于美国法律的一个奇怪条例,即允许药店在短缺时复制一些名牌药物。

Wegovy:中文名为诺和盈,而Wegovy是司美格鲁肽注射液的商品名,用于成人2型糖尿病患者的血糖控制。‌Wegovy是一种新型长效胰高糖素样肽-1类似物,通过刺激胰岛素分泌和降低胰高血糖素分泌来降低血糖。它也被用于减肥,被称为“减肥神药”,每周注射一次即可见效。

blockbuster: n. A blockbuster is a film or book that is very popular and successful, usually because it is very exciting. 大片; 畅销书。在这里指卖的很好的东西、风靡一时的事物,说明Wegovy在当时极其受人们的欢迎,它的销量极高。

slimming jab:减肥注射药

slimming: n. The process of or concern with becoming slim or slimmer as by losing weight. 减肥。

jab: n. A jab is a sudden, sharp punch. 刺戳; 快速猛击。在文中我们结合上下文可以推断这里“刺戳”的动作应当指的是“针管的注射”,因此可以理解为“注射”。

quirk: n. A quirk is something unusual or interesting that happens by chance. (偶然发生的) 怪事; 趣事。在文中根据前文的American law我们可以将它理解为“奇怪的条例”。

replicate: vt. If you replicate someone's experiment, work, or research, you do it yourself in exactly the same way. 复制; 重做(试验、工作或研究)。

brand-name: 根据它的两个组成部分brand和name,我们可以轻易推断出它的意思,“品牌的名字”--“冠以品牌名的”--“著名品牌的”。

语法分析

这个长难句的主干是it has offered its own version of Wegovy,最前面的since May是时间状语,a blockbuster slimming jab是Wegovy的同位语(用于补充解释Wegovy是什么)。最后的thanks to a quirk in American law that lets pharmacies replicate some brand-name drugs when there are shortages属于原因状语,不过在其中包含了一个以that为关系代词的定语从句that lets pharmacies replicate some brand-name drugs,修饰的是先行词quirk,此外在定从中还嵌入了一个时间状语从句when there are shortages。

3.Analysts expect that the company will pocket around $145mfrom its weight-loss drug this year.

分析师预计,该公司今年将从其减肥药物中获得约1.45亿美元的资金。

expect: vt. If you expect something to happen, you believe that it will happen. 预料。

pocket...from...: 从......中获取......(钱财)

pocket: vt. If you say that someone pockets something such as a prize or sum of money, you mean that they win or obtain it, often without needing to make much effort or in a way that seems unfair. (轻松或不公正地) 获得 (奖赏、金钱等)。这个单词用得十分生动,它的本义是口袋,因为口袋里经常揣的是钱,故而引申出钱财的意思,然后再将它名词动用的话就能得到获取钱财的引申义了。

145m: 145 million 的缩写,即1.45亿

4.Over the past two years rocketing sales of Wegovy and its main rival, Zepbound, have propelled the combined market value of Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, the drug-makers behind them, from $560bn to $1.3trn.

过去两年Wegovy及其主要竞争对手Zepbound的销售额飙升,推动诺和诺德(Novo Nordisk)和礼来(Eli Lilly)公司的总市值从5600亿美元升至1.3万亿美元。

rocketing sales: 飙升的销售额

rocket: vi. If things such as prices or social problems rocket, they increase very quickly and suddenly. 飞速增加; 飞速上涨。这个单词也很形象,rocket火箭,它的发射速度是极其快的,所以它名词动用后就是“飞升,飞涨,飙升”。

Zepbound:Zepbound是一种葡萄糖依赖性促胰岛素多肽(GIP)受体和胰高血糖素样肽-1 (GLP-1)受体激动剂,可作为低热量饮食和增加体力活动的辅助药物,用于初始体重指数(身体质量指数)为30kg/m2或更大(肥胖)或27kg/m2或更高(超重),同时存在至少一种与体重相关的共病(如高血压、二型糖尿病糖尿病、血脂异常、阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停或心血管疾病)。

propel sth. from...to...: 推动某事/某物从...升至...

propel: vt. To propel something in a particular direction means to cause it to move in that direction. 推进。

560bn: 560 billion 的缩写,即5600亿

1.3trn: 1.3 trillion 的缩写,即1.3万亿

trillion: n. A trillion is 1,000,000,000,000. 万亿

5.The GLP-1 hormone that forms the basis of both drugs has proven highly effective at helping users shed pounds, so much so that their makers have struggled to keep up with demand.

作为这两种药物基础的GLP-1激素已被证明在帮助使用者减肥方面非常有效,以至于他们的制造商一直难以跟上需求。

hormone: n. A hormone is a chemical, usually occurring naturally in your body, that makes an organ of your body do something. 荷尔蒙,激素。

GLP-1hormone:胰高糖素样肽-1(glucagon-like peptide-1,GLP-1)是一种主要由肠道L细胞所产生的激素,属于肠促胰素。胰高糖素样肽-1受体激动剂(GLP-1RA)是近年来的新型降糖药,通过激活GLP-1受体,以葡萄糖浓度依赖的方式增强胰岛素分泌,抑制胰高糖素分泌,并能够延缓胃排空,通过中枢性的食欲抑制减少进食量,从而达到降低血糖,减肥等作用。

shed pounds: 减轻体重,减肥。

shed: vt. When a tree sheds its leaves, its leaves fall off in the autumn. When an animal sheds hair or skin, some of its hair or skin drops off. 落 (叶); 脱 (发); 蜕 (皮)。在这里指使用者的体重“落下来”了,也就是“减轻体重”,即“减肥”。

6.What is more, researchers are now discovering that the benefits of these drugs extend far beyond weight loss, just as prices are set to fall and more convenient forms are under development.

更重要的是,研究人员现在发现,这些药物的好处远不止减轻体重,因为它们的价格将要下降,而且更便捷的外形正在开发中。

extend far beyond: 远远超过

extend: vt. If you extend something, you make it longer or bigger. 延长; 扩大。在文中指这些药物的优势扩展到了减轻体重之外,它们还将会有更低的价格和更简便的外形。

be set to: 将要......

be underdevelopment: 正在开发中,正在研发

7.Bloomberg Intelligence, a research firm, forecasts that global spending on weight-loss drugs will surge from $15bn this year to $94bn by 2030 (see chart 1).

研究公司彭博情报机构预测,到2030年,全球在减肥药上的花费将从今年的150亿美元飙升至940亿美元(见图表1)。

intelligence: n. Intelligence is information that is gathered by the government or the army about their country's enemies and their activities. 情报。

Bloomberg Intelligence:彭博是全球商业、金融信息和新闻资讯的领先提供商,通过其强大的集信息、人物及观点为一体的动态网络为全球决策者带来关键优势。彭博精于以创新的技术来快速、精准地传递数据、新闻和分析工具,这也是彭博专业™服务(Bloomberg Professional™ service)的核心优势所在。彭博专业服务为全球逾325,000名客户提供实时财经信息。

surge: vi. If something surges, it increases suddenly and greatly, after being steady or developing only slowly. 剧增。


图表分析:

图表1显示的是全球减肥药物销售额的预测数据,单位是十亿美元($bn)。图表中包含了两种类型的减肥药物:注射型(Injectable)和口服型(Oral)。它预测的时间范围是从2024年到2030年,展示了全球减肥药物销售额随时间变化的趋势。从图表中我们可以得到:

(1)销售额趋势

注射型药物:销售额从2024年开始呈现逐年上升的趋势,从大约160亿美元逐年增加,到2030年时销售额可能达到近800亿美元。

口服型药物:销售额预计在2024和2025年并未产生,直到2026年才出现,并且呈现逐年上升的趋势,到2030年将升至160亿美元左右,但上升的幅度似乎比注射型药物要小一些。

(2)销售额对比

在2024年,注射型药物的销售额高于口服型药物。随着时间的推移,两种药物的销售额都在增加,但口服型药物的增加速度相对较慢。将从2024年至2030年的销售预测数据与2022、2023年的销售数据相比,2022年和2023年可以称得上是减肥药物得“经济萧条期”了,这就呼应了图表标题lean times(经济萧条期)。

(3)市场整体趋势

总体上呈现蓬勃发展的趋势。


8.With hundreds of challengers eyeing a vast market of potential users, obesity drugs are shaping up to be one of the biggest and fiercestbattlegrounds in the history of pharmaceuticals.

随着大量的制药公司正盯着这一个巨大的潜在用户市场,减肥药正在成为制药史上最大、最激烈的战场之一。

eye a vast market: 盯着一个巨大的市场。

eye: vt. If you eye someone or something in a particular way, you look at them carefully in that way. 注视。这里的eye使用了-ing形式说明它在这里属于名词动用,意思是“注视;关注”,在文中表示那些想进军减肥药销售的制药公司正盯着减肥药的巨大销售市场,也可以说是虎视眈眈。

shape up to be: 有望成为;正在发展成

fierce battleground: 激烈的战场

fierce: adj. Fierce feelings or actions are very intense or enthusiastic, or involve great activity. 激烈的; 狂热的。

battleground: n. A battleground is the site of a battle. 战场。在文中这里使用了暗喻的修辞手法,将竞争激烈的减肥药物市场比作战场,目的是突出该市场竞争的激烈。

pharmaceutical: n. Pharmaceuticals are medicines. 药品。

回扣前情

第一部分完美地回答了titlie analysis里关于“为什么制药公司如此兴奋”的问题----他们看到了减肥药市场巨大的发展前景,因为其具有超高的利润。


Part two

Overview

第二部分主要讲了保险公司和政府对减肥药物的看法转变,由之前的“reluctant to cover the cost”转变为“may start to view them differently”。


Text Explication

1.So far health insurers and governments have been reluctant to cover the cost of using GLP-1s for weight loss (a smaller dose is prescribed for diabetes).

到目前为止,健康保险公司和政府一直不愿支付使用GLP-1减肥的费用(开给糖尿病的小剂量)。

health insurer: 健康保险公司

cover the cost: 支付费用

cover: vt. If a sum of money covers something, it is enough to pay for it. 足够支付。

dose: n. A dose of medicine or a drug is a measured amount of it which is intended to be taken at one time. 一次用量。

prescribe: vt. If a doctor prescribes medicine or treatment for you, he or she tells you what medicine or treatment to have. 开 (药、处方)。

2.In America, the largest market by far for the drugs, Wegovy can cost up to $17,500 a year for those paying out of pocket.

在美国这个迄今为止最大的药品市场,Wegovy的自费费用每年可能高达1.75万美元。

out of pocket: 用自己的钱,指用自己的钱而不是其他来源(如保险公司)的钱。

3.Only half of privately insured patients are covered for it.

只有一半的私人保险的患者有购买它的保险。

cover: vt. An insurance policy that covers a person or thing guarantees that money will be paid by the insurance company in relation to that person or thing. 保险。在文中表示那一半拥有私人保险的病人是由保险公司支付他们买Wegovy的费用。

4.Medicare, the country's public health-care system for the elderly, is barred by law from providing anti-obesity medicines.

联邦医疗保险,美国针对老年人的公共医疗保健体系,被法律禁止提供减肥药。

Medicare: 联邦医疗保险(俗称红蓝卡)是美国最大的医疗保险方案,是美国政府为特定人群提供的医疗保险帮助计划。它主要为65岁及以上的老年人提供保险,也包括一些65岁以下的长期残障人士(包括终末期肾病及肌萎缩侧索硬化症)。另外要加入Medicare,申请人需要是美国公民或合法居住在美国,并且申请人或其配偶在工作时缴纳了Medicare税。

bar sb./sth. from doing: 禁止某人/某物做某事。

bar: vt. If someone is barred from a place or from doing something, they are officially forbidden to go there or to do it. 禁止。

5.Yet as evidence grows that these slimming drugs offer more than just cosmetic benefits, insurers and governments may start to view them differently (see briefing).

然而,随着越来越多的证据表明这些减肥药不仅仅提供了表面上的好处,保险公司和政府可能会开始不同地看待它们(见简报)。

evidence grows that: 越来越多的证据表明

cosmetic benefits: 表面上的好处

cosmetic: adj. If you describe measures or changes as cosmetic, you mean they improve the appearance of a situation or thing but do not change its basic nature, and you are usually implying that they are inadequate. 装门面的。在这里指减肥药给人们提供的“减肥”这种表面上的、十分明显的好处。

6.Many of America's 110m obese people suffer from related conditions ranging from heart disease to sleep apnea.

在美国1.1亿肥胖者中,有许多人患有从心脏病到睡眠呼吸暂停综合征等相关疾病。

110m: 110 billion 的缩写,即1.1亿

sleep apnea: 睡眠呼吸暂停综合征,又称睡眠呼吸暂停低通气综合症是指每晚7小时睡眠过程中呼吸暂停反复发作30次以上或者睡眠呼吸暂停低通气指数(AHI)≥5次/小时并伴有嗜睡等临床症状。呼吸暂停是指睡眠过程中口鼻呼吸气流完全停止10秒以上;低通气是指睡眠过程中呼吸气流强度(幅度)较基础水平降低50%以上,并伴有血氧饱和度较基础水平下降≥4%。睡眠呼吸暂停低通气指数是指每小时睡眠时间内呼吸暂停加低通气的次数。

7.There are also early indications that GLP-1s could be used to treat substance-use disorders, Alzheimer's disease and various other conditions.

也有早期迹象表明,GLP-1可用于治疗物质使用障碍、阿尔茨海默病和各种其他疾病。

substance-use disorders: 物质使用障碍,又称为药物滥用失常(drug use disorder),医学名词,指一个人使用一种或多种物质之后,导致临床上出现显著减损或是不适症状。在这边的物质(Substance),一般是指精神作用性药物。因为过度使用这类药物,使患者的生理及精神健康出现损害,或是使其他人的健康受到损害,都可以被归类在其中。

Alzheimer’s disease: 阿尔茨海默病是一种中枢神经系统的退行性病变,主要发生在老年或老年前期。它的症状包括记忆障碍,失语,失用,失认以及视空间能力损害等。此外,患者的抽象思维和计算力也会损害,常伴随人格和行为的改变。阿尔茨海默氏病是痴呆症最常见的形式,可能占病例数的60-70%。阿尔茨海默病是老年期最常见的一种痴呆类型,并且随着年龄的增长,患病的风险也在增加。这种疾病不是传染的,而是由基因、生活方式和环境因素共同作用的结果。

8.TheCongressional Budget Office estimates that, with these new uses, around a fifth of Medicare's population, some 16m patients, could have access by 2026.

国会预算办公室估计,有了这些新用途,到2026年,大约有五分之一的医疗保险人口,大约1600万患者将有机会使用。

the Congressional Budget Office: 国会预算办公室,是美国国会下设的一个专业的、非党派的机构,成立于1975年,没有审批权。其职责是为国会两院提供客观、专业、及时、非政治化的分析,这些分析有助于经济和预算决策。国会预算办公室对经济与预算有独立的分析与预计,并独立地编制一整套预算,供国会参考。简单地说,国会预算办公室的任务,主要是为参、众两院的预算 委员会、筹款委员会、拨款委员会提供辅助性服务,给总统的预算挑毛病,另外也应国会的要求研究预算和经济方面的有关政策。


Part three

Overview

这一部分主要描写了制药公司在开发减肥药替代品方面的竞争,而开发替代品的方向有三个,分别是ease of use(易用性),effectiveness of treatments(治疗方法的效用)以及price decline(降价)。


Text Explication

1.Although Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are expected to dominate the market for the time being, challengers are racing to develop alternatives, forcing the duo to continue innovating.

尽管诺和诺德和礼来公司预计目前将暂时主导市场,但挑战者们正在竞相开发替代产品,迫使这两家公司继续创新

slim pickings: 选择很少,这是本文第六段到最后的小标题,暗示了制药公司在减肥药替代品上的开发方向选择比较少,这在后文也得到了印证(开发方向只有三个)。

slim: adj. A slim chance or possibility is a very small one. (机会或可能性) 微小的。

for the time being: 目前,暂时地

race to develop alternatives: 竞相开发替代产品

race: vi. To compete against sb/sth to see who can go faster or the fastest, do sth first, etc.; to take part in a race or races. (和...)比赛;参加比赛。race to do sth. 表示竞相/争着做某事。

duo: n. You can refer to two people together as a duo, especially when they have something in common. (有共同点的) 一对人。在文中这里指代的是前文提到的Novo Nordisk和Eli Lilly两家公司。

2.Citeline, a research firm, estimates that more than 300 drug candidates are in the works, plenty of which are expected to arrive in the next few years (see chart 2). 

研究公司Citeline估计,有300多种候选药物正在研发中,其中很多药物预计将在未来几年上市(见图表2)。

Citeline:citeline 数据库平台是Informa集团旗下的医药信息品牌,提供全球信息资源,为制药公司,医疗器械公司,CRO公司,学术研究机构,政府机构及咨询公司提供在临床研发监管审批、市场竞争、业务发展与项目许可等方面的权威信息、报告及咨询服务。

be in the works: 在进行中,在文中指“在研发中”

arrive: vi. When something such as a new product or invention arrives, it becomes available. (产品、发明) 问世。


图表分析:

图表2提供了美国一些选定的减肥候选药物的预计上市日期。这些药物被分为两类:注射型(Injectable)和口服型(Oral)。表格列出了各个制药公司及其对应的药物名称以及具体的上市年限和药物类型。

(1)制药公司分析:

图表中一共列举了11家制药公司。Novo Nordisk和Eli Lilly这两家老牌制药公司各计划在未来几年内研发三种减肥药,前者预计研发两种口服型和一种注射型,后者则预计研发两种注射型和一种口服型;其余九家新兴制药公司都预计只研发一种减肥药物。这可能暗示了Novo Nordisk和Eli Lilly的确感受到了激烈的竞争形势,正在不断地创新以保持其在减肥药物领域的领导地位。

(2)药物类型分析:

图表中总共提供了15种减肥药物,其中有5种属于口服型药物,而注射型药物是口服型药物的两倍,这可能说明了口服型药物在技术研发方面还不如注射型药物成熟,大多数制药公司都在开发注射型减肥药。

(3)总体分析:

这张图表可能是为了帮助投资者、分析师或医疗保健专业人士了解减肥药物领域的竞争状况和未来趋势,跟踪和比较了不同制药公司在减肥药物领域的进展,表明未来几年减肥药物领域的竞争状况可能会相当激烈。同时,未来激烈的竞争情况也暗示了制药公司在减肥药物领域仍然还有很多东西去理解消化和进步,以不断地开发出新的减肥药替代品,这与表格标题lots to digest很多东西要消化相呼应。


3.Patrik Jonsson, head of the division at Eli Lilly that is responsible for weight-loss drugs, says that the level of competition is something he has never experienced before.

礼来公司负责减肥药物部门的负责人PatrikJonsson说,(这样的)竞争水平是他以前从未经历过的。

division: n. In a large organization, a division is a group of departments whose work is done in the same place or is connected with similar tasks. 部门。

4.One area of competition is aroundease of use.

竞争的一个领域围绕着简便性(展开)。

around: prep. If something such as a film, a discussion, or a plan is based around something, that thing is its main theme. 围绕 (某主题)。

ease of use: 易用性,指以使用者为中心的设计概念,让产品的设计能够符合使用者的习惯与需求。

5.Amgen, a large American biotech firm, is developing a drug that requires patients to inject themselves perhaps only once a month, rather than once a week as currently required. Another solution is to eliminate the needle entirely.

美国大型生物技术公司安进(Amgen)正在开发的一种药物只需患者每月注射一次,而不是目前需要的每周注射一次。另一种解决方案是完全消除针头。

Amgen:安进公司,全球生物科技巨头,创立于1980年,2022年总收入263亿美元。它主要从事人类创新药物的探索、研发、生产和销售,致力于释放生物学潜力,以造福患有严重疾病的患者。通过借助前沿人类遗传学等工具,安进公司力求揭示疾病的复杂性,洞察人类生物学的基本机制。

as currently required: 像现在要求的那样

eliminate: vt. To eliminate something, especially something you do not want or need, means to remove it completely. 根除。


6.Pills are not only simpler to make but also avoid the need for expensive cold storage. Both Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are expected to launch oral GLP-1 drugs in 2026.

药丸不仅制作简单,而且不需要昂贵的冷藏(费用)。礼来公司和诺和诺德公司都预计将在2026年推出口服GLP-1药物。

avoid the need for: 不需要

cold storage: 冷藏

launch oral drugs: 推出口服药物

launch: vt. If a company launches a new product, it makes it available to the public. 推出 (新产品)。

oral: adj. Connected with the mouth. 用口的;口腔的;口服的。

7.Drugmakers are also racing to produce more effective treatments, including by experimenting with other active ingredients.

制药商也在竞相展示出更有效的治疗方法,包括对其他活性成分进行试验。

produce treatments: 展示治疗方法

produce: vt. To show sth or make sth appear from somewhere. 出示;展现;使出现。

experiment: vi. If you experiment with something or experiment on it, you do a scientific test on it in order to discover what happens to it in particular conditions. 做实验。

8.Some drug candidates aim to increase the share of body weight patients are able to lose, to perhaps as much as a quarter.

一些候选药物的目的是增加患者能够减掉的体重的比例,可能高达四分之一。

the share of: ......的份额/比例

share: n. If something is divided or distributed among a number of different people or things, each of them has, or is responsible for, a share of it. (若干中的) 一份。

9.Others look to reduce the side-effects of treatment, which should lead more people to take them.

其他候选药物则希望减少治疗的副作用,这应该会使更多的人服用它们。

look to reduce the side-effects: 希望减少副作用

look to do sth: To consider doing sth and think about how to make it better. 注意;考虑(改进)。

10.About a third of GLP-1 users quit within three months, often because of nausea, vomiting, muscle loss and other nasty things.

大约三分之一的GLP-1使用者会在三个月内停止服用,通常是因为恶心、呕吐、肌肉萎缩和其他令人讨厌的事情。

nausea: n. Nausea is the condition of feeling sick and the feeling that you are going to vomit. 恶心。

vomit: vi. If you vomit, food and drink comes back up from your stomach and out through your mouth. 呕吐。

muscle loss: 肌肉萎缩

nasty: adj. Something that is nasty is very unpleasant to see, experience, or feel. 可恶的 (事物)。

11.Zealand Pharma, a Danish biotech firm that is developing a weight-loss drug that targets a different hormone, amylin, says it could offer weight-loss benefits similar to those from GLP-1s but with fewer such problems.

西兰制药公司,一所丹麦生物技术公司,正在开发一种针对另一种激素阿米林(amylin)的减肥药。该公司表示,它可以提供类似于GLP-1的减肥效果,但没那么多令人讨厌的问题。

Zealand Pharma: 西兰制药公司,总部位于丹麦哥本哈根的郊区,是挑战减肥药市场领导者的众多制药商之一。Zealand Pharma 专注于发现和开发基于肽的创新药物。该公司在减肥药品方面的研究进展表明,该公司致力于成为全球肥胖健康危机应对方案中的一个重要参与者。Zealand Pharma 目前尚未推出任何已上市的减肥药产品,但正在开发一些重磅肥胖症治疗药物,这些药物目前都处于临床试验阶段。

amylin: 胰淀粉样多肽(islet amyloid polypeptide,IAPP)又称胰淀素,是胰岛 β 细胞分泌,由 37 个氨基酸组成的多肽激素。胰淀素是一种食欲抑制剂,它在餐后能够抑制肠胃蠕动,延缓胃排空,从而减少食欲。胰淀素的代谢调节功能均是由胰淀素受体(Amylin receptors, AMYRs) 介导完成的,因此,这类受体也成为了治疗糖尿病和肥胖症的重要药物靶标。

语法分析

这个长难句的主干是Zealand Pharma says it could offer weight-loss benefits similar to those from GLP-1s but with fewer such problems. 前面的a Danish biotech firm是Zealand Pharma的同位语,然后后面接了一个以that为关系代词的定语从句that is developing a weight-loss drug来修饰先行词firm,而且在这个定从中还嵌入了一个以that为关系代词的定语从句that targets a different hormone, amylin 来修饰先行词drug,就像套娃那样在一个定从里套了另一个定从。


12.All that competition is expected bring down prices. Eli Lilly has already halved the price of its jabs.

所有竞争都会降低价格。礼来公司已经将其注射药的价格减半。

bring down prices: 降低价格

halve: vt. When you halve something or when it halves, it is reduced to half its previous size or amount. 使减半; 减为一半。

13.Still, such prices will be out of reach for the vast pool of potential patients in poor countries.

尽管如此,贫穷国家的大量潜在患者仍无法承受这样的价格。

be out of reach: 是无法达到的。在文中指3000美元的价格对于那些贫穷国家的肥胖症患者来说仍然是无法支付的。

the vast pool of potential patients: 大量的潜在患者。这里是十分生动形象得表述,原本这个搭配(collocation)直译过来是“一大池潜在患者”,“一大池”的描述具有场面感,似乎能想象到一群乌泱泱的人,于是它就能引申为“大量的”。

14.Of the 1bn adults around the world who are obese, more than two-thirds live in developing countries, according to the World Obesity Federation, an NGO.

根据非政府组织世界肥胖联合会的数据,在全球10亿肥胖的成年人中,超过三分之二生活在发展中国家。

World Obesity Federation: 世界肥胖联盟

NGO: “non-governmental organization”的缩写,非政府组织。20世纪80年代以来,人们在各种场合越来越多地提及非政府组织(NGO)与非营利组织(NPO),把非政府组织与非营利组织看作在公共管理领域作用日益重要的新兴组织形式。著名非政府组织有福特基金会、景星学社、中国科学技术协会、亚洲基金会等。

回扣前情

第三部分回答了lead-in里关于“到底是什么引起了Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly 这两家药品公司如此强烈的竞争危机感?”的问题----作为减肥药领域里的“老牌”,它俩在许多同行都开始竞相开发更好的替代品的情况下不得不开始创新产品,以此来保证自己在减肥药市场的主导地位。图表2中的信息也有力地证明了这一点。


Part four

Overview

第四部分写了减肥药的巨大潜在市场中国,这体现在肥胖人数约有一半,国家对减肥药成分的放开以及国内公司与国外公司(Eli Eilly)在减肥药上的合作。


Text Explication

1.Both semaglutide (the active ingredient in Wegovy) and tirzepatide (the active ingredient in Zepbound) have now been approved to treat obesity in the country.

在中国,索马鲁肽(Wegovy 的活性成分)和替尔泊肽(Zepbound 的活性成分)都已被批准用于治疗肥胖症。

approve: vt. To officially agree to a plan, request, etc. 批准,通过(计划、要求等)。

2.Eli Lilly and Innovent, a Chinese biotech firm, are developing a drug for the market called Mazdutide that is expected to be available from next year at around half the price of Zepbound in America.

礼来公司和中国一家生物技术公司信达正在为市场开发一种名为玛仕度肽的药物,预计将以约为美国Zepbound一半的价格在明年上市。

语法分析

这个句子的主干部分是Eli Lilly and Innovent are developing a drug for the market called Mazdutide. 然后再主语后面跟了一个同位语a Chinese biotech firm对Innovent进行解释说明,最后的that is expected to be available from next year at around half the price of Zepbound in America是以that为关系代词引导的定语从句,修饰先行词drug。

Innovent: 信达生物制药有限公司。“始于信,达于行”,开发出老百姓用得起的高质量生物药,是信达生物的使命和目标。信达生物成立于2011年,致力于研发、生产和销售肿瘤、自身免疫、代谢、眼科等重大疾病领域的创新药物,让我们的工作惠及更多的生命。公司已有11个产品获得批准上市。目前,同时还有5个品种在NMPA审评中,3个新药分子进入III期或关键性临床研究,另外还有17个新药品种已进入临床研究。

回扣前情

这一部分可以回答面提出的关于国内的两个问题(那这会对我们国内产生什么影响呢?国外研发出来的减肥药物会流进国内市场给存在肥胖焦虑的人带来福音吗?)。由于国内的实际情况比较符合减肥药物的销售,再加上国家也已放开相关政策,我们可以有信心地认为国外的减肥药物能给肥胖焦虑者带来好消息。


Part five

Overview

第五部分主要讲了非专利药(或者说生物仿制药)对扩大减肥药使用范围的重要性,而这是又因为专利到期(patent expiries)的存在。


Text Explication

1.Generics will be even more important in widening access to weight-loss drugs in the developing world.

非专利药对于在发展中国家扩大减肥药的使用范围将更加重要。

generics: n. Any product that can be sold without a brand name. 非专利药物。

widening access to: 扩大......的使用范围

2.Patent expiries will help: semaglutide will lose its protection in China and India in 2026, which should unleasha flood of biosimilars (as generic versions of biological medicines are known).

专利到期会对此有所帮助:在2026 年索马鲁肽将在中国和印度失去专利保护,这将解除对生物仿制药(已知生物药的仿制版本)的限制。

expiries: 原形是expiry n. The expiry of something such as a contract, deadline, or visa is the time that it comes to an end or stops being valid. 期满。它的词根是expire vi. To be no longer valid because the period of time for which it could be used has ended. (因到期而)失效,终止;到期。

unleash: vt. If you say that someone or something unleashes a powerful force, feeling, activity, or group, you mean that they suddenly start it or send it somewhere. 释放,解除对……的限制。

a flood of: 大量的,涌现的,用于形容某种事物数量很多,或者某种情感或感觉突然涌现。

3.In China eight weight-loss biosimilars are set to come on the market after 2026.

在中国,在2026年后将有8种减肥生物仿制药上市。

come on the market: 上市,指产品首次面向市场销售

4.India's drugmakers, which supply more generic drugs than any other country's, are also developing their own knock-offs.

印度的制药商供应的仿制药比其他任何国家都多,他们也在开发自己的仿制药。

generic:adj.Ageneric drug or other product is one that does not have a trade mark and that is known by a general name, rather than the manufacturer's name.非注册商标的(药等产品)。

knock-off: n. informal A copy or imitation, especially of an expensive or designer product. <非正式>(尤指贵重物品或专门设计产品的)赝品,仿制品。

5.The market for weight-loss drugs will not go flabby anytime soon.

减肥药市场短时间内总是繁荣而有活力的。

go flabby: 变得无力

flabby: adj. Weak; with no strength or force. 软弱的;无力的。在文中表示减肥药市场不会很快失去活力的。






Summary and Reflection




summary

Pharmaceutical companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly are leading the market with their blockbuster drugs Wegovy and Zepbound respectively. But the global market for weight-loss drugs is projected to grow competitive rapidly, with many challengers developing new alternatives in easier-to-use, more effective treatments, and prices decline. In addition, biosimilars will widen access to these weight-loss drugs, especially in developing countries. Therefore, the global market for weight-loss drugs is expected to remain strong.


reflection

According to the World Obesity Map 2024, China is among the 20 fastest-growing countries for adults and adolescents with high BMI, respectively. It is because of the above that weight-loss drugs are so attractive and worthy of our attention.

Perhaps all of those over-weight people, especially diabetics(糖尿病患者), have imagined that there could be a kind of weight-loss drug which can help us solve the problem of obesity. Now, there is indeed. On June 25, 2024, Novo Nordisk announced that China's National Medical Products Administration, NMPA(国家药品监督管理局), approved the marketing application in China for Wegovy, which it develops and manufactures. Eli Lilly, which owns the once-weekly injectable GLP-1/GIP dual agonist(双重激动剂) tilprotectin(替尔泊肽), has been approved in China this year for type 2 diabetes and weight loss indications, both under the trade name Mudafon. The launch of the two slimming drugs will bring hope to obese people.

GLP-1 drugs are very effective in weight loss, but they are also really not cheap. That's why we have to develop domestic weight-loss drugs. It is good that NMPA of China has approved two GLP-1 drugs for weight loss produced by interior  companies. The first one is a biosimilar of liraglutide (利拉鲁肽) produced by Huadong Pharmaceutical; the second one is Benalurutide (贝那鲁肽) produced by Shanghai Benemae Pharmaceutical Corporation, which is the first fully human GLP-1 drug. Moreover, Mazdutide(玛仕度肽), a new dual-target weight-loss drug developed by Innovent in collaboration with Eli Lilly, is expected to be launched in China earlier. It is estimated that Mazdutide will be approved by China's NMPA for weight loss in the first half of 2025. We can have faith in our domestic weight-loss drugs.

But we need to consider medication safety. After all,  "every medicine has its side-effects." For instance, Wegovy  may lead to gastrointestinal reactions, and even induce medullary thyroid carcinoma(甲状腺髓样癌) and pancreatitis(胰腺炎), etc. The behavior of  public on their own medication in order to lose weight is not  advisable. What we should do is to take eight-loss drugs under the doctor's instructions. At the same time, the medication safety also needs the strict regulation of governments' relevant administration certainly.

Hence, although those slimming drugs are considerably effective in losing weight, we can not neglect their existing dark effects. To guarantee our physical safety and health, we ourselves and governments are in need of collective efforts.






References




图片来源 Microsoft Bing

百度百科

单词释义:来自网易有道词典

有来医生https://m.youlai.cn/jingbian/article/1F6BA3mTSku.html?_refluxos=a10

微信公众号香港济民药业https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=Mzg2NjA4MDgzMw%3D%3D&mid=2247501805&idx=2&sn=4a7b5163a8e0232f36c8cda519ea684e&chksm=ce52c6c3f9254fd5a3e9c78142aec6beea95d0a64a336dba5633c8b6a8963a582daf09e054ec&scene=27&_refluxos=a10

职友集https://www.jobui.com/company/12784764/?_refluxos=a10

EmblemHealth

https://zt.emblemhealth.com/plans/medicare-advantage/medicare-basics?_refluxos=a10

北京航天总医院

http://www.711hospital.com/Mobile/Disease/Index_NotSite/15?_refluxos=a10

知乎

https://www.zhihu.com/question/332047710/answer/1711882664?_refluxos=a10

个人图书馆

http://www.360doc.com/content/22/0721/15/76535147_1040717961.shtml?_refluxos=a10

搜狐网金融界

https://m.sohu.com/a/750490153_114984?_refluxos=a10

信达生物制药官网

http://cn.innoventbio.com/?_refluxos=a10#/

reflection参考资料:

https://www.meipian.cn/52v1ut38?_refluxos=a10

https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20241106A01AC900?_refluxos=a10

https://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_27850612?_refluxos=a10

https://mr.baidu.com/r/1sRrL8WwMGQ?f=cp&u=eec3b74f42fd8151

本期外刊选自The  Economist 2024.10.26  https://www.economist.com/podcasts/2024/08/26/could-weight-loss-drugs-take-a-bite-out-of-junk-food-consumption

注:本篇外刊仅用来学习使用,无任何商业用途!


文字&排版|2023级18班 张悦

指导教师|黄慧


英文经典选读微课堂
关于阅读,关于分享;读你所读,享你所想。
 最新文章