Alex Schriver

Husband, Father, Son | Senior Vice President of Public Affairs @PhRMA | Fan of @Nationals & @PGATour

[Antonio Ciaccia @A_Ciaccia]

"After all, nothing says 'safety net' quite like five publicly traded mega-corporations capturing 77% of all 340B contract pharmacy relationships." @DrugChannels

https://t.co/SQJEilRyzg

[Eric Topol @EricTopol]

Big progress vs cancer, folks.
The kind of event curves from randomized trials that we've not seen before for a couple of the most deadly cancers. Congrats to the oncology research community for getting these trial done. #ASCO26, @ASCO

[Derek Thompson @DKThomp]

This has quietly been a miracle month in medicine.

In the last 5 weeks we’ve got news on:

- retatrutide, the triple agonist GLP-1 from Lilly, basically melting fat and body-wide inflammation at record levels
- RevMed’s new pancreatic cancer drug showing unprecedented abilities to extend life
- small trial of a one-and-done PCSK9 gene editing therapy for slashing LDL cholesterol
- Mayo’s AI-assisted radiology showing vastly improved cancer detection
- this new therapy for metastatic solid tumors

This stuff is at varying levels of evidence. Retatrutide is ~100% on its way, other stuff needs more clinical trial data. But put it together and we’re maybe on the verge of majorly reducing the mortality of heart disease and cancer, the two leading causes of death in America.

[Paragon Health Institute @Paragon_Inst]

The 340B Drug Pricing Program has grown from 39 participating hospitals in 1992 to 2,954 in 2024.

Contract pharmacies went from one in 1995 to 32,528 in 2024. Drug purchases at the 340B discounted price increased from $5 billion in 2010 to $81.4 billion in 2024.

https://t.co/WOB0UjLGus

[Gunnar Esiason @G17Esiason]

Big pharma did this. Doing what they do best: making the world better & healthier for us all.

[Adriel Bettelheim @abettel]

Health insurers say they’re not to blame for health affordability woes https://t.co/6tz6eVPkXU @PeterSullivan4

[Washington Post Opinions @PostOpinions]

The promise of weight-loss drugs keeps growing, the Editorial Board writes.

"Science-based innovation has proven far more effective than any initiative from Washington." https://t.co/jgR0VeiRZk

[Scott Lincicome @scottlincicome]

Go Big Pharma, Go!

[Ashley Schapitl @AshleySchapitl]

Pharma has really delivered miracles the last several years—it will be interesting to see how this impacts our health policy debates going forward.

[Adam J. Fein @DrugChannels]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 340𝐁 𝐩𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐘𝐨𝐮'𝐥𝐥 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝

If you care about #340B policy, use the long weekend to read this outstanding new paper:

"Stretching Scarce Authorizing Legislation as Far as Possible: A Legislative History of the 340B Drug Pricing Program."

Sayeh Nikpay @saynikpay and her colleagues went back to the early 1990's to reconstruct the program's origins. Their research draws on interviews with 18 key participants and 175 primary source documents spanning 1990–1992.

Their conclusion is difficult to ignore:

340B was originally designed as a narrow policy solution to address an unintended consequence of Medicaid’s best-price provision and to support core safety-net providers.

But the paper makes a compelling case that today’s program extends far beyond Congress’s original intent.

Whether you support or oppose the current structure of 340B, this paper is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand how we got here.

Read it here: https://t.co/MrD8O31wNI

One especially fascinating detail: The disproportionate share hospital (DSH) eligibility threshold of 11.75% was chosen to qualify two specific hospitals and secure bipartisan support from Senator Hatch and Representative Bliley.

In other words, the threshold was not grounded in any broader scientific or policy rationale.

Amazing.

[Erick Erickson @EWErickson]

Hey, can I let you guys in on a little secret? 🤫

Don't tell anyone.

Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Big Pharma did that.

[Buddy Carter @RepBuddyCarter]

The 340B program has been exploited into something it was never intended to be. It needs to be reformed.

[Patrick Heizer @PatrickHeizer]

Yet another pharmaceutical manufacturing site announced in the US.

The American pharmaceutical manufacturing renaissance continues.

[Rep. Diana Harshbarger @RepHarshbarger]

3 PBMs control roughly 80% of the prescription drug market.

These middlemen decide what drugs are covered, which pharmacies survive, and how much patients pay.

It’s time to shine a light on their shady practices, restore fair competition, and bring healthcare costs down.

[Maria Bartiromo @MariaBartiromo]

Federal drug pricing program faces allegations of widespread abuse | https://t.co/MlFvRjIXv8 @MorningsMaria @FoxBusiness

[Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne]

Over a recent breakfast, U.S. officials had a message for the German ambassador: pay more for prescription drugs — or potentially face new tariffs.

Japan and Switzerland could be next.

https://t.co/kDqgtddBpd

[Axios @axios]

There are several “distortions in our marketplace that need to be addressed to lower costs for consumers,” @PhRMA CEO @SteveUbl told @mayagoldman_ at #AxiosFOH.

“We have to get countries outside the U.S. to pay their fair share … we have to get after inefficiencies in our own system.”

[Wall Street Journal Opinion @WSJopinion]

If Republicans in Congress want to reduce healthcare costs, they’ll use their next budget reconciliation bill to curb this 340B abuse.
https://t.co/HV4nJStRik

[STAT @statnews]

One of the most powerful pharmaceutical lobbying groups is launching a new seven-figure advertising blitz targeting a federal drug discount program https://t.co/sBjFNLBFan

[PhRMA @PhRMA]

Today, we launched a new campaign to highlight how the 340B hospital markup program is a goldmine for big nonprofit hospital systems.

With no rules or transparency, hospitals can spend on luxury perks while patients face higher bills.

Washington needs to fix 340B!