Business and Finance

In today’s Pharma Pulse, a new national survey exposes the depth of America’s prescription access crisis, while AstraZeneca and Eli Lilly commit billions of dollars to next-generation weight-loss therapies and domestic manufacturing.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, HHS issues guidance for manufacturer-direct drug discounts, while clinical data warns of significant weight regain after stopping tirzepatide and semaglutide.

For the first time, CMS has released negotiated prices for high-cost drugs covered under both Medicare Part D and Part B, naming 15 new negotiation targets and signaling continued efforts to rein in prescription drug spending.

The acquisition strengthens M&D’s specialty portfolio, broadens access to plasma-derived therapies, and supports phased integration focused on regulatory compliance.

How direct-to-patient programming can transform the prescription journey for patients and manufacturers alike.

The partnership aims to speed commercialization, reduce risk, and enable large-volume biologics to shift from IV to subcutaneous delivery.

In the fourth part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Alan Balch, PhD, CEO of the Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Patient Advocate Foundation, outlines the financial pressures that make sustained safety net protections a healthcare imperative.

In the third part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Alan Balch, PhD, CEO of the Patient Advocate Foundation and the National Patient Advocate Foundation, points out that from employer-paid premiums to Medicare and Medicaid subsidies, the US system relies on layered financial support to keep coverage within reach—underscoring how few individuals can realistically pay the full cost of care or insurance on their own.

The company’s latest preview report projects a guarded rebound for biopharma, as investor confidence returns and M&A activity accelerates.

The company will participate in the Trump administration’s direct-to-patient drug platform, while committing $100 billion to US R&D and manufacturing.

In the final part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Franco Stevanato, CEO of Stevanato Group, explains that with plant buildouts and validation requiring three to five years, today’s reshoring momentum reflects near-term policy pressures, but global demand and overseas biosimilar growth will ultimately shape the industry’s next phase.

The pharma giant will invest in a 35,000-square-foot RLT manufacturing site in Winter Park, FL as part of its $23 billion US infrastructure expansion.

In the third part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Franco Stevanato, CEO of Stevanato Group, shares how automatic contract adjustments tied to labor, energy, and inflation—combined with the critical role of supply reliability—allow the company to pass through limited surcharges while maintaining strong client relationships.

Novo Nordisk’s newly approved oral semaglutide is now available nationwide through Amazon Pharmacy with insurance and cash-pay options.

The pharma giant becomes the latest manufacturer to participate in the Trump Administration’s direct-to-patient pricing platform, aligning US drug costs with European benchmarks while reinforcing its domestic manufacturing investments.

In the first part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Franco Stevanato, CEO of Stevanato Group, explains how near-term tariff pressures are creating short-term headwinds while accelerating longer-term investment in regional manufacturing footprints—especially in the US.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, healthcare leaders brace for a surge in dealmaking, Eli Lilly secures a suite of oral NLRP3 inhibitors, and Knipper Health rebrands to streamline the path from order to therapy.

Backed by Frazier Healthcare Partners and strengthened by the acquisition of eBlu Solutions, CareTria aims to accelerate patient access by combining provider technology, digital enrollment, and multi-modal fulfillment into a single end-to-end platform.

In the final part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Philip Sclafani, PwC’s pharmaceutical and life sciences lead, points out that from biosimilars and site-of-care shifts to AI, value-based reimbursement, and potential legislative action, market deflators—not simple cost shifting—will determine whether affordability improves across employer-sponsored plans, Medicaid, and Medicare.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, the FDA issues two high-stakes priority vouchers for cholesterol and cancer therapies, GSK leverages genomic data to refine drug targets, and DHL completes a one-million-square-foot logistics center of excellence.

A new Foreign Trade Zone–enabled facility in Annville strengthens the company’s temperature-controlled, compliant logistics capabilities, while accelerating customs processing and last-mile healthcare delivery.

In the third part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Philip Sclafani, PwC’s pharmaceutical and life sciences lead, explains as medical inflation persists and benefit designs strain under rising drug spend—especially GLP-1s—employers are reaching the limits of what they can absorb, accelerating cost-shifting and fragmenting how employees pay for care.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, federal officials slash the childhood immunization schedule, new data underscores the life-saving impact of COVID vaccines for COPD patients, and Eli Lilly targets the AMPK pathway in a massive new oral obesity collaboration.

In the second part of his Pharma Commerce video interview, Philip Sclafani, PwC’s pharmaceutical and life sciences lead, points out that a Medicaid spending tightens and ACA subsidies lapse, reduced public coverage is driving spillover effects—shifting costs to hospitals, employers, and commercial drug pricing in an increasingly interconnected healthcare market.

In today’s Pharma Pulse, GoodRx slashes cash prices for the new Wegovy pill, a federal judge halts the 340B rebate pilot, and Sanofi doubles down on Earendil Labs’ AI platform for autoimmune breakthroughs.