Friday, April 24, 2026

 

 

'Two Ways of Calculating': Trump Defends His Mathematically Impossible Calculations on Drug Prices

(4/23, Will Weissert, Associated Press) ...Trump acknowledged having boasted that his efforts to lower drug prices had reduced what consumers pay by "500%, 600%." But he added, "We also sometimes say 50%, 60%" and called it a "different kind of calculation" that could go up to "70, 80 and 90%."..."People understand that better," Trump said. "But they're two ways of calculating" and "either way, it doesn't make any difference." There could indeed be two ways of calculating such things — but the difference is very important. One is correct. The other is nonmathematical... Full

 

Trump Unveils Regeneron Deal to Lower Drug Prices

(4/23, Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill) ...Under the agreement, Regeneron said it will reduce prices for its current and future medications sold to Medicaid. It will also offer its cholesterol drug Praluent for a discounted price of $225 through the TrumpRx.gov website in exchange for tariff relief and other incentives... Full

 

GOP Blocks Amendments To Codify MFN, Disclose TrumpRx Deals

(4/23, Jessica Karins, Inside Health Policy) ...Republicans overwhelmingly voted last night against both codifying an MFN strategy and making the terms of the TrumpRx deals public. Kennedy said at yesterday's Senate Finance Committee hearing the administration would "in theory" support legislation similar to Sen. Bernie Sanders' proposal and would work with the Vermont independent, the ranking member of the health committee, on the issue... Sub. Req'd

 

Editorial: The Trump Tariffs Keep Coming

(4/23, The Wall Street Journal) ...The President said Tuesday he plans to more than compensate for the emergency tariffs the Supreme Court struck down by using other trade authorities. "We'll end up with bigger numbers, actually," the President told CNBC. His proposed budget forecasts $5.4 trillion in tariff revenue over the next decade—a $600 billion increase from its projection last fall... Sub. Req'd

 

The Importation of Failed European Drug Policies

(4/24, Justin Leventhal, RealClearMarkets) ...Patients do not need government-set prices; they need greater access to lower-cost medicines through competitive markets. Importing European-style price distortions that delay access and reduce future drug development is a costly mistake... Full

 

Kelly, Wyden, Democratic Colleagues Introduce Legislation to Force Disclosure of Terms with Big Pharma

(4/23, Senator Mark Kelly) ..."There is no greater fraud when it comes to lower prescription drug prices than Donald J. Trump," said Wyden. "After spending the last year parading Big Pharma CEOs through the Oval Office, all Trump has to show for it are a handful of sweetheart deals that shower goodies on these companies while Americans continue paying high prices for medicines they count on. If these deals are so great, why is the Trump administration afraid of showing them to the public? Because Trump is a giant fraud when it comes to lower drug prices."... Full

 

GDUFA IV: Industry Could Lower Application Fees By Raising Program Fees

(4/23, Derrick Gingery, Pink Sheet) ...During a March 20 GDUFA IV Finance group session, industry offered to reduce the amount of revenue generated by application fees from 33% to 29%, which would decrease application fees 12%, according to meeting minutes. Sponsors also said the revenue burden for application fees could be lowered to 26%, which would cut application fees 21%... Global Sub. Full

 

Kennedy Claims AI Drug Reviews Could Someday Make FDA 'Irrelevant'

(4/23, Jessica Karins, InsideHealthPolicy) ..."AI is going to revolutionize medicine, and it may at some day -- at some point -- make FDA even irrelevant," Kennedy said. Kennedy suggestion that AI could someday replace human involvement in drug reviews comes as FDA stakeholders raise concerns about the number of reviewers the agency has lost since the beginning of the Trump administration... Sub. Req'd

 

House Panel Advances FDA Spending Hike In Party-Line Vote

(4/23, Jessica Karins, Inside Health Policy) ...The House Appropriations FDA subcommittee advanced a bill to increase the agency's spending by approximately $200 million Thursday (April 23) with little discussion of FDA issues, swiftly moving the appropriations process forward with a full committee markup set for next week... Sub. Req'd

 

Legislatures in Colorado and Virginia Resist Moves to Constrain Drug Affordability Boards

(4/23, Ed Silverman, STAT+) ...In Virginia, the General Assembly unanimously rejected a move by Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D) to delay a key provision of two bills that would create a board and allow it to place price caps that mirror the negotiated prices paid by Medicare. Spanberger must now either accept or veto the legislation as originally intended. In Colorado, the House Health and Human Services Committee postponed consideration of a bill that would exempt orphan drugs, which are used to treat rare diseases, from pricing caps that might be pursued by the state board. By delaying action until the end of the legislative session, the bill is effectively dead... Sub. Req'd

 

The Biosimilars Forum Commends Governor Spanberger for Supporting Lower-Cost Medicines in Virginia

(4/23, Biosimilars Forum) ..."The Biosimilars Forum commends Governor Spanberger for prioritizing Virginians' access to lower-cost medicines like biosimilars. By rejecting the Maximum Fair Price (MFP) proposal, Spanberger reaffirmed the importance of free market competition in helping reduce prescription drug prices for patients. MFP limits could also cause supply chain bottlenecks and deter manufacturers from developing lower-cost biosimilars. On average, biosimilars cost more than 50% less than brand-name biologics."... Full

 

Maryland Drug Affordability Board Looks Further at Ozempic

(4/23, Scott Maucione, WYPR - 88.1 FM) ...The regulatory panel released a draft cost review study on the drug this week, outlining Ozempic's cost in the state and the factors for its cost. The study will be open for public comment before the board takes a final vote on it... Full

 

 

Parkinson's Disease Medicines in Short Supply, Charity Warns

(4/24, Cahal McQuillan, The Pharmacist) ...Parkinson's UK has been informed by several pharmaceutical companies – Teva Pharmaceuticals, Aspire Pharma, Boehringer Ingelheim, Organon, Ennogen, and Britannia – that they are experiencing supply issues. They recommend that pharmacists seek advice from their NHS pharmacy procurement specialist or the Specialist Pharmacy Service... Full

 

Cipla Breaks Ventolin Barrier In US Generics

(4/23, Dean Rudge, Generics Bulletin) ...Marc Falkin, Cipla USA's CEO, added that the Massachusetts plant would reinforce supply resilience and the company's domestic manufacturing footprint, adding that with planned volume ramp-up, the group expects to make a meaningful difference for patients... Global Sub. Full

 

Novartis Built a Big Business Around Delivering Radioactive Cancer Treatments. Can a Generic Compete?

(4/24, Nicole DeFeudis, Endpoints News) ...Lantheus' "radioequivalent" version of Novartis' drug Lutathera, PNT2003, won tentative approval last month to treat certain gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors, also known as GEP-NETs. Amid a legal challenge by Novartis, Lantheus said a full approval is contingent upon the end of a 30-month stay this summer... Sub. Req'd

 

Capital Blue Cross Deepens Partnership with Mark Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs to Cover Humira, Stelara Biosimilars

(4/24, Elizabeth Casolo, Becker's Payer Issues) ...The coverage for Humira and Stelara, which target autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, begins May. Humira biosimilar adalimumab-fkjp and Stelara biosimilar Starjemza are available for $423 and $360 through Cost Plus Drugs, respectively. Humira and Stelara list prices can be in the thousands of dollars, the release said... Full

 

How Economic Pressures Create Generic Medication Vulnerabilities

(4/23, Kevin Famuyiro, Los Angeles Times) ...Medication shortages directly increase healthcare costs, as hospitals must procure alternative treatments at higher prices and dedicate extensive labor hours to shortage management. Adopting predictive analytics and end-to-end data traceability can provide early warning systems to mitigate supply disruptions before they reach the patient... Full

 

 

Roche Q1 Earnings Suffer Blood Bath, But Currency Headwinds Aren't the Only Culprit

(4/23, Angus Liu, Fierce Pharma) ...Roche's pharma business delivered a 7% year-over-year sales growth in the first quarter at constant exchange rates to 11.5 billion Swiss francs ($14.6 billion). But this belies a different picture—on a reported basis, the division's sales dropped 4%, suggesting a major 11-point negative impact from currencies... Full

 

Roche CEO: Obesity Drug Pipeline Could Challenge Market Leaders

(4/23, CNBC) ...Thomas Schinecker, CEO at Roche discusses Q1 earnings, and explains the timeline behind the company's launch of their GLP-1 drug offering... Full

 

Merck's New AI Commercial Strategy 'Reimagining Engagement with HCPs'

(4/23, Ben Adams, Fierce Pharma) ...Speaking to Fierce Pharma Marketing, a spokesperson for Merck outlined the key changes to come, with one major priority being engagement with doctors and healthcare providers. "We're completely reimagining how we create and distribute content to engage with HCPs," the spokesperson said. "We're leveraging our new digital backbone to build a fully integrated, agentic system that will allow us to deliver... Full

 

Apotex Announces Strategic Transaction with Cumberland Pharmaceuticals to Integrate their U.S. Branded Businesses

(4/24, Apotex) ...Under the terms of the agreement, Apotex will add a portfolio of branded medicines to its US business. The Transaction is expected to significantly expand Apotex's U.S. specialty and hospital focused business with a diversified basket of products across acute care, oncology, infectious disease, and gastroenterology... Full

 

Sun Pharma Looks to Outshine Rival Bids With $13 Billion Organon Offer

(4/24, Arijit Barman, Vikas Dandekar, The Economic Times) ...Dilip Shanghvi is going ahead with his biggest bet ever, by submitting a binding offer of $13 billion to acquire US-based Organon & Co, said people in the know, as part of an ambitious bid to transform Indian generics champion Sun Pharmaceutical into a global branded and innovative drugmaking powerhouse... Full

 

With Dupixent Driving Growth, Sanofi Touts 'Vigorous Defense' to Extend US Exclusivity

(4/23, Kevin Dunleavy, Fierce Pharma) ...In its investor presentation, Sanofi said issued patents and pending applications for new formulations could extend its protection for Dupixent all the way out to 2045... Full

 

 

Europe Risks Falling Further Behind in Medicine Race, Warns Roche CEO

(4/24, Maggie Fick and Bhanvi Satija, Reuters) ..."Europe is so far behind and in most industries, I'm sad to say, they've lost the race," [Roche Chief Executive Thomas] Schinecker told Reuters, adding "illogical" regulation was holding back innovation and undermining one of the region's few industrial strengths. "Pharma is still one of the industries where they can still play, but they have to make the right decisions."... Full

 

Diclofenac Down The Drain: Why Wastewater Rules Are Hitting Pharma

(4/24, Thomas Mangin, Euractiv) ...According to the European Commission, medicines and cosmetics are responsible for 92% of the toxicity of wastewater remaining after the first three treatment stages... Full

 

Germany's Higher Drug Rebates Would Send 'The Wrong Message' To Pharma

(4/23, Francesca Bruce, Pink Sheet) ...A German bill, if passed, would increase mandatory rebates on patented drugs from 2027, worsening the heightened uncertainty that companies are already facing as a result of the US Most Favored Nations pricing policies, warned Alexander Natz, secretary general of EUCOPE, which represents small and medium-sized innovative companies in Europe. The move "sends exactly the wrong messages" to industry, which requires a stable and predictable market to make decisions on issues such as launch and investment strategies, he said in an interview with the Pink Sheet... Global Sub. Full

 

Iran War Pushing up Till Price of Some Drugs by up to 30%, Pharmacies Warn

(4/23, Julia Kollewe, The Guardian) ...Community chemists are charging customers 20-30% more for paracetamol than they did in February, according to the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), and many have run out of certain strengths of aspirin and co-codamol. Over-the-counter prices for cetirizine tablets, a common hay fever medication, are also estimated to have risen 20-30% in the same period... Full

 

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