And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up, but we plan to indulge our Pharmalot ancestor who will turn another page on the calendar, take a spin in our horseless carriage and sample some of our favorite foods. We also hope to hold a listening party, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? This remains a fine time to step outside and take in the fresh air from beaches to lakes to hillsides. If the weather fails to cooperate, you could visit your local library or remain home and subscribe to yet another streaming service. Or maybe simply hit the pause button and contemplate the rest of your life. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you on Tuesday, since there is a holiday on this side of the pond, conveying yet another three-day weekend.
The U.S. Senate passed legislation that would restrict U.S. pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies from doing business with certain Chinese companies, potentially giving the president another way to pressure the industry into doing what he wants, STAT writes. The BIOSECURE Act, which was passed as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, has been a long time coming. A more aggressive version of the bill was introduced in the Senate in December 2023. The House proposed similar legislation the next month. BIOSECURE is not over the finish line yet, but it is significant that the Senate included it in the National Defense Authorization Act, because the defense budget bill has passed every year for decades. The House passed its version of the defense bill earlier in the year without the BIOSECURE Act, so the two chambers would need to agree to include BIOSECURE in the final version of the defense budget bill when reconciling differences between their versions.
Retail pharmacies and prescription drug savings site GoodRx are talking with the Trump administration about joining its TrumpRx website, suggesting an expansion beyond the early description of it as a link to direct discounts offered by pharmaceutical companies, Reuters tells us. Several drugmakers are offering to sell some brand-name medications directly to consumers at the negotiated prices they get from insurers rather than much higher list prices. At a White House event last week, Trump and health officials described TrumpRx as a way to help consumers access drugs at discounted prices. How much value it represents to consumers is still uncertain. Wendy Barnes, chief executive officer at GoodRx, which connects consumers to coupons and discounts, said the Trump administration understands that “if we include the pharma direct programs, we also have to find a way to convey competitive cash pricing at retail pharmacies.” The National Community Pharmacists Association and the National Association of Chain Drug Stores said they were also talking with administration officials.
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