Hello, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far. It is an accomplishment, after all. The next step is to … keep going. And why not? Just consider the alternatives. On that optimistic note, please join us for a needed cup or three of stimulation. Our choice today is orange creme. Meanwhile, here are some items of interest to get you going. Have a wonderful day, and do drop us a line when you hear something juicy. …
In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Trump claimed he had brought prescription drug costs from the highest in the world to the lowest, thanks to his “most-favored nation” policy. And he implored congressional Republicans to codify the policy into law, STAT writes. “I’m also ending the wildly inflated cost of prescription drugs like has never happened before,” Trump said. “Other presidents tried to do it, but they never could. They tried. … It’s going to be very hard for somebody that comes along after me to say, ‘Let’s raise drug prices by 700 or 800%.’ But John and Mike, if you don’t mind, codify it,” he said, directly addressing Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). But most-favored nation pricing is not popular among Republican lawmakers, who’ve shied away from addressing the issue.
Drugmakers are pushing back against two Trump administration proposals that would test plans to lower drug prices in Medicare by aligning them with prices paid in other rich countries, STAT tells us. Their comments preview arguments they might use in court against the Medicare pilot programs, which would be mandatory and run for five years. It is too soon for drugmakers to mount legal challenges, because the pilots are still in the proposal phase, and must wait until they are finalized to file lawsuits. One model would apply to physician-administered drugs in Medicare Part B and the other would apply to Part D retail drugs. The government estimates that, together, the models would reduce spending by $27 billion over the five years they are in operation.Continue to STAT+ to read the full story…