Shifting Sands: Drug Pricing and Political Influence

On this week’s Biotech Hangout, hosts Brad Loncar, Tim Opler, Josh Schimmer and Sam Fazeli assess the recent macro trends, including the current state of the US economy and some good news for biotech. The group also discussed the big reveal this week on Medicare drug pricing issues and industry perspectives on whether it was more of a whimper versus a bang. In M&A, the Revance and Crown Laboratories merger was discussed as well as broader M&A trends including how a potential change in the White House could impact the FTC and scrutiny on pharma deals. In other news, the hosts shared differing perspectives on Genentech shutting down its cancer immunology group and the company’s wider R&D prioritization. The group also discussed the World Health Organization declaring MPOX a global health emergency and the vaccines in development from Bavarian Nordic, Moderna and BioNTech. Other topics covered on this episode include Zealand’s earnings, positive data from Rivus and Denali, a look ahead at The World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC) and European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) and more. *This episode aired on August 16, 2024.