Trump Floats 250% Pharma Tariffs
"We want pharmaceuticals made in our country,” President Trump said. Meanwhile, the Government Accountability Office says the administration violated the law when it withheld NIH funding approved by Congress. Also: overdose prevention funding, Medicaid cuts, nuclear threats, and more.
The Hill:
Trump Threatens 250% Tariffs On Pharmaceutical Imports
President Trump on Tuesday threatened to impose tariffs of up to 250 percent on pharmaceutical imports, the highest rate he’s discussed to date. “We’ll be putting a, initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals,” Trump told CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” “But in one year, one in a half years maximum, it’s going to go to 150 percent, and then it’s going to go to 250 percent, because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country,” Trump said. (Weixel, 8/5)
MedPage Today:
Why Are Drug Prices So High? PBMs Are Only Part Of The Answer, Say GOP Advisers
There was one thing everyone agreed on at Monday's listening session on lowering the cost of prescription drugs: Something must be done to rein in pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Problems in the prescription drug marketplace such as lack of transparency "are compounded by the labyrinth of regulations and a web of intermediaries," including PBMs, Thomas DeMatteo, chief counsel to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said at the listening session, which was hosted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the departments of Justice, Commerce, and HHS. (Frieden, 8/5)
On funding and research cuts —
Stat:
Trump NIH Cuts Violated Federal Law, GAO Watchdog Office Says
In a scathing report issued Tuesday, the Government Accountability Office found that the Trump administration, by abruptly canceling National Institutes of Health grants, had violated a 1974 law blocking presidents from withholding funding Congress has approved. (Oza and Molteni, 8/5)
NPR:
CDC To Disburse Delayed Funds Including For Overdose Prevention, Staffers Say
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be able to fully fund the Overdose Data to Action or OD2A program ahead of a key budget deadline, according to a CDC senior leader. A second CDC staff member confirmed that "there have been developments and we are likely to have full funding," although they did not have details on when the funding would become available. Both spoke to NPR on the condition of anonymity because they fear retribution for speaking to the press without authorization. Some staffers at CDC expressed to NPR that this appeared to be good news, although the funding situation was still fluid and confusing. (Simmons-Duffin and Mann, 8/5)
Stat:
Rare Disease Patients Caught Up In Overseas Research Funding Cuts
Mid-April was a nerve-racking time to arrive on the National Institutes of Health campus outside Washington, D.C. — it was just two weeks after more than 1,000 NIH employees had been laid off in a chaotic downsizing of the federal workforce that disrupted many of the health agency’s core functions. Ellyn Kodroff had flown in from Chicago for the start of her daughter Jori’s experimental treatment for a rare digestive disorder. (Molteni, 8/6)
On Medicaid and veterans' health care —
The 19th:
Medicaid Cuts Threaten Services For Pregnant People In Rural America
When there’s a maternal health emergency, Jessica Wheat springs into action. Alongside a group of specialized health providers at Research Medical Center in Kansas City, Wheat works fast to make sure patients are able to have their babies delivered safely or their children given critical treatment at the Level III neonatal intensive care unit on site. “We have just an abundance of resources, and people that know what they’re doing,” the labor and delivery nurse said. That abundance is coming to an end. (Luthra and Rodriguez, 8/5)
KFF Health News:
Congress Looks To Ease Restrictions On Veterans’ Use Of Non-VA Clinics And Hospitals
John-Paul Sager appreciates the care he has received at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics, but he thinks it should be easier for veterans like him to use their benefits elsewhere. Sager, a Marine Corps and Army veteran, uses his VA coverage for non-VA treatment of back injuries stemming from his military service. But he said he sometimes must make several phone calls to obtain approval to see a local chiropractor. “It seems like it takes entirely too long,” he said. (Leys, 8/6)
On the threat of nuclear war —
Newsweek:
US Flexes Nuclear Forces As Trump Rattles Saber At Putin
The United States has released footage showcasing its nuclear deterrence capabilities amid escalating tensions with Russia over a potential peace deal to end the war in Ukraine. Following the release of the footage, Russia announced that it no longer recognizes restrictions on deploying conventional and nuclear missiles with ranges between 310 and 3,417 miles—banned under the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. (Chan, 8/6)
EL PAÍS English:
Last Survivors Of Hiroshima Warn The World Of Risk Of Another Nuclear Conflict: ‘We Haven’t Learned Anything In 80 Years’
Satoshi Tanaka, who was a year old when the US dropped the atomic bomb on the Japanese city on August 6, 1945, fears that memories of the disaster will fade as those that experienced it pass away. (Bonet, 8/6)
