Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far, and remember there are only a few more days until the weekend arrives. So keep plugging away. After all, what are the alternatives? While you ponder the possibilities, we are firing up the coffee kettle and invite you to join us for a delightful cup of stimulation. Our choice today is almond biscotti. Remember that no prescription is required, so no need to fuss over rebates. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you on your way. We hope your day is productive and meaningful. And of course, do stay in touch. We appreciate feedback, suggestions, and internal documents. …
The Trump administration is preparing a new probe into drug pricing practices among U.S. trading partners, a move that would lay the ground for fresh tariffs, Reuters writes, citing The Financial Times. The imminent investigation would consider whether U.S. trading partners are underpaying for drugs and the effort would come under Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. In late September, Trump said the U.S. would impose a 100% tariff on imports of branded or patented pharmaceutical products, unless a pharmaceutical company is building a manufacturing plant in the United States. Trump has not followed through on the threat as he presses pharmaceutical companies to lower U.S. drug prices. Earlier this year, Trump sent letters to the leaders of 17 major pharmaceutical companies outlining how they should slash U.S. prescription drug prices to match those paid abroad. In the past, successive administrations have used Section 301 to issue watch lists to identify and rank countries based on their willingness to protect intellectual property.
As pharma companies and President Trump tout initiatives to sell branded medications directly to cash-paying consumers, some entrepreneurs have seized on a potential business opportunity — pitching a new model for employers to help their workers pay for medications without using insurance, STAT explains. Take the blockbuster obesity treatments Wegovy and Zepbound, for example. Many employers do not cover them, since they find them too expensive to add to their health plans. But now that the drug manufacturers Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk have started selling the products directly to patients at about $500 a month, employers are being incentivized by startups to subsidize part of the cash price for their workers. Their pitch is this: Employers can pay less than they would if they covered the drugs through insurance and, with a subsidy, employees can get the treatments at a lower cost than if they paid the full cash price on their own.
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STAT Pharma: The science and business of new drug development
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