STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Medicare drug negotiations, a Novartis malaria drug, and more

Rise and shine, another busy — and steamy — day is on the way. We can tell because the official mascots are spending less time on the dusty Pharmalot grounds and, instead, have curled up by the indoor cool-air blowing machines. As for us, we are testing the notion that a hot drink can cool you down. So we are firing up the trusty coffee kettle — a brand new one was delivered the other day — and getting set to quaff a few cups of stimulation. Our choice, for the moment, is marshmallow magic. Please feel free to join us. Meanwhile, the time has come to get cracking. So here is the latest laundry list of interesting items for you to peruse. We hope you have a smashing day and conquer the world. And of course, do keep in touch. …

The pharmaceutical industry is criticizing the Trump administration’s plan for carrying out a critical round of Biden-era drug price negotiations that doubles down on actions they’ve resisted since the program began, Bloomberg Law tells us. The pushback was revealed in comments in response to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ draft guidance for the third cycle of the drug price negotiation program. This next round round of talks is slated to begin in 2026 and target 15 additional drugs. The industry has long criticized how the program is implemented, finding flaws in how medicines are picked and how the negotiated drug price is determined. The fight appears poised to continue after the latest feedback to the Trump administration’s takeover of the program raised similar complaints as those during former President Biden’s implementation. This guidance matters as it signals how the Trump administration will run the program. Drug companies have been working to encourage President Trump to fix or pause the plan, but the administration supports negotiations and has issued various executive orders targeting U.S. drug prices. The administration plans to finalize the third cycle’s guidance by early fall.

Novartis won approval in Switzerland for the world’s first malaria drug for newborns and infants, creating a new weapon in the fight against the mosquito-borne disease that is deadliest for children under five, The Financial Times says.  The approval for the drug, known as Coartem, is to treat infants weighing less than 10 pounds. The company noted that eight African countries where malaria was prevalent, including Nigeria, Tanzania, and Kenya, are also expected to issue rapid approvals. There were 263 million cases of malaria and just under 600,000 deaths worldwide in 2023, according to the World Health Organization. Almost all of those were in countries in the WHO’s Africa region, with children under five accounting for more than three-quarters of the fatalities. Until now, children weighing less than 4.5 kilograms have been treated with drugs intended for older children, which Novartis said had left a “treatment gap” and risked the increase of overdose and toxicity. The company plans to offer the medicine largely on a not-for-profit basis.

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