Silhouette of Donald Trump from the neck up speaking at a rally. --politics coverage from STAT
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

By Allison DeAngelis, Matthew Herper, Andrew Joseph, Jason Mast, and Ed Silverman

Nov. 6, 2024

With Donald Trump now poised to become U.S. president for the second time in January, biotech and pharmaceutical leaders are preparing for the shift to an administration with a complicated history.

Trump has positioned himself as business-friendly, but has criticized “Big Pharma” over high drug costs. During the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, he was supportive of the pharmaceutical industry’s efforts to develop vaccines, but his campaign has more recently embraced vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

advertisement

STAT gathered reactions from leaders across biotech and pharma about what the new Trump era could mean for them. Many said they’d take a wait-and-see approach, but others took a more definitive stance. “I’m optimistic,” Bausch + Lomb CEO Brent Saunders told STAT. Zach Weinberg, CEO of Curie.Bio, said that while Trump’s policies on health care have been known to shift, “R.F.K. is scary and unqualified to lead anything but a trip to the supermarket.”

These interviews have been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

STAT+ Exclusive Story

STAT+

This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers

Unlock this article — plus daily coverage and analysis of the biotech sector — by subscribing to STAT+.

Already have an account? Log in

Monthly

$39

Totals $468 per year

$39/month Get Started

Totals $468 per year

Starter

$20

for 3 months, then $399/year

$20 for 3 months Get Started

Then $399/year

Annual

$399

Save 15%

$399/year Get Started

Save 15%

11+ Users

Custom

Savings start at 25%!

Request A Quote Request A Quote

Savings start at 25%!

2-10 Users

$300

Annually per user

$300/year Get Started

$300 Annually per user

View All Plans

To read the rest of this story subscribe to STAT+.

Subscribe
, , , , ,
Submit a correction requestReprints

  1. Allison DeAngelis

    Biotech Startups and Venture Capital Reporter

    Allison DeAngelis is the East Coast biotech and venture capital reporter at STAT, reporting where scientific ideas and money meet. She is also co-host of the weekly biotech podcast, The Readout Loud.

  2. Matthew Herper

    Senior Writer, Medicine, Editorial Director of Events

    Matthew Herper covers medical innovation — both its promise and its perils.

  3. Andrew Joseph

    Europe Correspondent

    Andrew Joseph covers health, medicine, and the biopharma industry in Europe.

  4. Jason Mast

    General Assignment Reporter

    Jason Mast is a general assignment reporter at STAT focused on the science behind new medicines and the systems and people that decide whether that science ever reaches patients.

  5. Ed Silverman

    Pharmalot Columnist, Senior Writer

    Ed Silverman, a senior writer and Pharmalot columnist at STAT, has been covering the pharmaceutical industry for nearly three decades.