Sarah specializes in the policy and politics that affect the pharmaceutical industry. She covers the US Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service and Congress and other parts of federal and state government. Her work explores how government policies influence how drugs are developed and approved, what diseases are prioritized by scientists, and who gets access to medicines and at what cost. Sarah has covered health care since 2011. Prior to returning to the Pink Sheet in March 2020, she covered health policy at Politico for five years. She is a regular panelist on the Kaiser Health News 'What the Health' podcast. Sarah was selected for and attended a 2018 International Women’s Media Foundation reporting fellowship in Rwanda. In 2016, she attended Harvard Medical School’s media fellowship on bioethics and, in 2014, was an Association of Health Care Journalists-National Library of Medicine Fellow.
Latest from Sarah Karlin-Smith
Pink Sheet interviews with ex-FDA leaders and agency experts offer guidance for drug developers navigating an agency playing by a different and ever-shifting rulebook.
Administrative Procedure Act challenges are expected after sweeping changes to the US vaccine schedule were made that experts said were not based on sound science.
The US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services argued gender affirming care is not health care to help justify the new proposed rules. The argument could create a new opening for the federal government to go after other pharmaceuticals.
Martin Makary’s photo-op and videos promoting the groundbreaking of a new Novartis US-based manufacturing facility create an appearance of favoritism, President George W. Bush’s former chief ethics lawyer told the Pink Sheet.
As differences emerged between FDA staff and senior political leaders over its COVID-19 safety review, CBER Director Vinay Prasad added an old colleague and critic of US COVID-19 policy to the center.
At an expert panel overwhelmingly composed of people favoring expanded testosterone use and loosened safety warnings, career FDA staff suggested new clinical trials would be required to approve some of the changes.