STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Trump drug-pricing plan, obesity drug trial data, and more
President Trump said he would sign an executive order to base U.S. drug prices on what other countries pay — usually far less than Americans do
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to another working week. We hope the weekend respite was relaxing and invigorating, because that oh-so-familiar routine of meetings, deadlines, and messages has returned. But what can you do? There is no pause button to stop the world from spinning. So this means one thing: time to dig in to the tasks at hand. On that note, we have assembled a menu of tidbits to help you get started. Meanwhile, we have also fired up the coffee kettle for another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is banana split. We hope your day is simply smashing and, as always, do keep in touch if something juicy arises. …
President Trump said Sunday that he would sign an executive order to base U.S. drug prices on what other countries pay — usually far less than Americans do, STAT says. The order, which was widely expected, will mean the U.S. will “pay the same price as the Nation that pays the lowest price anywhere in the World,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. But the statement left unanswered key questions about the so-called “most-favored nation” policy — which Trump also tried to advance in his first administration — and any effort is almost certain to be challenged by the pharmaceutical industry in court. Trump said the order, which he plans to sign Monday morning, would decrease drug prices “almost immediately, by 30% to 80%,” and would save trillions for the U.S. He called the policy “one of the most consequential Executive Orders in our Country’s history.” But it may not be that simple. When a similar policy was proposed in Trump’s first term, it was blocked by the courts, though the president’s supporters say he can avoid a similar defeat this time by more carefully adhering to policymaking rules for the executive branch.
Eli Lilly disclosed that its Zepbound drug was superior to Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy across five weight-loss targets such as reducing waist circumference, citing data from a head-to-head trial, Reuters notes. The data are from the first head-to-head trial comparing the wildly popular medicines, and gives Lilly more firepower as it seeks to gain wider insurance coverage in an obesity drug market estimated to reach more than $150 billion annually by the next decade. Zepbound helped nearly 25% more participants lose more than 15% of their weight compared to Wegovy, according to Lilly. The trial also showed that treatment with Zepbound achieved a superior average waist circumference reduction of 18.4 centimeters, while those treated with Wegovy saw an average reduction of 13 centimeters. Novo Nordisk countered that the weight loss for Wegovy in the head-to-head trial was lower than in a 2021 trial with a similar dose.
