Market Access

As FDA fast-tracks GLP-1 treatments under its new pilot National Priority Voucher program, WeightWatchers prepares to position itself to compete in the fast-evolving weight-loss drug market driven by affordability and accessibility.

This episode of Pharma Pulse discusses how Dr. Richard Pazdur’s appointment signals a new era for FDA drug evaluation, why hospitals are opposing the government’s 340B pilot program, and how Novartis is expanding its US manufacturing footprint with a new radioligand therapy facility in California.

This episode of Pharma Pulse explores a major review finding no link between maternal acetaminophen use and autism or ADHD, CMS launching initiatives to cut Medicaid drug costs, and Eli Lilly expanding its gene therapy collaborations.

Launching next year, the new CMS Innovation Center initiative—known as the GENEROUS Model—aims to align Medicaid drug prices with global standards, reduce prescription spending, and strengthen the program’s long-term sustainability through fairer state purchasing and transparent pricing rules.

This episode of Pharma Pulse discusses FDA’s growing National Priority Voucher initiative, fresh data on oral semaglutide’s cardiometabolic impact, and Mark Cuban’s latest drug addition that signals key shifts in innovation, access, and affordability across the pharmaceutical landscape.

Lilly announced a new agreement with the Trump administration to expand access to its GLP-1 therapies, including Zepbound and orforglipron, offering the drugs to Medicare beneficiaries for $50 per month and through Medicaid programs starting in 2026.

Pharma’s push into direct-to-patient sales is reshaping the front end of drug distribution, but wholesalers like Cencora, McKesson, and Cardinal Health remain indispensable as the backbone of the industry’s regulated, specialty, and logistics infrastructure.

As the three models converge, expect a bigger role for sales reps, minimal impact on incentive compensation, and a boon to the healthcare system.

In the final part of her Pharma Commerce video interview, Megan Wetzel, VP, product, access & affordability at CoverMyMeds, shares how the right field reimbursement model structure ensures field teams have the insights and tools they need to overcome coverage barriers and accelerate patient access to therapy.

In the third part of her Pharma Commerce video interview, Megan Wetzel, VP, product, access & affordability at CoverMyMeds, explains that by educating provider offices on payer requirements, prior authorizations, and denial trends, field reimbursement managers help streamline complex reimbursement processes and reduce treatment delays.

This episode of Pharma Pulse covers MJH Life Sciences’ acquisition of BPD Healthcare to deepen its reach into hospitals and health systems, investor reaction to Novo Nordisk’s recent board changes, and Mark Cuban’s latest partnership expanding his Cost Plus Drugs platform to disrupt traditional pharmacy pricing models.

In the second part of her Pharma Commerce video interview Megan Wetzel, VP, product, access & affordability at CoverMyMeds, describes how high development costs, personalized treatment models, and an aging population are intensifying the imbalance.

At HLTH 2025, the entrepreneur announced a collaboration between Cost Plus Drugs and President Trump’s TrumpRx platform aimed at improving transparency, reducing drug costs, and reshaping how Americans access their prescriptions.

This episode of Pharma Pulse discusses new research linking severe COVID-19 to increased stroke risk among asthma patients, a KFF poll showing divided parental support for vaccine-related agendas, and US News & World Report’s 2026 list of top Medicare Advantage and Part D plan providers.

Aetna, Devoted Health, and UnitedHealth headline the list best Medicare Advantage insurers for next year, while Centene and Humana lead the pack in Part D prescription drug coverage.

A planned 100% tariff on branded and patented drugs from Singapore is being postponed as US and Singapore officials explore potential exemptions.

This episode of Pharma Pulse covers how Mark Cuban’s direct-to-consumer pharmacy is challenging traditional drug pricing models, AstraZeneca’s $4.5 billion investment to expand its Virginia manufacturing site, and Bristol Myers Squibb’s $1.5 billion acquisition of Orbital Therapeutics to advance RNA-based medicines.

The appellate court upheld Medicare’s authority to negotiate lower drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act, following similar rulings against AstraZeneca, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Novartis.

Amid intensified competition—and evolving IRA and PBM dynamics—leaders in the access space must now adopt a strategist mindset.

This episode of Pharma Pulse covers the potential ramifications of a federal government shutdown on FDA operations, Aetna’s newly announced 2026 Medicare Advantage offerings, and new research showing maternal and child mortality rates in the US remain higher than in most high-income nations.

Marketed as cost-saving tools, AFPs can also strain safety-net resources.

From patent cliffs and government price controls, to self-pay models and staff-model HMOs, a look at the forces that could deflate the bubble—and those factors likely to keep it afloat a while longer.

Amid pressures on pharma to match the lowest international prices, experts warn of “policy laundering” and discriminatory impact.

This episode of Pharma Pulse covers ATA’s warning that telehealth protections are critical to maintaining care access during a potential federal shutdown, new KFF data showing the rapid rise of Medicare Advantage special needs plans, and Halozyme’s $750 million acquisition of Elektrofi to expand its drug delivery portfolio.

This episode of Pharma Pulse covers the Trump administration’s plan to launch a government-run healthcare website for patients, new data showing gabapentin has become the fifth most prescribed drug in community pharmacies, and promising trial results from a novel gene therapy that slows the progression of Huntington’s disease.