Pharma Pulse 6/18/25: The Complexities of Drug Discounting; How Clinical Operations Teams Are Adapting to Oncology Trial Challenges
The Complexities of Drug Discounting
A Pharmaceutical Executive article explores how the growing complexity and lack of transparency in drug discount programs are undermining their intended benefits, often leaving patients, healthcare providers, and manufacturers with significant financial burdens and little access to true savings.
How Clinical Operations Teams Are Adapting to Oncology Trial Challenges
In an interview with Applied Clinical Trials, Matt Robinson, PhD, of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, explained how clinical operations teams are evolving to meet oncology trial challenges by incorporating patient input, using multidisciplinary support teams, and leveraging technologies like biomarker testing and wearables to improve recruitment, reduce burdens, and enhance patient engagement.
FDA Clears Ocugen’s IND Amendment for Trial of Stargardt Disease Treatment
The FDA has cleared Ocugen’s Investigational New Drug application to begin a Phase II/III pivotal trial of OCU410ST, a gene therapy for Stargardt disease, aiming to evaluate its efficacy in reducing retinal atrophy and improving visual acuity in patients with no current treatment options.
Experimental Pill Cuts LDL Cholesterol Nearly 30% in High-Risk Patients
A Phase III trial published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that New Amsterdam Pharma’s experimental pill obicetrapib reduced LDL cholesterol by nearly 30% in high-risk patients already on maximum lipid-lowering therapy, with a safety profile comparable to placebo.
Fired ACIP Members: RFK Jr. Has ‘Critically Weakened’ US Vaccine Program
Seventeen former members of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices warned in a JAMA editorial that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s mass firing of the panel has critically weakened the US vaccine program, jeopardizing decades of scientific continuity, public trust, and evidence-based immunization policy.
