By Ed SilvermanAug. 5, 2026
Pharmalot Columnist, Senior Writer
Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the middle of the week. Congratulations on making it this far, and remember there are only a few more days until the weekend arrives. So keep plugging away. After all, what are the alternatives? While you ponder the possibilities, we invite you to join us for a needed cup of stimulation. Our choice today is ginseng honey, a favorite from our pantry. Meanwhile, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you on your way. We hope you conquer the world and have a wonderful day. And as always, please do stay in touch. …
Excluding rare disease drugs from a Medicare pilot program known as GUARD to lower prices would wipe out much of the savings from retail meds, STAT writes. The program applies to retail drugs in Medicare Part D. Biotechs are lobbying the Trump administration to exclude rare disease drugs from the program, which is part of a plan to get drugmakers to lower prices in the U.S. to levels seen in other wealthy countries, an approach known as “most-favored nation.” Thomas Hwang, who heads the Cancer Innovation and Regulation Initiative at Harvard Medical School, said that if all companies that agreed to most-favored nation deals were exempted, potential savings would be cut by 71%.
