Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is, despite the dreary gray skies hovering over the Pharmalot campus. We are doing our best to maintain sunny spirits, though, because once again, we recall some helpful wisdom from the Morning Mayor, who taught us that “every new day should be unwrapped like a precious gift.” To celebrate the notion, we are brewing still more cups of stimulation and inviting you to join us. Our choice today is pecan pie, for those tracking our habits. Feel free to reach for your own cup while you peruse the items of interest assembled below. On that note, time to get cracking. We hope you have a lovely day and, of course, please do keep in touch. We appreciate any and all ideas and feedback. …
The pharmaceutical industry is not lobbying senators to stop the confirmation of long-time critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the top health care role in the Trump administration, STAT reports. Twelve lobbyists, consultants, Senate aides, and a patient advocate described silence from industry about a month ahead of when confirmation hearings could begin. The silence is a signal that after a bruising four years under the Biden administration, as Democrats passed drug pricing reforms decades in the making, drugmakers are seeking to turn a new leaf with a new administration. The chief executive officers of Pfizer and Eli Lilly, and the head of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the trade group, flew down to President-elect Trump’s hotel in Palm Beach, Fla. last week to dine with Trump and RFK Jr. Meanwhile, industry executives and lobbyists have largely issued polite statements about working with both sides of the aisle.
The U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America challenging an Arkansas law requiring drug companies to offer discounts on medicines dispensed by third-party pharmacies that contract with hospitals and clinics serving low-income populations, Reuters says. The decision comes as the trade group and individual drugmakers have filed a series of similar lawsuits in recent months over other state laws meant to ensure that hospitals can use contract pharmacies while participating in the federal 340B discount program. Drugmakers have argued that the widespread use of contract pharmacies in the program leads to a lack of transparency and makes it more likely that some drugs are discounted when they should not be, or that duplicate discounts are applied to the same drug. In 2020, many began imposing restrictions on 340B drug sales using contract pharmacies. In 2021, Arkansas became the first state to pass a law against that practice. PhRMA claimed that the state law must be struck down because it conflicts with the federal law governing the 340B program, which does not include any requirement that hospitals be allowed to use contract pharmacies.
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