Pricing, reimbursement and access
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Biotechnology
The microbiome sector has approved medicines on the market, but it has not yet delivered the broad therapeutic class that early investors once expected. Its current phase is more focused, with companies trying to show that gut bacteria can be developed into consistent, regulated products with clear clinical uses. 17 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
Regulators delivered a fairly busy week, led by a cluster of US Food and Drug Administration oncology decisions and two new UK approvals from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. The FDA cleared new uses for Welireg with Keytruda in renal cell carcinoma and Truqap in a PTEN-deficient prostate cancer setting, while the MHRA authorized the UK’s first GLP-1 tablet for weight management. 15 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
A new proposal from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) would establish a permanent framework for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (Negotiation Program), creating a more transparent and sustainable process for lowering drug costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries. 15 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
India’s pharma industry is still best known for low-cost generic medicines, vaccines, active ingredients and contract manufacturing. That role remains central to global drug supply, but it no longer describes the full direction of the sector. 12 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
PwC expects US commercial healthcare costs to remain high in 2027, with health plans facing pressure from provider billing, hospital reimbursement, pharmacy spending, behavioral health demand and out-of-network arbitration. 12 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
The global branded drug industry has urged G7 leaders to put pharmaceutical innovation at the center of their economic agenda, in a pre-summit statement that also serves as a clear pitch for policies more favorable to the sector. 11 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
US pharma giant Pfizer is reviewing the timing and scope of planned investments in Germany, as industry anger builds over proposed healthcare reforms that could lower drug prices in one of Europe’s largest pharma markets. 11 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major AbbVie has secured a recommendation from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for Aquipta (atogepant) as an acute treatment option for adults with migraine. 10 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
The USA’s Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) released a Fina; Evidence Report assessing the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of oveporexton (TAK-861), from Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical for narcolepsy type 1. 9 June 2026
Generics
The US Supreme Court has handed a unanimous win to British drugmaker Hikma in a closely watched generics patent case brought by Irish biopharma Amarin. 5 June 2026
Biotechnology
US drugmaker Gilead Sciences today announced that the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has approved Livdelzi (seladelpar) for the use on the National Health Service (NHS) in England within its marketing authorization as an option for treating primary biliary cholangitis (PBC). 4 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
In this week’s Expert View, Cem Zorlular, CEO of Er-Kim, argues that Europe’s W.A.I.T. indicator is becoming too blunt to capture how patients actually access medicines. He says the index risks deterring investment in markets where viable access routes already exist. 3 June 2026
Biotechnology
Oncology company BeOne Medicines says Brukinsa (zanubrutinib) has secured reimbursement in Ireland for adults with relapsed or refractory marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) who have received at least one prior anti-CD20-based therapy. 1 June 2026
Pharmaceutical
Shares of French pharma Advicenne leapt almost 50% to 1.31 euros this morning, after it announced that Likozam (clobazam) is reimbursed by the French social security system, notably for the combination treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy. 1 June 2026
Biotechnology
UK-based Accord Healthcare has won a National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommendation for Hetronifly (serplulimab) in untreated extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, opening routine NHS access in England and Wales for a disease where progress has been stubbornly slow. 29 May 2026
Pharmaceutical
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has used National Cancer Research Month to argue that US cancer research leadership could weaken if pricing and reimbursement policies reduce incentives for drug development. 29 May 2026
Biotechnology
GSK today announced that NICE has issued draft final guidance recommending Nucala (mepolizumab) for use on the National Health Service (NHS), as an add-on maintenance treatment option for adult patients with uncontrolled COPD. 28 May 2026
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major Eli Lilly today announced an access milestone in obesity care: all three of the nation's largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) will cover Lilly's full obesity medicine portfolio. 28 May 2026
Biosimilars
In recent years, some stakeholders have held the view that Belgium is a difficult or even unattractive country for biosimilars, according to a website posting by trade group pharma.be. 26 May 2026
Biotechnology
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published final draft guidance recommending the use of Tivdak (tisotumab vedotin), an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC), from within its marketing authorization for the monotherapy treatment of adult patients with recurrent or metastatic cervical cancer with disease progression on or after systemic therapy. 22 May 2026
Pharmaceutical
The Inflation Reduction Act has rewritten the rules of US drug economics. Negotiated prices and a Part D redesign have reshaped how companies plan launches, manage portfolios, and defend value. For pharma leaders, the IRA is no longer a distant policy—it is a pressure test. 11 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
The Trump administration has announced its intent to levy tariffs on pharmaceutical products and proposed lowering drug prices in the USA to most-favored nation prices. Based on recent trade deals with the European Union and Japan, tariffs on pharmaceuticals will likely be capped at 15% for those two territories. 11 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
The US Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) rebate model pilot marks an important first step in bringing greater transparency and accountability to the 340B hospital markup program which has limited oversight. 10 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
The Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER) has posted a revised Evidence Report assessing the comparative clinical effectiveness and value of Brinsupri (brensocatib) for the treatment of non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFB). 9 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
Denmark’s Novo Nordisk announced a significant price cut last month for its blockbuster drug, Ozempic (semaglutide), which is offered to its non-insured consumers for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. 8 September 2025
Biotechnology
Gene therapy has crossed a historic threshold. In just a few years, regulators have approved treatments for sickle cell disease, beta-thalassemia, hemophilia, muscular dystrophy, and rare skin disorders. 8 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday released updated editions of its Model Lists of Essential Medicines (EML) and Essential Medicines for Children (EMLc), adding new treatments for various types of cancer and for diabetes with associated comorbidities such as obesity. Medicines for cystic fibrosis, psoriasis, haemophilia and blood-related disorders are among the other additions. 6 September 2025
Generics
The US Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) and the Biosimilars Council has released the 2025 US Generic & Biosimilar Medicines Savings Report 4 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) yesterday announced prescription drug reforms are set to take effect October 1, designed to give patients and physicians real-time access to prescription drug costs, insurance coverage details and prior authorization requirements. 3 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
Hypertension remains one of Latin America’s leading killers despite new treatments, with more than two million deaths every year and nearly half occurring before age 70, according to a new Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) study. 1 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
Weight loss medication provider CheqUp has announced that it will maintain the current prices of Mounjaro (tirzepatide) 2.5mg at £149 ($202) and 5mg at £169 from Monday, following recent price increases by Eli Lilly. 1 September 2025
Pharmaceutical
US pharma major Eli Lilly has temporarily halted UK orders of its weight-loss drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide), Reuters reports. 29 August 2025
Biotechnology
UK health technology assessor the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended Johnson & Johnson’s Tremfya (guselkumab) in the final guidance for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. 29 August 2025
Pharmaceutical
Danish pharma major Novo Nordisk and 9amHealth, a privately-held virtual care provider focused on cardiometabolic conditions, have announced a new relationship to offer patients access to obesity care across the USA. 28 August 2025
Pharmaceutical
The pharmaceutical industry and the UK government have failed to reach agreement on requested changes to a medicines payment scheme. 22 August 2025
Pharmaceutical
A week on from increases in the cost of Eli Lilly’s weight loss drug Mounjaro (tirzepatide), weight loss medication provider CheqUp has reported a dramatic 27 fold surge in sales of Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy/Ozempic (semaglutide) in the UK. 22 August 2025
Biotechnology
The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has today (August 21) recommended the use of Japanese pharma major Astellas’ enfortumab vedotin with MSD’s Keytruda (pembrolizumab) from MSD, the trading name for Merck & Co outside of the USA and Canada. 21 August 2025
Pharmaceutical
Today’s announcement (August 20) on draft guidelines from the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) moves away from a 'one-size-fits-all' approach, shifting from automatically starting everyone on one medicine to personalized treatment plans that aim to prevent heart failure, heart attacks and other serious medical problems. 20 August 2025
Biotechnology
Germany’s Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care concluded that Columvi (glofitamab) monotherapy shows no added benefit for adults with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated from third line. IQWiG said the manufacturer submitted no suitable comparative evidence against the therapies defined by Germany’s benefit framework. 19 August 2025
Pharmaceutical
GoodRx has teamed up with Novo Nordisk to make all dose levels of Ozempic (semaglutide) and Wegovy (semaglutide) available to eligible self-paying patients for $499 per month. The move marks the first time Ozempic has been offered at this price point. 19 August 2025
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