STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about Pfizer’s emergency penicillin program, a Sanofi diabetes drug, and more

The Trump administration proposed a policy change on an unspecified date to prevent drugmakers from circumventing Medicare price negotiations by adding active ingredients to existing drugs. This policy is part of an annual rule-making process by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to select the next 20 drugs and biologics for price negotiation. The selected drugs are slated for announcement by February 1, 2027, with negotiated prices taking effect in 2029. Currently, if a company adds a second drug to one already eligible for negotiation, the FDA classifies the combination as a new product, granting it an extended period before price negotiation. The proposed change aims to subject certain combination biologics to negotiation under specific circumstances. In parallel, German Health Minister Nina Warken stated this week that drugmakers will not be exempt from cost-cutting measures, despite warnings from some companies that they might be unable to launch innovative medicines in Europe if governments do not increase payments. Proposed legislation in Germany intends to cap the escalating costs within the statutory health insurance system. Warken acknowledged the concerns of many pharmaceutical companies regarding these financial constraints.