- Drug Industry Faces Trump-Fueled Storm Over Prices The Hill by Peter Sullivan — Drugmakers are trying to navigate a growing storm over high drug prices as President Trump prepares to unveil new actions on the issue. The drug industry has traditionally been able to beat back actions from Washington, notably escaping unscathed in the fight over ObamaCare. But the climate appears to be changing. Trump has railed against drug companies for their prices, saying they are "getting away with murder." And Congress, where pharmaceutical companies have traditionally had allies in both parties, dealt the industry a rare defeat earlier this year by shifting more costs onto drugmakers in Medicare.
- President Trump Wants to Go Further on Drug Prices Reuters — Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar on Wednesday said President Donald Trump wants to go further in lowering drug prices, an issue he campaigned on during the 2016 presidential race. "HHS is currently working with the President on a comprehensive strategy to solve these problems," Azar said in a speech at World Health Care Congress. "We'll be building on the proposals in the President's budget, but he wants to go further." The Republican president has said pharmaceutical companies are "getting away with murder" and has vowed to lower prescription drug prices. But the administration's proposals so far have been modest and do not go after drug companies. Congressional action on the issue is seen as unlikely. Last week, Trump postponed a speech on lowering prescription drug prices to a date in the near future.
- FDA Chief Floats Rethinking of Laws Allowing Drug-Plan Rebates Bloomberg News by Anna Edney — Days ahead of the expected rollout of a White House plan to tackle soaring drug prices, a top U.S. health official asked whether the legal status of drug-plan rebates should get another look. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb asked in a speech what would happen if the U.S. government re-examined the safe harbor that drug rebates have under federal anti-kickback laws. "Such a step could help restore some semblance of reality to the relationship between list and negotiated prices, and thereby boost affordability and competition," Gottlieb said in remarks prepared for an appearance at a conference of pharmaceutical-industry lawyers in Washington.