Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Cheaper Generics Exist For Many Drugs Promised At Lower Cost On TrumpRx
Stat: TrumpRx Promises Cheapest Drugs. Many Cost Less Already
President Trump said his administration’s new TrumpRx website will offer the cheapest prices in the world for 43 brand-name drugs, and counting. But about half of them are already available as generics, usually for much less. (Wilkerson, Parker, Cirruzzo, Chen and Payne, 2/6)
The Hill: Sen. Ron Wyden Criticizes Trump's TrumpRx As Mere 'Coupon Book'
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) blasted the direct-to-consumer (DTC) TrumpRx platform launched by the administration Thursday, denouncing it as a “glorified coupon book.” The Trump administration launched its DTC discount drug portal TrumpRx.gov Thursday evening. ... The discounts ranged from 33 percent to 93 percent for drugs treating obesity, diabetes, asthma and infertility. Administration officials said Thursday that more drugs would be added. (Choi, 2/6)
More pharmaceutical industry news —
The New York Times: Hims & Hers Withdraws Knockoff Weight-Loss Pill After Regulatory Scrutiny
Hims & Hers, a major online provider of obesity medications, said on Saturday that it would stop selling a cheap knockoff version of Novo Nordisk’s new pill version of its popular weight loss drug Wegovy, bowing to pressure from federal regulators who suggested the product might be illegal. Hims had just introduced the offering on Thursday and was immediately met with sharp backlash. On Friday, the top lawyer for the Department of Health and Human Services, Mike Stuart, wrote on X that his office had referred Hims to the Justice Department for potential violations of a federal law that regulates the sale of medications. (Robbins, 2/7)
MedPage Today: Use Of GLP-1 Drugs Under Scrutiny At Winter Olympics
As the Winter Olympic Games get underway, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is monitoring an unexpected class of drugs: GLP-1 receptor agonists. An advisory group that makes recommendations about WADA's list of prohibited substances discussed the status of GLP-1 medications, and added semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy, Rybelsus) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound) to its monitoring program, a spokesperson for WADA told MedPage Today in an email. (Henderson, 2/6)
Bloomberg: Lilly Inks Deal With Innovent To Speed Up Early Drug Development
Eli Lilly & Co. is paying $350 million upfront to collaborate with Chinese biotech Innovent Biologics Inc. in developing new treatments for cancer and immune disorders, a further vote of confidence for the innovation capabilities of the country’s drugmakers. Innovent could see up to $8.5 billion in milestone payments, the Suzhou-based company said in a press release Sunday. The firms didn’t specify the number of medicines included in the deal. Innovent’s Hong Kong-listed shares jumped as much as 8.6% on Monday. (Tong, 2/9)
Modern Healthcare: Baxter Layoffs To Hit 90 Roles
Baxter International cut about 3% of the workforce at its North Carolina manufacturing facility. The North Cove facility in Marion, which produces about 60% of the U.S. supply of IV solutions, was significantly affected by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. Although the facility has returned to pre-hurricane production and inventory levels, the disruptions affected clients’ IV usage and demand. The shift led the company to realign operations with market conditions and lay off about 90 employees in late January, according to Baxter. (Dubinsky, 2/6)
