Welcome to the Week in Review.

P4AD Files 5th Amicus Brief as Pharma Petitions SCOTUS

On Wednesday, P4AD filed its fifth patient-centered amicus brief defending the Medicare Negotiation Program, this time against PhRMA’s appeal to the Fifth Circuit. A Texas district court denied the group’s claims in August, adding to the industry’s 14 defeats. On the same day, AstraZeneca petitioned the Supreme Court to hear its appeal after losing its own case in 2024, seeking to block the price reduction of its diabetes drug, Farxiga, when lower negotiated prices take effect on January 1. While this marks a new escalation, it’s one we’ve long expected and prepared for. P4AD will continue elevating the voices of patients and highlighting the real-world benefits of negotiation, including the $99 billion in taxpayer savings and 656,967 lives projected to be saved over the next seven years. Medicare negotiation is here to stay. — [P4AD, P4AD, SCOTUS, CNN, The Hill, CBO, CIDSA]

Pharma Hikes Abroad ≠ Lower U.S. Prices

With the September 29 deadline approaching for drug manufacturers to respond to President Trump’s demands to reduce U.S. drug prices, BMS is following in Eli Lilly’s footsteps and raising prices in the U.K., claiming the move will somehow “improve affordability in the U.S.” But basic math shows that shifting costs overseas won’t bring down drug prices for Americans, even if some discounts are provided to lessen the inflated sticker price. Pharma has proven time and again that they can’t self-regulate, creating a dangerous crisis for patients who rely on their life-saving drugs but can’t afford them. It’s time for tangible and effective enforcement measures if drugmakers fail to meet the approaching deadline. — [White House, CNN, Pink Sheet, Axios, Inside Health Policy]

100% Pharmaceutical Tariffs Coming Next Month

In a Truth Social post on Thursday, President Trump announced tariffs of up to 100% on “any branded or patented Pharmaceutical Product” starting October 1 — unless the company is already building facilities in the U.S. Reshoring can’t happen overnight, and in the meantime, drugmakers will pass higher import costs directly onto patients. Today, only 10% of the active pharmaceutical ingredients used in U.S medicines are produced domestically. Doubling the cost of importing the remaining 90% would mean higher prices for patients already struggling to afford their prescriptions. — [CNBC, POLITICO, Bloomberg] 

New KFF Analysis Slams the ORPHAN Cures Act

New analysis from KFF this week confirms what patients already know: the ORPHAN Cures Act will keep prices artificially increased for people on Medicare for longer, leading to higher out-of-pocket costs at a time when 29 million Americans are already “cost-desperate” when it comes to paying for their medications. The paper also reinforces earlier reporting that the CBO’s $5 billion score vastly underestimates the bill’s true cost for taxpayers, which will skyrocket once blockbuster drugs like Keytruda are factored in. By exempting these medicines from negotiation, ORPHAN hands pharma a massive windfall while weakening one of the most popular cost-cutting programs in the country. Lawmakers should take this as a warning and reject future carveouts like the EPIC and MINI Acts that would further undermine Medicare negotiation. — [KFF, Gallup, WSJ, Congress, Congress]

In Case You Missed It

Administration officials are floating the possibility of a government-run online pharmacy, dubbed TrumpRX. While an HHS characterized the idea as “internal deliberations” and “pure speculation,” it comes in the context of President Trump’s ongoing MFN pricing push and discussions with large U.S. drugmakers. — [Inside Health Policy, Bloomberg, Independent]

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Sa’Ra Skipper

Condition: Type 1 Diabetes
Drug: Insulin
Background: Student from Indiana. Sa’Ra joined former President Biden in 2021 and shared remarks on the high cost of prescription drugs. 

In her words: “As a diabetic, you have to fight so hard physically and mentally just to survive. There shouldn’t be a price tag on my life, and I shouldn’t have to decide if I’m going to pay for living expenses or pay for insulin.”

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