
Can you ever feel sad looking at photo of a chimp wearing clothes? Maybe it will make the latest policy news go down just a little smoother. 340B’s Split Screen. February 26 brought two developments in the 340B contract pharmacy fight. They pointed in opposite directions. First, a judge in the Middle District of Tennessee…

Next week I’m joining Cencora for a webinar (sign up), followed by presenting at Access USA in Philadelphia and then, off to Vegas, for Asembia. If you’ll be in Philly or Vegas, I’d welcome a conversation about what’s truly consequential right now and what isn’t. Coffee or Paper Planes (IYKYK) optional. Quieter week around here…

I chuckled during the E&C hearing when members were questioning the panelists about the pharmaceutical deals with the Administration. As if these are the people they should be asking. Make a left, make right, go down about a mile – there’s a big white house. Maybe they can help you there. Parallels Between 340B and…

No, I do not think that a groundhog is a meteorologist. But, one year I am determined to make it to see Punxsutawney Phil. I expect it to be silly and cold and over quickly. I will likely have to go solo because my family thinks getting a bus from a Wal-mart parking lot in…

This week I had to remind myself that we live in the AND. Things can be truly awful around us, but there are still moments of happiness and hope. There are some periods in life where it is harder to find the AND, but it is there. At least that is what I have to…

In case you thought I’d leaving you hanging, today’s newsletter has a summary on GLOBE. Sphere it below? Calling it a Plan would be GENEROUS, but that’s a Whole Other Thing. On Thursday, the White House released a fact sheet urging Congress to enact President Trump’s “Great Healthcare Plan,” pitching it as a cost-cutting package…

Something is bugging me this week. Okay, lots of things are bugging me this week, but the one that is relevant to this newsletter is the STAT News headline that implied it is awesome to be a pharmaceutical executive in 2026. This week, there were reports of more than 25,000 layoffs in pharma last year.…

Confession. I was a bit of angry elf on Saturday morning. I was making dozens of cookies for neighbors and was just stressed and frustrated. Two proposed rules on a Friday afternoon are never fun, during the holiday season, brutal. My husband said that I had to be more in the moment. Try putting some…

Today we’re expecting to hear more about manufacturer Most Favored Nation (MFN) agreements and (if you trust the rumors) maybe more about the MFN demos – the Global Benchmark for Efficient Drug Pricing (GLOBE) Model and the Guarding U.S. Medicare Against Rising Drug Costs (GUARD) Model. I wasn’t planning on publishing the next two weeks,…

It is the kind of month where I walk around with a legal pad to capture all the random thoughts floating around my head. Which is how “figure out gift baking (scones? Levain cookies?)” ends up next to “Look at MedPAC agenda.” There are no dull moments around here. While I’m on the topic. MedPAC…