
Caught my Eye Cool Idea, But. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) puts announced a new pilot prioritization program for the review of Abbreviated New Drug Applications (ANDAs) to support generic manufacturing in the U.S. I mean it sounds good, except… there are three criteria for applicants: Only 9% of API manufacturers are in the…

Work travel is usually a nice change of pace. And then I found myself on a Wednesday afternoon on the NJ Turnpike in torrential rain with other cars facing the wrong direction. Super fun! Two good things – 1) the pharma team I gave the talk to was awesome and 2) made it home safe…

If you’re off this week, excellent timing. I feel like things were sort of quiet. Or maybe that is just compared to last week. Caught my Eye Work It. I had a long post I was starting to write about health insurance in America and then I saw this NYT article and just stopped; Sarah…

Next week we’ll have our first glimpse of the Medicare Part D premiums for 2026; I expect them to be pretty awful. The Part D redesign shifted additional liability onto plans without changing enough of the premium calculation. Some articles next week will say it is unintended consequence; I think it is an intended one…

In case you think I’m opinionated, just know that it could be so.much.worse. I often write something and then hit backspace, backspace, backspace. You’re welcome? Off next week for the 4th of July. Caught my Eye Tradeoffs. Last week USC put out a paper that reviewed how many Medicare Part D beneficiaries will likely pay…

I do love a Monday off. It somehow feels like an a double-treat – you get the Monday off and the week flies by. Yes we had to cram more meetings and work into the shorter week but totally worth it. Caught my Eye Processed Over. This week the Secretary of Health and Human Services,…
This week I’ve repeatedly spoken to groups about the President’s Executive Order (EO) on Most Favored Nation (MFN) pricing and I feel a little vulnerable. I am often “authentic” in my explanations. I recognize that to many people I seem biased on a lot of issues but, in my defense, I find most politics maddening…

Let’s wrap up my musings on the President’s Executive Order (EO). Medicaid. Section 6 of the EO directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director, the Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy, and the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), to…

Let’s Get Horizontal. Arkansas just passed a law banning pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) from owning pharmacies in the state. Other states like Vermont and New York are considering it. This also includes mail order and specialty pharmacy. Lately the economics of independent pharmacies are getting covered in the media showcasing how they often lose money…

Mom and Pop Going Broke. The economics of pharmacies are fascinating. Like did you know they usually lose money on brand-name drugs? A pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) law in Montana would help those pharmacies get closer to at least breaking even and make sure they get dispensing fees. I thought this KFF piece was a…