Friday, October 30, 2026

 

 

Record Pharma Sales Show Drugmakers Shrug Off Trump Pressure

(10/30, Madison Muller, Robert Langreth, Rachel Cohrs Zhang, Bloomberg) ...The drugmakers' results offer a split-screen view from Washington, where the administration has promised some relief from high prescription drug prices. It may take longer for the policy changes underway to hit drugmakers' income statements...Strong demand is helping drugmakers shrug off that mounting pressure, allowing pharmaceutical giants to keep reaping profits. Lilly's finance chief told analysts in a call Thursday that volume growth would more than make up for any pressure on prices... Sub. Req'd

 

The Average Monthly Premium for Medicare Part D Stand-Alone Plans Is Projected to Increase by 50% From $34 to $51 in 2027 Unless Enrollees Switch to Lower-Cost Plans

(10/30, KFF) ...A new KFF analysis finds that the average monthly premium for Medicare Part D coverage in stand-alone prescription drug plans (PDPs) will increase to $51 in 2027, up 50% from $34 in 2026, if current enrollees don't switch into lower-premium plans during open enrollment, which runs through December 7... Full

 

Medicare Drug Plan Price Tag Projected to Jump 50% Next Year

(10/30, Victoria Knight, Bloomberg) ...This report comes as seniors are concerned about rising prices. Healthcare and prescription drug costs remain a top issue for all voters. But as Americans brace for higher prices, three of the top US pharmaceutical companies reported record quarterly revenue Thursday, and raised their forecasts for the year... Sub. Req'd

 

New Mandates Force PBMs to Disclose Business Dealings

(10/30, Adriel Bettelheim, Axios) ...The Department of Labor on Thursday finalized a rule requiring the PBMs to disclose semiannually what they earn for negotiating drug prices on behalf of employer health plans, or whenever they renew or extend an agreement... Full

 

PCMA Considering Pathways To Push Back Against Final DOL PBM Rule

(10/29, Gabrielle Wanneh, Inside Health Policy) ...The pharmacy benefit manager lobby hinted it might sue over the final Department of Labor transparency rule released Thursday (Oct. 29), saying it "will evaluate available pathways" to protect patients, employers and unions "from the consequences of unnecessary and expensive regulatory overreach." The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association raised concerns DOL, despite offering concessions, "may have exceeded Congress's intent and its own authority."... Sub. Req'd

 

Make Some Medications More Affordable by Cutting One Piece of Red Tape

(10/29, Jeremy Nighohossian, The Hill) ...The solution is to remove interchangeability as a separate classification. We don't need that separate standard anymore...The faster Congress acts, the faster they will spark competition and bring drug prices down for Americans... Full

 

Pharma Has Friends in Both Parties this Midterm Season. Neither Is Offering a Free Pass.

(10/29, Sy Mukherjee, PharmaVoice) ...The watchdog group Public Citizen told PharmaVoice that policymakers should allow Medicare to negotiate prices for all branded drugs and eliminate negotiation waiting periods and the orphan-drug exemption. The group argues that these restrictions allow manufacturers to set high prices for years without negotiation, undermining potential savings... Full

 

 

Eli Lilly Scraps Phase 2 Alzheimer's Program after Drug Falls Short of Expectations

(10/29, Marissa Russo, Fierce Biotech) ...The program in symptomatic Alzheimer's disease "did not meet our high internal bar for success," a Lilly spokesperson told Fierce Biotech when asked about the decision. Lilly has not disclosed detailed results from the Alzheimer's trial or clarified whether the decision affects mevidalen's development in other indications... Full

 

BMS Walks Away from $80M Neurodegeneration Bet After Phase 1

(10/30, Marissa Russo, Fierce Biotech) ...The program, dubbed BMS-986495, was being developed as a potential treatment for neurodegenerative diseases. Prothena completed a phase 1 study of the drug in healthy adults earlier this year. A BMS spokesperson confirmed the decision, saying, "Following review of Phase 1 data, we have decided not to advance this program." BMS did not disclose the phase 1 findings or specify what in the data prompted the decision... Full

 

 

ILUMYA® (tildrakizumab-asmn) Approved in the U.S. for the Treatment of Adults with Active Psoriatic Arthritis

(10/30, Sun Pharma) ...Sun Pharmaceutical...announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the supplemental Biologics License Application (sBLA) for ILUMYA® (tildrakizumab-asmn) for the treatment of adults with active psoriatic arthritis (PsA)... Full

 

Celltrion Grows Europe Biosimilar Sales as New Drugs Drive 67% of Revenue

(10/30, Yeom Hyun-a, ChosunBiz) ...Celltrion said on the 30th that it is expanding sales in Europe of high-margin new product lines such as OMLYCLO and Aptozma. Based on its local direct sales capabilities, it plans to continue expanding sales in the European market through the end of the year... Full

 

As North America Sales Grow In Q3, Sandoz Prepares For US Eylea Rival Launch

(10/29, Urte Fultinaviciute, Generics Bulletin) ...Given that the launch is expected at any time before the end of the year,[CEO Richard] Saynor kept his cards close to his chest and offered little detail about the market entry. "I don't particularly want to disclose our strategy and our positioning in the market, other than I think this is a really exciting opportunity and I think we're extremely well-positioned," Saynor said, adding that he does not "want to signal to our competitors what we intend to do."... Global Sub. Full

 

 

AbbVie Raises Profit Forecast as Skyrizi, Rinvoq Drive Growth Beyond Humira

(10/30, Madison Muller, Bloomberg) ...Its newer medicines, Skyrizi and Rinvoq, have been making up for declining sales of the older medication and are now helping fuel growth. The two medicines generated $8.48 billion in combined sales during the quarter, slightly above the $8.43 billion expected by analysts. Skyrizi sales rose 23% from a year earlier to $5.78 billion, while Rinvoq sales climbed 24% to $2.71 billion. Humira revenue fell 31% to $683 million. But even as its existing medicines deliver billions in sales, AbbVie is spending heavily to secure its next generation of treatments... Sub. Req'd

 

AstraZeneca Launches $1.5 Billion Savings Plan to Fund Drug Pipeline

(10/30, Adrià Calatayud, The Wall Street Journal) ...As part of the savings program, AstraZeneca aims to redeploy resources across its existing business and therapy areas over the next three years, it said. The company said the plan would lead to one-time restructuring costs of up to $2 billion and result in annualized benefits of $1.5 billion, with savings reinvested in its drug pipeline. The company said it has more than 180 projects in the pipeline that seek to drive its next wave of growth... Sub. Req'd

 

Sanofi CEO Sets Sights on Deals to Drive Turnaround

(10/30, Adrià Calatayud, The Wall Street Journal) ..."The whole organization is focused on managing Sanofi's post-Dupixent trajectory over the next decade," CEO Belen Garijo said. "We have already begun taking action to improve [research-and-development] productivity. Business development and [mergers and acquisitions] will be critical to complement this transformation."... Sub. Req'd

 

Merck Outlines 2027 as 'Another Year of Investment' Despite Recent Clinical Wins

(10/29, Angus Liu, Fierce Pharma) ...For 2027, "we see it as another year of investment, as we invest behind our expansive pipeline and our new product launches to drive long-term growth," Merck's CFO Caroline Litchfield said on the company's third-quarter earnings call Thursday...At least for 2027, Merck expects underlying operating expenses to increase at a mid- to high-single-digit rate, "reflecting our conviction in the significant opportunity from our expanding pipeline and the growing portfolio of new product launches," Litchfield said... Full

 

Flagship Brings 3 Biotech Platforms Together to Launch AI Drug Discovery Player Etcelera

(10/29, Marissa Russo, Fierce Biotech) ..."It's really an out-of-the-box, fully formed, fairly advanced player in this space of causal biology because of the heritage of the three companies that go into it," Ad Rawcliffe, CEO of Etcelera and former CEO of Etiome, told Fierce... Full

 

Millions Use Antidepressants. We Still Don't Understand How They Work.

(10/30, Dr. Awais Aftab, The New York Times) ...The evidence for neuroplasticity is currently still up for debate. But the hypothesis that antidepressants alter how readily the brain learns from experience by facilitating neuroplasticity remains a leading candidate for why they work... Sub. Req'd

 

 

Canada's Biosimilar Switching Schemes: An Uptake Model For Others To Emulate?

(10/29, Dave Wallace, Generics Bulletin) ...At a Global Biosimilars Week webinar hosted by the IGBA, Biosimilars Canada vice president Jody Cox set out the success seen by Canada's biosimilar switching programs...Outlining how the switching programs function, Cox explained that "the drug plan advises clinicians and patients of the need for patients to switch from their originator biologic drug to a biosimilar within a prescribed time period in order for the patient to maintain their drug coverage."... Global Sub. Full

 

Belgium's Deputy PM Wants to Use 'Trade Bazooka' on US Over Pharma Threats

(10/29, Carlo Martuscelli, Politico) ...Frank Vandenbroucke, who also serves as the country's health minister, issued the call in a position paper published Thursday by the Egmont Institute think tank, co-authored with his deputy head of cabinet Gloria Ghéquière. He also said the EU should be ready to suspend the tariff concessions it granted to Washington under the Turnberry trade deal from August 2025 if the U.S. imposes additional duties on European goods... Full

 

India's Pharma Exports Grow 4.9% to $16.14 Bn in H1FY27 on Europe Gains

(10/29, Sanket Koul, Business Standard) ...Pharmexcil Chairman Namit Joshi added that the next phase of India's pharma export growth should focus on moving up the value chain, where Indian companies are not just suppliers but active partners in pharmaceutical innovation. "This will require greater investment in research and development, technology transfer and co-development of complex generics, biosimilars and specialised therapies," he said... Full

 

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