As Bernie Focuses On Older Drug-Device Combos, Can Innovators Catch Their Breath?

Product hopping, patent manipulation, patient assistance programs and pay-for-delay are all points of inquiry in Sen. Bernie Sanders and fellow HELP Democrats latest drug pricing investigation, which targets pricey inhalers that have gone decades without generic competition.

bernie and inhalers
AstraZeneca, GSK, Boehringer Ingelheim and Teva are targets of latest Senate Dems drug pricing investigation • Source: Nielsen Hobbs; the Pink Sheet | Shutterstock images

Four brand drug companies are coming under the scrutiny of Sen. Bernie Sanders and other Democrats for the high prices of asthma inhalers and the potential anticompetitive tactics the companies may have used to keep cheaper competition from the market.

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While the pharma industry appears to be exempt from US tariffs imposed by President Trump, a member of the UK House of Lords says the details are unknown and warned that uncertainty “leads to less investment” in business as a whole.

‘Highly Problematic’: Acting FDA Commissioner Paused Planned OK Of Novavax Shot

 

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Trump Tariffs: Indian Pharma Dodges Bullet, But Sword May Remain

 
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Trump announced a 26% reciprocal tariff on India, but a country-agnostic exemption of pharmaceuticals implies that the interests of Indian firms are protected for now. What is Indian pharma’s business exposure and what is domestic industry saying?