Welcome to the Week in Review.

As Tariffs Loom, Patients Could Pay the Price

President Trump confirmed this week that pharmaceutical tariffs remain on the table as part of a broader trade package. If imposed, tariffs of 25% or more on imported medicines and ingredients would disrupt the global supply chain, and patients would be left footing the bill. The U.S. already pays between 4-8 times what similar high-income nations pay for the same brand-name drugs. Adding tariffs would raise costs further, especially for generic medications, which account for 90% of all prescriptions in the US. New data from the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) suggests that proposed tariffs on the EU could jeopardize innovation and slow the development of new treatments for patients, as biotech companies could be left scrambling for new research and manufacturing partners. Some major drug companies have recently announced new U.S. manufacturing investments, likely in anticipation of future trade penalties. But reshoring takes years; in the meantime, patients would face higher prices and greater uncertainty. Pharma, meanwhile, could use the disruption to raise prices – exploiting chaos while continuing to fight efforts to lower costs and reform the patent system. Regardless of the policy intent, it’s patients who will bear the cost of pharmaceutical tariffs. – (Politico, Axios, Fierce Pharma, Global Trade Magazine, Desert Sun, BIO, Reuters, Forbes)

Judiciary Committee to Markup Pro-Competition Drug Pricing Bills

This Thursday, the Senate Judiciary Committee will mark up a slate of bipartisan, pro-competition bills aimed at curbing patent abuses and lowering prescription drug prices. The legislation targets tactics like patent thicketing, product hopping, and pay-for-delay deals that allow brand-name drug companies to extend monopolies and block generics and biosimilars. Previous versions of these bills  – S.1040, S.1041, S.1096, S.1095, and S. 1097 – have been championed by patients in our community since July 2023. They have not only passed through Committee with bipartisan support but are projected to save taxpayers nearly $5 billion over the next decade. With one in three Americans struggling to fill their prescriptions due to cost, the Committee has a critical opportunity to advance reforms that promote competition and deliver relief to patients and taxpayers. — (Senate Judiciary Committee, PatientsPushForCompetition.org)

AFPI Outlines Drug Pricing Policies in Report

The America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a think tank founded by former Trump officials, released a new policy paper last week signaling that Trumpworld is serious about addressing the fact that Americans pay far more for prescription drugs than people in other countries. The paper revives ideas from Trump’s first term that were never implemented, and offers a more detailed roadmap than anything seen so far from the administration. While lowering prices for Americans is mentioned, the paper’s main focus is on preventing other countries from “freeloading” off U.S. investments in R&D. While we don’t share all of AFPI’s assumptions, the paper represents a notable shift and raises the prospect of potential drug pricing reforms under President Trump. (Axios, Endpoints)

ICYMI

The FTC’s lawsuit against the three largest PBMs is now in jeopardy after two commissioners were fired, raising legal questions about whether the case can proceed. We’re closely monitoring this development, which could undermine efforts to hold PBMs accountable for inflated insulin prices and restricted patient access.

Subscribe to the WEEK IN REVIEW here.