David Wainer

Donald Trump’s nomination of vaccine-skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services is sending shockwaves throughout the broader pharma industry, beyond vaccine makers such as Moderna and Pfizer. One area of heightened focus is the fast-growing market for obesity and diabetes drugs like Mounjaro and Ozempic. Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk are seeking to broaden insurance coverage for such drugs and are conducting studies to show that the benefits extend beyond weight loss to conditions such as cardiovascular disease and sleep apnea.

The makers of Ozempic and Zepbound are fighting to stop compounded copies of their drugs. But it’s unclear whether they can ramp up production enough.

The vaccine skeptic may find it hard to enact earth-shattering changes to American healthcare

Hospitals account for about 30% of the $4.5 trillion the U.S. spends annually on healthcare, compared with 9% for drugs. While pharmaceutical companies and insurers often take political heat, hospitals could become a target for a Republican administration looking to curb spending.

Data from their most serious competitor, Amgen, suggests the biotech won’t upstage the market leaders.

The UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting has sharpened the public’s focus on the role of private insurers, a necessary evil in the U.S. healthcare system.

Eli Lilly is now comfortably ahead of Novo Nordisk in the race to dominate the market for obesity treatments.

Tucked into the bipartisan budget deal that President-elect Donald Trump’s allies torpedoed earlier this month was a rare and significant attempt to reform the mechanics of America’s drug-pricing system. Americans are broadly aware of how big pharma profits from high drug prices, but few understand the market distortions introduced by pharmacy benefit management (PBM) companies that negotiate prices on behalf of employers, insurers and government programs.

The president-elect might bring back efforts to make other countries pay more for drugs, but there are pitfalls.