$AMGN

The article says competition in obesity drugs is intensifying as Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk lead the market. It reports Amgen halted AMG 513 Phase 1 work and is advancing MariTide into Phase 3, expanding trials to obesity-related comorbidities. It also covers Pfizer’s verobenatide Phase 3 acceleration and Structure Therapeutics’ aleniglipron Phase 2 weight loss up to 16.3% vs placebo at 44 weeks.

The article highlights five US-listed dividend stocks and says each recently raised or reaffirmed full-year guidance, emphasizing free-cash-flow coverage over headline yield. It cites Verizon (VZ) Q2 2026 EPS and raised FY26 guidance, Altria (MO) raised FY26 EPS guidance, Enterprise Products Partners (EPD) higher distribution and payout ratio, Realty Income (O) raised AFFO guidance, and Amgen (AMGN) raised FY26 guidance and Q2 cash flow.

Wall Street traded choppily on Friday after the S&P 500 hit a record close the prior day. Investors weighed July retail sales and consumer sentiment, plus Middle East tensions. Communication services rose on Meta and Alphabet, while chip stocks were mixed and Applied Materials fell after a revenue forecast beat. Energy gained; Amgen and J&J declined.

The article says demand for GLP-1 drugs is rising as approvals expand beyond diabetes to obesity and obstructive sleep apnea. It highlights Amgen (AMGN) with 27% YTD stock gains, Q2 revenue of $10.1B (+10% YoY) and adjusted EPS of $6.29, plus phase 3 MariTide. It also cites Regeneron (REGN) Q2 revenue $4.3B (+17%) and adjusted EPS $14.29, with phase 3 olatorepatide weight loss up to 19% in China.

U.S. stock indexes eased from records after weaker consumer data. Retail sales fell 0.6% in July versus a 0.1% forecast, and core retail sales dropped 0.4% versus a 0.3% gain. The University of Michigan sentiment index fell to 51.0. Chip stocks led declines, with Broadcom down 5.6% and Applied Materials down 4%.

The EMA published an Aug 6, 2026 assessment report detailing alleged manipulation of nine patient records in the ADVOCATE Phase 3 trial of avacopan (Tavneos), after database lock and unblinding. The European Commission revoked EU approval Aug 6, 2026, following a June 25 CHMP recommendation. In the US, the FDA is reviewing Amgen’s July 23 hearing submission to withdraw Tavneos, based on similar data-integrity issues.

EU regulators reversed Tavneos’ marketing authorization after the EMA’s CHMP cited “serious” good clinical practice breaches in the Advocate phase 3 trial, including unblinding and re-adjudication that changed week-52 results. CHMP also flagged serious hepatic safety risks. Tavneos was developed by ChemoCentryx, acquired by Amgen ($3.7B). CSL Vifor holds EU rights; Amgen contests the decision and seeks an FDA hearing.

Open Markets Institute filed an amicus brief in CareFirst v. Amgen, urging the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit to let an antitrust case proceed. The suit challenges Amgen’s alleged use of acquired pending patent rights to extend Enbrel’s monopoly until 2029, blocking biosimilar entry. A district court rejected Amgen’s dismissal bid in Sept 2025.

The EU regulator, according to an EMA document, said it revoked Amgen’s Tavneos marketing authorization after finding “serious breaches” in the drug’s pivotal trial, including access to unblinded efficacy data and rerunning primary analysis that changed results. The EU concluded the study was unreliable. Tavneos is also under FDA scrutiny; Amgen requested a hearing.

Amgen (AMGN) raised its full-year 2026 revenue outlook by 2.6%, citing growth across six key drivers and 22 products with double-digit sales growth. The stock has gained 48% over the past year and is near its 52-week high, but investors are focused on pipeline progress, especially experimental weight-loss drug MariTide, rather than the guidance increase.