STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Trump’s drug-pricing claims, FDA’s Covid vaccine directive, and more
President Trump claimed his “most favored nation” executive order could cause U.S. drug prices to “drop like a rock” in a matter of weeks
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up, but we expect to manicure the Pharmalot grounds, promenade extensively with the official mascots, and catch up on our reading. We also hope to hold yet another listening party, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this, and this. And what about you? This is a fine time to enjoy the great outdoors or, if the weather does not cooperate, you could curl up in front of the telly and binge-watch or perhaps cook that scrumptious dish you always wanted to try. This is also a good time to plan a summer getaway or simply reach out to someone special. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you on Tuesday, since we have an extended weekend on this side of the pond, thanks to a holiday.
President Trump claimed his recent “most favored nation” executive order could cause U.S. drug prices to “drop like a rock” in just a matter of weeks, saying the savings will be “incalculable,” The Hill writes. In a briefing to discuss the Make America Healthy Again Commission’s report on children’s health, Trump ended the event by talking about the executive order he signed last week aimed at slashing prescription drug prices. Trump shifted much of the blame for sky-high drug prices to other countries, saying they are “a lot more vicious than us in terms of their representatives,” and he claimed the U.S. has been subsidizing the low cost of drugs in other nations. “We are going to now get a reduction in drug costs of up to 89% in some cases, but 50% would be a low, a bad number,” he said. “It’s going to be massive numbers. It’s going to be incredible for Medicaid, incredible for all forms of health care. Medicare is going to be — it’s going to have a huge impact, so big that nobody can calculate it.”
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave Covid vaccine manufacturers instructions on what next fall’s shots should target, signaling it would prefer that they update the strain in their vaccine to a version of the virus that is currently circulating broadly, LP.8.1, STAT says. The statement appeared to leave the door open for Novavax, which uses a vaccine production method that requires months of lead time, to stick with an older version of the virus — an option the company indicated it would prefer to do during a meeting of an FDA expert vaccines panel. The instructions were posted to the agency website shortly after the end of that meeting of the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, during which the panel debated the pros and cons of asking manufacturers to update their vaccines for the fall. VRBPAC members appeared split on whether to advise the FDA to ask manufacturers to update their vaccine target, with a number suggesting manufacturers should be given the option to update or stay with the same target.
