Well, hey there, folks! How’s it going on this fine day? We’re hanging in there, thank you very much, especially since we’ve hit the midpoint of the week. I mean, we’ve made it this far, so might as well keep pushing through, right? The other options don’t seem all that great, if you catch my drift. So, let’s keep ourselves occupied to make the time pass by quickly. Grab that cup of Joe and let’s dive in. Today, we’re going with Jack Daniels. Yep, you heard that right. Now, let’s get down to business. Here are a few things to get you started. Have a fantastic day, and don’t be a stranger. Oh, and just a reminder, we’re now accepting postcards and telegrams. Going old school, as they say.
So, the Trump administration has laid out its plan to nudge drug companies into lowering their prices in the U.S. to align more with other countries. According to STAT, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is looking to haggle drug prices down to match the lowest prices paid in similar nations. This plan targets brand-name drugs without competition from generics or biosimilars. Specifically, companies are asked to set their U.S. drug prices at the same level as those in OECD countries with at least 60% of the GDP per capita of the U.S. But there are still some unanswered questions, like what happens if companies refuse to lower their prices or which prices they need to cut. Drug prices in the U.S. vary depending on the insurer, Medicaid, or Medicare, so what patients pay isn’t directly linked to the cost of the prescription.
In other news, Moderna has withdrawn its application for approval of a combo flu and Covid vaccine candidate after discussions with the FDA, as per Reuters. The company plans to resubmit the application later this year with efficacy data from a late-stage trial of its seasonal flu vaccine. This decision comes after the FDA announced the need for new clinical trials to approve annual Covid boosters for healthy individuals under 65. The FDA is expected to decide on Moderna’s next-gen Covid vaccine, part of the flu-Covid combo shot, by the end of the month. Moderna has adjusted its timeline for approval of the combo vaccine aimed at adults 50 and older to 2026. The company is banking on revenue from newer mRNA vaccines to offset declining sales of its Covid shot and slow uptake of its RSV vaccine.
Alrighty then, that’s all for now. Stay tuned for more updates, and remember to keep those postcards coming. Have a great one!
