Pharma Pulse 6/20/25: Building Strong CRO-Sponsor Partnerships to Improve Clinical Trial Success; Innovation Requires Investment—and Sustained Investment Requires Sufficient Returns

Building Strong CRO-Sponsor Partnerships to Improve Clinical Trial Success

In an interview with Applied Clinical Trials, Judith Ng-Cashin, MD, chief medical officer at Novotech, emphasized the value of trust-based CRO-sponsor relationships and celebrated the company’s Citeline CRO Partnership of the Year Award for its collaboration with Tune Therapeutics as a model of strategic, patient-centered clinical trial partnership.

Innovation Requires Investment—and Sustained Investment Requires Sufficient Returns

In a Pharmaceutical Executive article, Barbara Ryan, founder, Barbara Ryan Advisors, argues that sustaining pharmaceutical innovation requires predictable regulatory pathways, timely FDA action, and strong investor confidence—warning that outdated bureaucratic hurdles and delayed approvals threaten future drug development and patient access.

Nonpharmacist Membership on Boards of Pharmacy Continues to Expand

Nonpharmacist membership on boards of pharmacy continues to expand nationwide, as states like Alabama overhaul board structures to include more diverse perspectives—such as pharmacy technicians, public members, and practitioners from varied settings—highlighting a growing trend toward more representative and collaborative pharmacy governance.

Mark Cuban Cost Plus Drugs Partners with 9amHealth to Offer Affordable GLP-1 Medications

Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drug Co. has partnered with virtual care provider 9amHealth to launch a telehealth-based obesity treatment program for self-insured employers, combining low-cost oral medications and branded GLP-1 drugs with clinical support—offering an alternative to traditional pharmacy benefit managers.

Lawmakers Refresh Tax-Dodging Accusations Against Big Pharma, Targeting Pfizer, AbbVie and others

Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Jan Schakowsky have renewed accusations that major US pharmaceutical companies—including Pfizer, AbbVie, Merck, Amgen, and Johnson & Johnson—have avoided billions in federal taxes since 2018 by shifting profits offshore, and are now pressing these firms for transparency on their lobbying efforts and potential liabilities if earnings were fully taxed in the US