BioCentury
PODCAST | Politics, Policy & Law

Trump’s ultimatum, RADx & preclinical IPOs: a BioCentury podcast

July 28, 2020 2:09 AM UTC

President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to biopharma CEOs to work with him on drug pricing hit its first hurdle when the executives declined an offer to meet at the White House on Tuesday. On the latest edition of the BioCentury This Week podcast, BioCentury editors handicap the chances of success for the Trump administration’s latest drug pricing initiatives, as well as how the U.S. aims to bolster its COVID-19 diagnostic capability and the recent surge of IPOs by preclinical companies.

Washington Editor Steve Usdin analyzes a set of executive orders signed Friday by President Trump that seek to reduce drug costs. Usdin says the measures -- which include the reference pricing scheme, and initiatives to require Medicare Part D plans and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) to pass rebates to consumers at the point of sale, to authorize importation programs, and to create a discount program for insulin and EpiPens -- would take months to go into effect and could be further delayed or blocked by litigation or legislation (see “Trump Issues Drug Pricing Ultimatum”; “Biopharma Boycotts”). ...