Pricing

How pharma can productively coexist with PBMs—and still lower drug costs faster.

A session explores how manufacturers can refine GTN strategy, strengthen pricing governance, and navigate increasingly complex distribution-channel economics, while maintaining both commercial performance and patient affordability.

The fracturing of the US drug market’s traditional model is forcing a demand for a strategic bifurcation to maintain profitability, compliance, and patient access in the decade ahead.

Various agreements with the Trump administration could have long-term ramifications for Medicaid access and global pricing strategy.

Commercialization expert Bill Roth outlines the critical need for "adaptive capacity," detailing how accelerating government regulation and massive patent cliffs are forcing a complete overhaul of commercial strategies across various markets.

The entrepreneur urges the Trump administration to eliminate costly FDA generic drug fees, part of a broader push to scale domestic production, address shortages, and challenge PBM-driven pricing models.

The agreement includes exemptions for UK-produced drugs and medical devices from Section 232 tariffs, but mandates a significant change to the UK's NICE value appraisal framework.

The Trump administration has announced new negotiated Medicare prices for a second wave of blockbuster treatments, yielding an estimated $12 billion in savings for 2027, when compared to Medicare’s 2024 net spending.

As the federal government prepares to release newly negotiated Medicare drug prices, weight-loss blockbusters Ozempic and Wegovy remain in the spotlight, while CMS advances a model to cut Medicaid spending and broaden access to affordable treatments.

The company is launching new self-pay pricing options, expanded savings programs, and partnerships with telehealth and retail providers. all while its obesity portfolio gains momentum under the FDA’s National Priority Voucher program.

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.

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.

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.

The partnership will provide DTC options at locations nationwide.

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.

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.

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.