drug pricing
More than 600
That’s how many generic drugs will be added to TrumpRx thanks to a partnership with entrepreneur Mark Cuban, Amazon Pharmacy, and GoodRx, Chelsea and Daniel Payne report.
The new partnerships could make the president’s namesake website more useful to consumers. Many of the 74 brand medications on TrumpRx were already available as generics for far less. TrumpRx also has far fewer drugs available than counterparts like Cost Plus and GoodRx.
Read more.
fda
Fallout at FDA
Several FDA officials either departed or were reassigned following the resignation of Marty Makary, Lizzy Lawrence reports.
Chief among them was Tracy Beth Høeg, who had been the acting director of the agency’s drug center.
Read more to learn about the reshuffle.
medicare drug price negotiation
Lightly tapping the final nail in the coffin.
Brand drugmakers’ legal campaign against Medicare drug price negotiation has been going poorly for years. On Monday, it got worse.
The Supreme Court declined to hear six lawsuits against the law.
There are still some lawsuits pending before lower courts. If any of those were to be decided in favor of the drug industry, there’s a chance the Supreme Court might agree to hear the case. But the high court’s rejection of industry challenges makes it riskier for lower courts to rule against the Medicare program.
Read more.
insurance
Choice and consequence
The Trump administration issued a regulation on Friday that allows insurers to sell bare-bones coverage with lower monthly premiums and fewer consumer protections, Tara Bannow reports.
The administration hopes that allowing catastrophic plans will cushion premium payment increases that followed the expiration of enhanced premium subsidies. In return, catastrophic plan enrollees will have to pay deductibles that, if the administration gets its way, will be $17,500 for an individual and $35,000 for a family in 2028, according to a report from Veda Partners, an investment adviser.
Read more about the various changes to the rules.
infectious disease
Ebola update
The Trump administration banned entrance to foreign travelers who have been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan in the past 21 days, according to Annalisa Merelli and Helen Branswell.
The CDC order follows the confirmation of infection in an American doctor working in the outbreak zone.
This is the first time the U.S. has imposed a travel ban in response to an Ebola outbreak. Read more for why travel bans might make containing the virus more difficult.
