In this week's Pharma Pulse, Vicapsys merges with Stateline, Veritiv targets GLP-1 shipping, Section 232 tariffs widen and HRSA's 340B rebate pilot deadline arrives.
Commentary|Podcasts|December 2, 2025
Pharma Pulse: US-UK Trade Deal Forces Pricing Shift, as Lilly Deepens GLP-1 Price Cuts and RSV-Asthma Link Confirmed
Author(s)Nicholas Saraceno, Senior Editor
In today’s Pharma Pulse, a US-UK trade agreement mandates that the UK’s NICE agency raises its QALY threshold, increasing access to innovative drugs and much more.
Advertisement
Welcome to Pharma Pulse, a Pharmaceutical Commerce podcast where we bring you the latest insights shaping patient access, supply chain/logistics, data & tech, and healthcare innovation. I’m your host, and let’s get into today’s headlines.
- In policy news, the United States and the United Kingdom have reached a deal in principle to establish
0% tariffs on pharmaceuticals and medical technology for three years. In exchange for the tariff relief, the UK has agreed to increase the amount it pays for certain innovative medicines by 25%. - Meanwhile, the GLP-1 race is heating up on the home front. Eli Lilly announced a
new price reduction for its single-dose Zepbound vials, specifically targeting self-pay patients using its LillyDirect platform. The starting dose is now $299 per month, a cut from $349. - Lastly, a crucial public health update, as new data confirms a
strong link between severe RSV infection in early infancy and a significantly higher risk of developing childhood asthma later in life. This finding underscores the importance of existing and new RSV prevention strategies, including maternal vaccination and monoclonal antibodies as a long-term defense against chronic respiratory illness.
That’s it for this episode of Pharma Pulse. For more insights on trends transforming pharmaceutical access and care delivery, visit
Thanks for listening—until next time, stay well and stay informed.
You can catch Pharma Pulse directly on
Advertisement
Related to this article
Go behind the scenes of LogiPharma USA 2026 with program director Charleen Ring and McKesson's Chris Van Norman in this Pharma Pulse special.
In this week's Pharma Pulse, DHL breaks ground on a new cold chain hub at Singapore's Changi Airport, a new report finds pharma's commercial model in the middle of a fundamental reset, and the FDA grants accelerated approval to sevabertinib.
Episode 3 of Supply Chain Signal examines the Aug. 31 MFN agreements with nine mid-size manufacturers, the GENEROUS Medicaid model and whether pricing, trade and manufacturing policy now add up to a new pharma operating model.
In this week's Pharma Pulse, Arkansas independent pharmacies bring an underpayment suit against Express Scripts, Novo Nordisk taps Anthropic for AI-driven drug discovery, and Sanofi, UCB and Opella join AstraZeneca on a supply chain heat decarbonization program.
DSCSA data exchange has matured into daily operations, but the coming NDC-12 shift and a national licensure standard add new work streams before old ones are fully settled.
As HRSA's 340B Rebate Model Pilot moves toward its effective date, Valerie Bandy, PharmD, of Tecsys explains what drug-by-drug rebate tracking really demands from hospital and health system pharmacies.
Twenty-six manufacturers now hold most-favored-nation agreements, and the commitments attached to the pricing terms may matter more than the prices themselves.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Trending on Pharmaceutical Commerce
1
How Early Development Decisions Shape Commercial Readiness for Biologics
2
FAQ: What Comes Next for the 340B Rebate Pilot
3
Why Early, Big-Picture Planning Is Key to Execution Across the CGT Lifecycle
4
Pharma Pulse: Vicapsys-Stateline Merger and Veritiv's TempSafe RxShield
5