Category: drug pricing
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STAT+: Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic shots could be made for as little as $3 a month, analysis finds
STAT+: Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy and Ozempic shots could be made for as little as $3 a month, analysis finds Generic versions of Novo Nordisk’s blockbuster Wegovy and Ozempic medications could be mass produced for about $3 per person per month, a cost that could greatly widen access in low- and middle-income countries, according to a…
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STAT+: Virginia lawmakers push a new approach to a prescription drug affordability board
STAT+: Virginia lawmakers push a new approach to a prescription drug affordability board As more states look to contain the cost of prescription drugs, Virginia lawmakers are pushing an affordability board that they believe will go further than similar efforts attempted by other states. At the heart of the approach is a plan to use…
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STAT+: Trump most-favored nation drug pricing deals end after three years for some companies
STAT+: Trump most-favored nation drug pricing deals end after three years for some companies WASHINGTON — President Trump often brags that the “most-favored nation” deals he struck with drugmakers have set the country on a new path to no longer paying more than its fair share for prescription drug costs. But many details of the…
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STAT+: Trump administration is urged to use a federal law to authorize generic versions of GLP-1 drugs
STAT+: Trump administration is urged to use a federal law to authorize generic versions of GLP-1 drugs Public Citizen petitioned the Trump administration to use a federal law to authorize generic competitors for GLP-1 drugs for treating obesity and diabetes, arguing that prices are “unjustifiably high” for too many Americans. In arguing its case, the…
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STAT+: Merck is urged by patient groups to ensure widespread access to an HIV prevention pill being tested
STAT+: Merck is urged by patient groups to ensure widespread access to an HIV prevention pill being tested In a preemptive move, more than 170 patient advocacy groups from 30 countries are urging Merck to create a global access strategy for an HIV prevention pill, which is still being studied in clinical trials. A key,…
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STAT+: FTC settles lawsuit with Express Scripts over charges it manipulated insulin prices, impeded access
STAT+: FTC settles lawsuit with Express Scripts over charges it manipulated insulin prices, impeded access The Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday that it had settled a lawsuit against Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers in the U.S., over allegations that the company artificially inflated the price of insulin and impeded access to…
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STAT+: Hospital group wants Trump administration to block a new Lilly policy on 340B claims data
STAT+: Hospital group wants Trump administration to block a new Lilly policy on 340B claims data The American Hospital Association is asking the Trump administration to stop Eli Lilly from enacting a new policy that would require all hospitals that participate in a federal drug discount program to submit comprehensive claims data, the first time…
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STAT+: Trump administration indicates it will drop appeal of a court order blocking a 340B pilot program
STAT+: Trump administration indicates it will drop appeal of a court order blocking a 340B pilot program The Trump administration has signaled plans to drop its appeal of a court order that blocked a pilot program from changing payment terms for a controversial federal drug discount program. In a Monday court document, the Department of…
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With political savvy and outrage over drug prices, advocate David Mitchell was ahead of his time
With political savvy and outrage over drug prices, advocate David Mitchell was ahead of his time About a dozen years ago, I was interviewing for a job at The Wall Street Journal when I was asked by an editor what I thought would be the most important story in the coming year for the pharmaceutical…
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We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2025
We wish we’d written that: STAT staffers share their favorite stories of 2025 This year saw upheaval in all corners of health, science, and biotech. While our staff was covering all of the twists and turns, they were also looking with admiration at stellar work from other journalists. Below is our annual list of stories…
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Opinion: Pharmacies will be the canary in the coal mine on the Medicare drug price negotiations
Opinion: Pharmacies will be the canary in the coal mine on the Medicare drug price negotiations The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced negotiated prices for 15 drugs, finalizing the second iteration of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program. The first set of negotiated drug prices will go into effect in January 2026.…
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In Medicare drug negotiations, Trump administration embraces a policy the GOP once despised
In Medicare drug negotiations, Trump administration embraces a policy the GOP once despised WASHINGTON — On Tuesday, the Trump administration celebrated drug price cuts it had secured through a Democrat-created program — despite Republicans’ longstanding antipathy toward the policy. The Inflation Reduction Act, a 2022 law supported solely by Democrats and signed into law by…
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How Mark Cuban plans to ‘f— up’ health care
How Mark Cuban plans to ‘f— up’ health care How much time does Mark Cuban spend thinking about health care? Why does he think TrumpRx, a direct drug purchasing platform that the Trump administration aims to launch, is “the most incredible program ever”? And what are his thoughts on sports betting? We discuss all that…
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STAT+: Bausch Health leaves Medicaid and 340B programs as drugmakers face changing calculus on pricing
STAT+: Bausch Health leaves Medicaid and 340B programs as drugmakers face changing calculus on pricing In an unexpected move, Bausch Health recently stopped participating in Medicaid and a federal government drug discount scheme known as 340B, a step that suggests more drugmakers may rethink decisions to provide their medicines to these widely used programs. Bausch…
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STAT+: CBO says revised cost of orphan drug exemptions will add $3.9 billion to Medicare
STAT+: CBO says revised cost of orphan drug exemptions will add $3.9 billion to Medicare The Congressional Budget Office has revised its forecast showing the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cost taxpayers as much as $8.8 billion — up from earlier estimates of $4.9 billion — over 10 years thanks to provisions…
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STAT+: Roche suffers a fresh blow as India’s Supreme Court allows generic sales of its pricey rare disease drug
STAT+: Roche suffers a fresh blow as India’s Supreme Court allows generic sales of its pricey rare disease drug In a case that was billed as profits versus patients, India’s Supreme Court dismissed a petition in which Roche sought to prevent a generic drugmaker from selling a lower-cost version of a pricey rare disease medication.…
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STAT+: Key GOP lawmaker tones down rhetoric on medical care for immigrants
STAT+: Key GOP lawmaker tones down rhetoric on medical care for immigrants You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Three cheers for Johns Hopkins epidemiologist Caitlin Rivers, who spent her Saturday…
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STAT+: Pharma companies scramble to make deals with Trump after Pfizer scored White House praise
STAT+: Pharma companies scramble to make deals with Trump after Pfizer scored White House praise WASHINGTON — The agreement between Pfizer and the Trump administration to lower drug prices has sent other companies scrambling to make a deal. Several major pharmaceutical firms that received letters from President Trump demanding lower prices have been hustling to…
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STAT+: Colorado board makes first-in-the-nation move by setting a payment limit on an Amgen drug
STAT+: Colorado board makes first-in-the-nation move by setting a payment limit on an Amgen drug In a first-in-the-nation move, a Colorado panel has voted to limit what health plans in the state will pay for a costly arthritis treatment, a step that may encourage other states to pursue similar strategies to contain spending on prescription…
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STAT+: The government is shut down. Now what?
STAT+: The government is shut down. Now what? You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Are you in a betting pool for how long the government shutdown will last? Send your…
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STAT+: U.K. is urged to probe drugmakers for conspiring to scrap or halt investments amid pricing disputes
STAT+: U.K. is urged to probe drugmakers for conspiring to scrap or halt investments amid pricing disputes The U.K.’s antitrust regulator has been asked by patient advocacy groups to investigate several large drugmakers and their U.K. lobbying organization for “suspected” and “coordinated” efforts to drive up the prices of medicines. The backdrop to the complaint…
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STAT+: Trump administration backs off 100% pharma tariffs threatened to start today
STAT+: Trump administration backs off 100% pharma tariffs threatened to start today WASHINGTON — President Trump told pharmaceutical companies last week that they should start building infrastructure in the U.S. — or face a 100% tariff, starting Wednesday. But a White House official told STAT on Wednesday that the tariffs have not gone into effect…
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STAT+: Trump, Pfizer, and the art of a drug pricing deal
STAT+: Trump, Pfizer, and the art of a drug pricing deal Amid all the hand-shaking and back-patting, it was perhaps the word “friendship” that stood out the most when the CEO of Pfizer joined President Trump to address a drug pricing deal in the Oval Office. “But most of all, Mr. President, I want to…
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Trump strikes deal with Pfizer aimed at lowering prescription drug prices
Trump strikes deal with Pfizer aimed at lowering prescription drug prices WASHINGTON — President Trump announced on Tuesday that Pfizer has agreed to offer lower prices on its drugs to the Medicaid program and directly to patients, the first in what he said would be a series of deals intended to secure cheaper prescription medicines…
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STAT+: Days before Trump deadline to lower prices, companies push a flurry of initiatives. Will it be enough?
STAT+: Days before Trump deadline to lower prices, companies push a flurry of initiatives. Will it be enough? Pharmaceutical companies are scrambling to make last-minute announcements ahead of a Trump administration deadline on Monday for the firms to lower U.S. drug prices. But it’s not clear if the initiatives — which include investments in the…
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STAT+: Hill staff gets briefed on implications of Trump’s drug pricing plan
STAT+: Hill staff gets briefed on implications of Trump’s drug pricing plan WASHINGTON — Congress is again discussing the Trump administration’s plan to force drug companies to lower their U.S. prices, at least behind the scenes. Congressional staffers and health policy experts from major think tanks held a closed-door meeting to discuss policy options that…
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STAT+: FDA pushing non-opioid path for chronic pain
STAT+: FDA pushing non-opioid path for chronic pain Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Morning. Today, we note that psychedelics are suddenly a hot topic for larger pharmaceutical companies, dissect Patrick Soon-Shiong’s claims on his lung cancer drug, and more.…
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STAT+: Dozens of lawmakers urge HHS to abandon a pilot initiative for the controversial 340B program
STAT+: Dozens of lawmakers urge HHS to abandon a pilot initiative for the controversial 340B program More than 160 lawmakers have urged the Trump administration to abandon a newly announced pilot program that would allow pharmaceutical companies to offer rebates for a small number of therapies to hospitals that participate in a federal drug discount…
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STAT+: Patient groups cheer as the WHO adds diabetes and cystic fibrosis drugs to its essential medicines list
STAT+: Patient groups cheer as the WHO adds diabetes and cystic fibrosis drugs to its essential medicines list For the first time, the World Health Organization has added various high-cost treatments for diabetes and cystic fibrosis to its list of essential medicines, a move that patient advocates hope will usher in a new era of…
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STAT+: Trump administration confirms plan for PEPFAR to distribute Gilead’s new HIV prevention drug
STAT+: Trump administration confirms plan for PEPFAR to distribute Gilead’s new HIV prevention drug After months of uncertainty, the Trump administration confirmed that it will work with Gilead Sciences and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria to provide a groundbreaking HIV prevention drug to up to 2 million people in low- and…
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STAT+: How Trump may use Democrats’ drug-price negotiation law
STAT+: How Trump may use Democrats’ drug-price negotiation law You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’m happy to report that Last Week Tonight with John Oliver did a segment on…
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STAT+: Eli Lilly says it will raise drug prices in Europe to ‘make them lower’ in U.S.
STAT+: Eli Lilly says it will raise drug prices in Europe to ‘make them lower’ in U.S. Eli Lilly said Thursday that it would increase the prices of medicines in Europe and other developed markets “in order to make them lower” in the U.S., an apparent response to the Trump administration’s calls to do so.…
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STAT+: Drugmakers form new group to lobby on impact of Medicare drug price negotiations
STAT+: Drugmakers form new group to lobby on impact of Medicare drug price negotiations WASHINGTON — A handful of drug companies have formed a group to present lawmakers with research on what the industry sees as the negative impacts of Medicare drug price negotiations, according to lobbying records. The group is called the IRA Watchdog…
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STAT+: Advocates urge South Africa to reopen antitrust probe into Vertex Pharmaceuticals
STAT+: Advocates urge South Africa to reopen antitrust probe into Vertex Pharmaceuticals Patient advocacy groups are urging the South African government to reopen an antitrust investigation into Vertex Pharmaceuticals over allegations the company misled authorities into closing a high-profile case last year over access to a cystic fibrosis treatment. Last December, the Competition Commission ruled…
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STAT+: AIDS activists sue HHS to obtain Gilead settlement over patents for HIV prevention pills
STAT+: AIDS activists sue HHS to obtain Gilead settlement over patents for HIV prevention pills A patient advocacy group is suing the Trump administration for failing to disclose details of a recent settlement with Gilead Sciences over the patent rights to a pair of HIV prevention pills. The deal, which was reached last January, capped…
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Trump escalates demands that pharma companies lower their drug prices
Trump escalates demands that pharma companies lower their drug prices President Trump escalated his demands that pharma companies lower U.S. drug prices in line with what other countries pay, sending letters to 17 major drug companies Thursday that called on them to take actions by Sept. 29. He specifically asked the firms to: provide their…
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STAT+: Pharma firms will face 15% tariffs in Trump’s E.U. trade deal
STAT+: Pharma firms will face 15% tariffs in Trump’s E.U. trade deal WASHINGTON — President Trump’s tariffs on pharmaceuticals coming from the European Union will be set at 15% and will not go into effect until a national security investigation has been completed, according to a White House official familiar with the plans. Once the…
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STAT+: Novartis wins approval for newborn malaria treatment
STAT+: Novartis wins approval for newborn malaria treatment Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend. Let’s get into the news today. The need-to-know this morning Foundering CAR-T therapy developer Cargo Therapeutics is being acquired and…
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STAT+: Senator launches investigation into GSK’s asthma inhaler maneuvers
STAT+: Senator launches investigation into GSK’s asthma inhaler maneuvers Amid ongoing controversy, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) is investigating GSK for replacing a popular asthma inhaler with a so-called authorized generic at a much higher price in order to avoid paying Medicaid rebates. In a letter sent to the company, the lawmaker maintained that the…
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STAT+: J&J suffers a loss over 340B drug discount program
STAT+: J&J suffers a loss over 340B drug discount program In a setback to Johnson & Johnson, a federal judge ruled that a U.S. government agency did not violate the law when it required the company to seek approval before offering rebates to hospitals and clinics that participate in a drug discount program. The decision…
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STAT+: Regeneron seeks to revamp the controversial relationships between pharma and patient charities
STAT+: Regeneron seeks to revamp the controversial relationships between pharma and patient charities In a bid to rework the controversial relationship between drugmakers and patient charities, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has announced a new program in which it will match up to $200 million in donations this year to a leading foundation called Good Days. The move…
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STAT+: U.K. decision blocks a pair of Alzheimer’s drugs from access through its national health service
STAT+: U.K. decision blocks a pair of Alzheimer’s drugs from access through its national health service LONDON — A U.K. health agency reiterated on Thursday that the limited benefits of a pair of new Alzheimer’s drugs do not justify their high prices, meaning the medicines won’t be made available through the National Health Service. The…
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STAT+: Trump administration demands pharma companies begin drug price negotiations, a day after key deadline
STAT+: Trump administration demands pharma companies begin drug price negotiations, a day after key deadline WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is pushing pharmaceutical companies to begin negotiations to bring their drug prices in line with what other countries pay — usually far less than Americans. “Under President Trump’s direction, HHS is demanding that pharmaceutical companies…
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STAT+: Pharma wins a victory over a Minnesota law designed to provide transparency into drug pricing
STAT+: Pharma wins a victory over a Minnesota law designed to provide transparency into drug pricing In a victory for the pharmaceutical industry, a U.S. appeals court upheld a lower court decision to halt a controversial Minnesota law that is designed to provide transparency into prescription drug pricing. The decision was issued as the result…
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STAT+: Braced for details on Trump’s ‘most favored nation’ policy, pharma industry is still waiting
STAT+: Braced for details on Trump’s ‘most favored nation’ policy, pharma industry is still waiting WASHINGTON — Executives at pharmaceutical companies have been bracing for more information from the Trump administration this week about how it planned to lower drug prices. That information has not yet arrived, despite the administration’s self-imposed deadline to disclose by…
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STAT+: AstraZeneca’s CEO balances cancer-fighting opportunities with political uncertainty
STAT+: AstraZeneca’s CEO balances cancer-fighting opportunities with political uncertainty CHICAGO — Each year, 40,000 cancer researchers, doctors, and industry executives gather here for the biggest meeting in oncology. And for seven years, it has been almost assumed that the medicines generating the most buzz will come from AstraZeneca. Perhaps that’s why, in a wood-paneled conference…
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At ASCO 2025, attendees see reason for hope, despite worries
At ASCO 2025, attendees see reason for hope, despite worries For more updates on the latest in cancer news, sign up for our Cancer Briefing newsletter here. The annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology is now in session. As always, STAT has your appetite for cancer news covered. Reporters Matt Herper, Adam…
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STAT+: Lawmaker wants to know how FDA can police drug ads after cutting its oversight workforce
STAT+: Lawmaker wants to know how FDA can police drug ads after cutting its oversight workforce Amid ongoing controversy over pharmaceutical advertising, one lawmaker wants to know how the U.S. government will enforce regulations after the Food and Drug Administration let go of numerous employees from the office that oversees prescription drug promotions. In a…
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STAT+: Maryland governor signs law to expand powers of the state’s prescription drug affordability board
STAT+: Maryland governor signs law to expand powers of the state’s prescription drug affordability board In a notable development, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore signed a bill that will allow a state board to extend its mandate for lowering prescription drug costs to all residents, not just those employed by government agencies. The move was hailed…
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STAT+: Trump order on drug pricing appears to issue subtle threat to pharma
STAT+: Trump order on drug pricing appears to issue subtle threat to pharma File this under “Lower your price — or else!” Tucked inside the executive order on drug pricing from President Trump is a sentence that appears to threaten pharmaceutical companies that their medicines may be withdrawn if they do not lower prices. Specifically,…
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STAT+: Our biggest burning questions on Trump’s order to bring down drug prices
STAT+: Our biggest burning questions on Trump’s order to bring down drug prices WASHINGTON — President Trump’s executive order to lower drug prices through sweeping, cross-agency action left leaders in the pharmaceutical industry scrambling Monday to make sense of what may be ahead — and how to respond. The announcement was long on messaging, but…
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STAT+: Trump’s drug-pricing order takes a hard line against pharma. Investors shrugged
STAT+: Trump’s drug-pricing order takes a hard line against pharma. Investors shrugged President Trump on Monday unveiled his plan to dramatically overhaul the way the U.S. pays for drugs by lowering what he calls “inflated” prices to those paid by other countries. Pharma investors didn’t seem to care. The XBI, a closely tracked index of…
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STAT+: More Medicare plans cover Humira biosimilars, but do little to encourage patient use
STAT+: More Medicare plans cover Humira biosimilars, but do little to encourage patient use Medicare drug plans significantly boosted coverage of biosimilar versions of the Humira rheumatoid arthritis medicine this year, but nearly all of them failed to take steps that would encourage greater use of these alternative treatments, a new government watchdog report finds.…
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STAT+: GOP hits resistance on Medicaid cuts, and a brewing plan to lower drug prices
STAT+: GOP hits resistance on Medicaid cuts, and a brewing plan to lower drug prices You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A horse named Journalism was favored to win the…
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STAT+: Lack of access to antibiotics for drug-resistant infections often blamed on poor care, study says
STAT+: Lack of access to antibiotics for drug-resistant infections often blamed on poor care, study says Only 6.9% of people with drug-resistant infections in eight large, low- and middle-income countries received an appropriate antibiotic in 2019 and the lack of access was largely attributed to insufficient care, according to a new analysis. The researchers examined…
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STAT+: RFK Jr. is back to criticizing vaccines, and Trump’s new drug-cost plan
STAT+: RFK Jr. is back to criticizing vaccines, and Trump’s new drug-cost plan You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I cast my leafy-green seeds already, and my mint, chives and…
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STAT+: Trump administration launches probe into pharmaceutical imports
STAT+: Trump administration launches probe into pharmaceutical imports The Trump administration disclosed it formally opened an investigation into the extent to which the importation of certain pharmaceuticals may threaten national security, a move that is a widely anticipated prelude to imposing tariffs on a potentially large number of medicines. In a Federal Register notice published…
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STAT+: Canada advances an antitrust probe into Express Scripts over ‘patient steering’ and pharmacy fees
STAT+: Canada advances an antitrust probe into Express Scripts over ‘patient steering’ and pharmacy fees Canadian officials have obtained a court order that requires Express Scripts to produce documents in connection with an investigation into whether the pharmacy benefits manager violated antitrust laws. The Competition Bureau is examining whether the company forced or induced Canadians…
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STAT+: Why the closure of an FDA office may impact generics manufacturers — and everyday Americans
STAT+: Why the closure of an FDA office may impact generics manufacturers — and everyday Americans Amid the hard-to-follow cutbacks at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a little-known but important office was eliminated — and the implications will be felt not only by drugmakers, but consumers. The Division of Policy Development in the Office…
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STAT+: Amgen loses its battle against Colorado over a prescription drug affordability board
STAT+: Amgen loses its battle against Colorado over a prescription drug affordability board In a blow to the pharmaceutical industry, a U.S. court judge ruled that a Colorado state board can proceed with plans to place limits on the prices paid for medicines, the first such decision to support the controversial attempts by some states…