STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Roche and Merck struggles with tariffs, NEJM quizzed by U.S. attorney, and more

Rise and shine, another busy day is on the way. We can tell because the official mascots got an early start chasing down cats, squirrels, and other creatures darting about the Pharmalot campus. And then there is the noisy parade of vehicles passing nearby on their way to who knows where? As for us, we are firing up the trusty coffee kettle to brew another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is chocolate raspberry. 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, of course, do keep in touch. Best of luck, everyone. …

Roche is petitioning the Trump administration in direct talks for import tariff exemptions, arguing the products it ships into the U.S. are offset by its exports of U.S.-made drugs and diagnostics, Reuters notes. “As long as we produce the same amount in the U.S. as we import … we would not be impacted by tariffs. That’s kind of the discussion we are trying to have with the U.S. government,” Roche chief executive officer Thomas Schinecker said in a media call after the release of first-quarter earnings. He added that Roche was in touch with various levels of the administration, arguing that a U.S. drive for all goods used in the country to be produced there would inflate manufacturing costs. Switzerland is potentially facing 31% U.S. tariffs, which have been put on hold by Trump for 90 days along with sweeping tariffs on almost all goods from dozens of other countries. The effort comes after Roche said this week it would invest $50 billion in the U.S. over the next five years, creating more than 12,000 jobs.

A congressional caucus focused on bringing pharmaceutical manufacturing to U.S. shores will launch Thursday as Republicans seek to further the Trump administration’s goal of boosting medicine production in America, Bloomberg Law reports. U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), health chair on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, will announce the American-Made Medicines Caucus along with Reps. Claudia Tenney (R-N.Y.) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.). The group of lawmakers will focus on ways to bring the pharmaceutical supply chain to the U.S. and be less dependent on nations like China for pharmaceutical products. The move comes after the Department of Commerce earlier this month began a study to determine the extent to which pharmaceuticals made overseas pose a national security risk. The effort was telegraphed by the Trump administration as a prelude to imposing tariffs on many pharmaceutical products and ingredients made in China and elsewhere.

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