Three milestones expected to bring the reality of U.S. prescription drug price negotiations into focus are hovering on the horizon. First, the CMS is scheduled to publish its maximum fair prices (MFPs) for the round 2 selected drugs by Nov. 30. Then, on Jan. 1, the MFPs for the first round kick in, affecting not only the 10 selected drugs, but a dozen approved biosimilars referencing the three biologics in that round, 94 generics either approved or tentatively approved that reference the small molecules on the list, and perhaps other innovator drugs in the same therapeutic spaces. And by Feb. 1, CMS must publish the list of up to 15 drugs selected for negotiations for the 2028 price year. That list will be the first to include Part B drugs.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported Aug. 27 that Susan Monarez no longer occupies the post of director for the CDC, a development that arose within hours of the FDA’s approval of two COVID-19 vaccines with historically restrictive labeled indications.

The U.S. and the EU have signed off on a trade deal, which makes some important provisions for generic pharmaceuticals. However, Medtech Europe said in an Aug. 21 statement that it is concerned about the exclusion of medical technology, given the potential for negative effects on patient care.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration another significant victory in its attempts to defund NIH-sponsored research. In a 5-4 decision, the justices paused the June 16 order of U.S. District Judge William Young to restore funding for hundreds of canceled NIH research grants focusing on gender and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The funding had first been cut through a series of executive orders shortly after President Donald Trump resumed power in January.

On Thursday, the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration another significant victory in its attempts to defund NIH-sponsored research. In a 5-4 decision, the justices paused the June 16 order of U.S. District Judge William Young to restore funding for hundreds of canceled NIH research grants focusing on gender and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). The funding had first been cut through a series of executive orders shortly after President Donald Trump resumed power in January.

A group of stakeholders including medical device makers have penned a letter to Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Mehmet Oz to urge the agency to cover breakthrough medical devices, an attempt to resurrect administrative action on a question that legislators failed to address in 2024.

No matter what level of tariff the Trump administration ends up imposing on biopharmaceuticals across the world, drugs and their precursors originating in the EU will face no more than a 15% tariff when imported to the U.S., according to an Aug. 21 EU-U.S. joint statement regarding the trade framework agreement between the two trade partners.

Several cardiology societies in the U.S. have updated their guidelines for management of hypertension, which for the first time includes and endorsement of renal denervation (RDN). Two companies are poised to benefit from the news, including Medtronic plc with its Symplicity Spyral device and Recor Medical Inc., and its Paradise RDN system.

The amounts invested in third-party litigation funding (TPLF) are expected to increase more than three-fold in the coming years, and the U.S. Congress has finally taken note of the predicament. Both the House and the Senate have introduced bills to tackle the problems of TPLF.