Sarah Karlin-Smith

Sarah Karlin-Smith

Senior Writer

Washington, DC

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

Cautious Optimism For US FDA Commissioner Nominee’s Self-Professed Data Driven Approach

Martin Makary prides himself on following the data, but some health policy experts said his positions sometimes stray from or distort the evidence, which could create trust issues.

Device Industry Hopes Trump’s FDA Nominee Will Support Medtech Innovation

Martin Makary’s ties to a compounder and telehealth company offering compounded GLP-1s may concern the drug industry and raise questions about his fundamental beliefs in the FDA’s role regulating drug manufacturing.

US FDA Commissioner Nominee Not ‘Pro-Industry Choice,’ GLP-1 Compounding Could Be First Clash

Martin Makary’s ties to a compounder and telehealth company offering compounded GLP-1s may concern the drug industry and raise questions about his fundamental beliefs in the FDA’s role regulating drug manufacturing.

US FDA Commissioner Nominee Not ‘Pro-Industry Choice,’ GLP-1 Compounding Could Be First Clash

Martin Makary’s ties to a compounder and telehealth company offering compounded GLP-1s may concern the drug industry and raise questions about his fundamental beliefs in the FDA’s role regulating drug manufacturing.

Califf: Sponsors Should Go Beyond Letter Of Law With Trial Diversity Plans

The FDA Commissioner wants sponsors to incorporate diversity into their development programs prior to Phase III.

Pink Sheet Podcast: Trump’s Potential Impact On FDA User Fees, Dr. Oz’s Potential Impact On CMS

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss concerns that the incoming administration could try to influence the upcoming FDA user fee reauthorization, as well as the changes Dr. Mehmet Oz, President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial selection to run the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, could impose if confirmed.