Drug Pricing and Vaccines - Pharmacist Digest

The upheaval of CDC’s vaccine panel, and drug pricing confusion

STAT

JUNE 12, 2025

abruptly fire all members of the expert panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines? We bring on Kathryn Edwards, a vaccine expert and a former member of the CDC advisory panel, to parse through the turmoil. Kennedy Jr. Who are the new members that Kennedy named?

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Vaccines

Does Moderna’s RSV vaccine lose efficacy faster than others?

STAT

FEBRUARY 9, 2024

Also, Moderna’s RSV vaccine efficacy seems lackluster compared to competitors, and the Bernie Sanders drug pricing song-and-dance did not seem to faze pharma CEOs. Our podcast this week centers exclusively on a tantalizing subject: Artificial intelligence in biotech. Give it a listen. Read the rest…

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing Drug Development

Listen: Messy PBM conflicts, debatable vaccines, & the future of flu season

STAT

JUNE 22, 2023

Who’s watching the drug price watchmen? Are RSV vaccines too expensive? Our colleague Bob Herman joins us to explain his year-long investigation into some brazen conflicts of interest in the world of prescription drug pricing. And is it finally time for Novavax to shine? Read the rest…

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

STAT+: Pharmalittle: Lilly and AbbVie exit U.K. drug-pricing program; J&J scales back Covid-19 vaccine production

STAT

JANUARY 17, 2023

… After mobilizing to quickly develop and manufacture a Covid-19 vaccine, Johnson & Johnson has vastly scaled back efforts to produce the shots as it faces slumping demand , The Wall Street Journal reports. Now, though, time to get cracking once again. We hope your day is productive and meaningful. And of course, do stay in touch.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

STAT+: Vaccine developer raises $45M for influenza drug trial

STAT

JUNE 24, 2025

Today, we talk about the readout of Compass Pathways’ psilocybin trial for major depressive disorder, see more vaccine concern and turnover at the FDA, and report from the American Diabetes Association. Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox.

Vaccines

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STAT+: South Africa was forced into ‘one-sided’ deals with Covid-19 vaccine suppliers, contracts reveal

STAT

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

South Africa was “bullied” into signing one-sided contracts with Covid-19 vaccine suppliers that forced the government to pay more than the European Union but offered little protection against delivery failures, according to an advocacy group. Meanwhile, the Serum Institute of India planned to charge South Africa $5.35

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

STAT+: Pharmalittle: FDA approves Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for newborns; Boehringer sues over IRA

STAT

AUGUST 22, 2023

The Food and Drug Administration approved a Pfizer vaccine that aims to protect newborns against RSV by vaccinating pregnant people, STAT tells us. The vaccine, marketed as Abrysvo, previously won approval for adults over the age of 60.

Vaccines

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FDA offers new guidelines for Covid-19 vaccine

STAT

JUNE 17, 2024

Today, we talk about the uptick in physicians using ctDNA to determine if resected cancers are truly gone, we see the FDA offering new guidelines for Covid-19 vaccines, and more. Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Read the rest…

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing Drug Development

Moderna’s plan to make a single vaccine for Covid, influenza, and RSV is on track

STAT

OCTOBER 5, 2023

Damian here with a rare look at a biotech in collapse, Moderna’s ambitious future in vaccines, and what looks like a massive missed opportunity. Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hello, all. Read the rest…

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing Drug Development

Replicate’s srRNA rabies vaccine effective in Phase 1

STAT

FEBRUARY 14, 2024

We see a new startup emerge that aims to compete with Vertex Pharmaceuticals, and learn of Phase 1 results for Replicate’s srRNA rabies vaccine. Today, we discuss how Biogen’s missed the mark with Leqembi, but how it’s also not exactly a surprise. Read the rest…

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing Drug Development

STAT+: South Africa faces court hearing over opaque Covid-19 vaccine contracts

STAT

JULY 25, 2023

A hearing began in a South Africa court on Tuesday to determine whether the government overpaid for Covid-19 vaccines, an allegation made by advocacy groups who contend that a lack of transparency may have masked pharmaceutical profits at the public’s expense. The contracts, however, have never been publicly disclosed.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

STAT+: U.K. lawmakers urge Pfizer not to raise the price of its Covid-19 vaccine

STAT

JANUARY 30, 2023

lawmakers have asked Pfizer not to raise the price of its Covid-19 vaccine, citing concerns such a move could strain the U.K. In a letter to Pfizer chief executive officer Albert Bourla, the lawmakers noted the company plans to raise the price of its shot to $110 to $130 a dose in the U.S. Several U.K.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

STAT+: Moderna plans to follow in Pfizer’s footsteps, charge up to $130 for Covid-19 vaccine in U.S.

STAT

JANUARY 9, 2023

Moderna disclosed Monday that it plans to price its Covid-19 vaccine at anywhere from $110 to $130 per dose when the company pivots from a focus on government contracts to commercial distribution efforts. The timing was not disclosed, but the company is holding talks with hospitals, pharmacy chains and pharmacy benefit managers.

Vaccines

Vaccines Hospitals Drug Pricing

An easier path for makers of seasonal flu vaccines

STAT

MARCH 3, 2025

Also, lots of updates on vaccines, and Ginkgo starts subleasing its lab space. Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Today, we bid adieu to NIH luminary Francis Collins. Read the rest…

Vaccines

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Covid-19 Vaccines Are Chance at Salvation, Financial and Beyond, for Drug Makers

NY Times

OCTOBER 13, 2020

Big profits beckon for pharmaceutical companies, which are already using their work on vaccines to fight efforts in Washington to curb drug prices.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing Pharmaceutical Companies Pharmaceutical Companies

Top biopharmaceutical Covid-19 vaccine companies boosted with over 80% revenue growth

Pharmaceutical Technology

SEPTEMBER 15, 2022

Last year was a positive year for biopharmaceutical companies, particularly those with Covid-19 vaccines. As a result of huge global sales of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines, the split in profits between Pfizer and BioNTech’s Comirnaty contributed towards revenues of $81.3bn and $22.4bn last year, respectively. YoY revenue growth.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing Documentation Biosimilars

Dr. B: Expanding the business model from COVID vaccines to antiviral medications

pharmaphorum

SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

Dr. B was founded in 2021 to connect providers with leftover COVID vaccines to the patients seeking to receive them. Though it’s not an online pharmacy that fills patients’ medication, it’s looking to offer a way for patients to easily compare drug prices in the future, including listing name-brand drugs against generic versions.

Vaccines

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Downturn for top biopharma companies Q3 market cap as Covid-19 vaccine demand falls

Pharmaceutical Technology

DECEMBER 20, 2022

This downturn in market cap was attributed to a decline in the demand for Covid-19 vaccines and therapies. The growing competition from generic drugs presents challenges for the top 20 players placing pressure on drug prices. billion for Q3, according to GlobalData’s Drugs Database. trillion in Q2 2022 to $3.14

Vaccines

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STAT+: GOP hits resistance on Medicaid cuts, and a brewing plan to lower drug prices

STAT

MAY 6, 2025

You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays. A horse named Journalism was favored to win the Kentucky Derby, but lost to a horse named Sovereignty.

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Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Locked in a federal stalemate, states take PBM reform into their own hands

PharmaVoice

JUNE 16, 2025

Known as the negotiators between health plans, pharmacies and drug companies, pharmacy benefit managers are currently entangled in a national conversation about reform. The pharma industry has long blamed PBMs for rising drug prices, pointing to opaque rebate and profit structures , and proposed policy shifts could take them to task.

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STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about unsupported drug price hikes, an annual HIV prevention shot, and more

STAT

DECEMBER 12, 2024

… Gilead Sciences plans to begin Phase 3 testing soon for a drug it believes could prevent HIV infection with just a single shot every year , STAT tells us. Such a medicine, if proven effective, would be the closest thing to a vaccine the HIV field has produced in four decades of research.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Vaccines

STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Lilly strategy against compounders, Bristol’s antipsychotic, and more

STAT

APRIL 23, 2025

European pharmaceutical bosses have called on the European Union to increase drug prices toward the much higher levels paid by the U.S., saying it will encourage innovation , The Financial Times notes.

Compounding

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STAT+: RFK Jr. is back to criticizing vaccines, and Trump’s new drug-cost plan

STAT

APRIL 17, 2025

softened his image as a vaccine critic while seeking to become the nation’s health secretary. Send me planting suggestions that are appropriate for the Washington, DC, area at this time of year, and send news tips to John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or via Signal at John_Wilkerson.07. Bobby is back Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

Drug Prices Are High Thanks to Research That Americans Pay For

NY Times

MARCH 24, 2021

The pharmaceutical industry doesn’t want things to change, but Americans can have both lower prices and innovation.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Immunization Immunity Vaccines

STAT+: Lawmakers tell Pfizer CEO to ‘back off’ on planned price hike for Covid-19 vaccine

STAT

DECEMBER 13, 2022

lawmakers wrote Pfizer chief executive officer Albert Bourla that he should “back off” from plans to charge Americans up to $130 for the company’s Covid-19 vaccine, a move they described as “pure and deadly greed.” argued the planned price tag is nearly four times the current $30 price paid by the U.S.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

Novavax is on thin ice, and the latest update isn’t exactly encouraging

STAT

FEBRUARY 1, 2024

Biotech can’t shake the Fed The XBI, a closely watched index of biotech stocks, turned red for the year yesterday, and not because of a clinical disappointment, a drug pricing scandal, or an M&A rumor that came to nothing. In 2024, as in 2023, the industry’s fate seems inextricable from interest rates.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Vaccines Communication Drug Development

Will pharma finally score a policy win for 340B?

PharmaVoice

JUNE 16, 2025

The 340B Drug Pricing Program has long been a contentious issue for pharma. The American Hospital Association has pushed back on claims the program isn’t working as intended, saying it provides a needed buffer for patients in the face of rising drug prices. Please let us know if you have feedback.

Hospitals

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STAT+: Bernie Sanders’ accidentally great drug pricing idea

STAT

MARCH 27, 2023

When Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel was called before a Senate committee last week to defend his company’s decision to raise the price of its Covid vaccine, things went largely as one would expect. Progressives tried to pin the Moderna billionaire down as a symbol of corporate greed.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Vaccines

NHC Provides Input on Patient Engagement in Medicare Drug Price Negotiations

Putting Patients First Blog

SEPTEMBER 20, 2024

NHC Provides Input on Patient Engagement in Medicare Drug Price Negotiations September 20, 2024 By: Allen Pinn, Coordinator, Policy August 16 marked two years since the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was signed into law. Earlier this year CMS released draft guidance for Initial Payment Applicability Year (IPAY) 2027.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Communication Vaccines

STAT+: European Union drug pricing proposal for the pandemic treaty generates pushback

STAT

MARCH 31, 2023

Amid treaty talks to create equitable access to medical products during pandemics, the European Union has proposed pricing language that may put the pharmaceutical industry and advocacy groups on a collision course.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Vaccines

STAT+: NIH issues a policy to widen access to medical products that emerge from government-funded research

STAT

JANUARY 14, 2025

Going forward, a company would not only have to submit an access plan when seeking to license the rights to sell a drug, vaccine or device, but would also have to update that plan as product development progresses.

Vaccines

Vaccines Drug Pricing

Maryland takes first steps to cap drug costs

STAT

MAY 22, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. About a month ago, when I first started writing this newsletter, I shared the devastating news that the famed rat hole here in Chicago was being removed.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Gas prices are hurting biotech

STAT

APRIL 11, 2024

Damian here with a look at a biotech deal with a lengthy backstory, the tyranny of gas prices, and the latest shakeup at BIO. Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hello, everyone. Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

What about the company Vertex didn’t buy?

STAT

APRIL 12, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hello, everyone. Damian here with what is my final edition of The Readout on my last day at STAT.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Eli Lilly’s latest $1.4 billion deal might come unglued

STAT

DECEMBER 7, 2023

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, everyone. Damian here with another multibillion-dollar deal, a word on the future of Sanofi, and a setback in one of medicine’s longest-running quests. Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Testing begins for a new form of PrEP

STAT

JUNE 5, 2024

We’ve got a dramatic vote on psychedelic therapy, record drug shortages, bad (maybe?) Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning. Jason Mast here filling in for Elaine. news for Biomarin, and a new kind of PrEP.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

The next act for a biotech rainmaker

STAT

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hello, everyone. Damian here with an explanation of the latest trend in biotech financing, a big idea in oncology, and Novo Nordisk’s plans to make Wegovy obsolete. Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

AstraZeneca antibody reduced Covid-19 risk in immunocompromised

STAT

MAY 17, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Asking again! Could you tell us what you think of The Readout? Fill out this survey ! Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Can AstraZeneca make good on its promise?

STAT

JUNE 3, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning! It’s an ASCO-full newsletter today (and be sure to peruse the More Reads for more reads) but there’s so much more this week.

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Morning Rounds: Our newsroom’s favorite stories of 2023

STAT

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Understand how science, health policy, and medicine shape the world everyday. Sign up for our Morning Rounds newsletter here.

HIPAA

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Bayer’s new CEO was dealt a duo of ‘clearing events.’ Tough choices lie ahead

STAT

NOVEMBER 21, 2023

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, everyone. Damian here with a look at an ambitious genomics startup, some cautious optimism on Wall Street, and a rough day for an American in Germany. Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Drug Development Vaccines

Post-TIGIT flop, iTeos Therapeutics is shuttering

STAT

MAY 29, 2025

Today, we look at the implications of BARDA cutting a major vaccine contract with Moderna, hear why former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb thinks agency layoffs will impede progress on lowering drug prices, and more. Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

Drug Pricing Vaccines Drug Development

New pharma CEOs in the hot seat

STAT

FEBRUARY 8, 2024

You’re reading the web edition of D.C. Diagnosis, STAT’s twice-weekly newsletter about the politics and policy of health and medicine. Sign up here to receive it in your inbox on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Pharmaceutical Companies

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The FDA isn’t afraid to yank a disappointing drug

STAT

FEBRUARY 26, 2024

Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today? Sign up to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Good morning, everyone. Damian here with a look at some renewed interest in a yesteryear biotech craze, news of an FDA flex, and a dive into the science of vaccinology. Read the rest…

Drug Pricing

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The upheaval of CDC’s vaccine panel, and drug pricing confusion

Does Moderna’s RSV vaccine lose efficacy faster than others?

Trending Sources

Listen: Messy PBM conflicts, debatable vaccines, & the future of flu season

STAT+: Pharmalittle: Lilly and AbbVie exit U.K. drug-pricing program; J&J scales back Covid-19 vaccine production

STAT+: Vaccine developer raises $45M for influenza drug trial

STAT+: South Africa was forced into ‘one-sided’ deals with Covid-19 vaccine suppliers, contracts reveal

STAT+: Pharmalittle: FDA approves Pfizer’s RSV vaccine for newborns; Boehringer sues over IRA

FDA offers new guidelines for Covid-19 vaccine

Moderna’s plan to make a single vaccine for Covid, influenza, and RSV is on track

Replicate’s srRNA rabies vaccine effective in Phase 1

STAT+: South Africa faces court hearing over opaque Covid-19 vaccine contracts

STAT+: U.K. lawmakers urge Pfizer not to raise the price of its Covid-19 vaccine

STAT+: Moderna plans to follow in Pfizer’s footsteps, charge up to $130 for Covid-19 vaccine in U.S.

An easier path for makers of seasonal flu vaccines

Covid-19 Vaccines Are Chance at Salvation, Financial and Beyond, for Drug Makers

Top biopharmaceutical Covid-19 vaccine companies boosted with over 80% revenue growth

Dr. B: Expanding the business model from COVID vaccines to antiviral medications

Downturn for top biopharma companies Q3 market cap as Covid-19 vaccine demand falls

STAT+: GOP hits resistance on Medicaid cuts, and a brewing plan to lower drug prices

Locked in a federal stalemate, states take PBM reform into their own hands

STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about unsupported drug price hikes, an annual HIV prevention shot, and more

STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Lilly strategy against compounders, Bristol’s antipsychotic, and more

STAT+: RFK Jr. is back to criticizing vaccines, and Trump’s new drug-cost plan

Drug Prices Are High Thanks to Research That Americans Pay For

STAT+: Lawmakers tell Pfizer CEO to ‘back off’ on planned price hike for Covid-19 vaccine

Novavax is on thin ice, and the latest update isn’t exactly encouraging

Will pharma finally score a policy win for 340B?

STAT+: Bernie Sanders’ accidentally great drug pricing idea

NHC Provides Input on Patient Engagement in Medicare Drug Price Negotiations

STAT+: European Union drug pricing proposal for the pandemic treaty generates pushback

STAT+: NIH issues a policy to widen access to medical products that emerge from government-funded research

Maryland takes first steps to cap drug costs

Gas prices are hurting biotech

What about the company Vertex didn’t buy?

Eli Lilly’s latest $1.4 billion deal might come unglued

Testing begins for a new form of PrEP

The next act for a biotech rainmaker

AstraZeneca antibody reduced Covid-19 risk in immunocompromised

Can AstraZeneca make good on its promise?

Morning Rounds: Our newsroom’s favorite stories of 2023

Bayer’s new CEO was dealt a duo of ‘clearing events.’ Tough choices lie ahead

Post-TIGIT flop, iTeos Therapeutics is shuttering

New pharma CEOs in the hot seat

The FDA isn’t afraid to yank a disappointing drug

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