Hello, everyone, and how are you today? We are doing just fine, thank you, especially since the middle of the week is upon us. After all, we have made it this far so we are determined to hang on — or hang in, whichever works — for another couple of days. And why not? The alternatives — at least those we can identify — are not particularly appealing, as you might imagine. So what better way to make the time fly than to keep busy. So grab that cup of stimulation and get started. Our choice today is strawberry creme — sweets for the sweet, you know? And now, time to get cracking. Here are a few items of interest to help you get started. We hope you have a lovely day, and do keep in touch. …
GenBioPro, the largest manufacturer of abortion pills in the U.S., is wading into the first major legal battle over abortion of President Trump’s second term, The New York Times writes. The company asked a Texas court to add it to the list of defendants in a lawsuit filed in October by three Republican state attorneys general. The move was a significant offensive action on an issue seen as a vanguard in the fight over access to abortion. The lawsuit was filed by the state attorneys general from Missouri, Idaho, and Kansas, and asks a federal court to reverse a series of U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations that have greatly expanded access to the abortion pill mifepristone. If the judge grants GenBioPro’s request, the maneuver will allow the company to lead the defense. GenBioPro, which manufactures only abortion medication, controls roughly two-thirds of the market for the drug. The only other mifepristone manufacturer in the country, Danco Laboratories, is already named as a defendant in the suit.
Once again, House lawmakers have introduced a bill to alter a key provision of the Inflation Reduction Act in response to arguments that the federal law is discouraging investment in developing so-called small molecule medicines, STAT tells us. The legislation, known as the Ensuring Pathways to Innovative Cures Act, would allow Medicare to begin negotiating with pharmaceutical companies over the prices of small molecule medicines 13 years after they reach the market. Currently, negotiations begin after nine years and the legislation would shift the timetable so that it is the same as for large molecule medicines, also known as biologics. By making this change, the legislation would remove what the pharmaceutical industry and its investors claim is a disincentive for pursuing small molecule drugs, since these medicines would have less time on the market before Medicare would be able to negotiate prices. This means there will be smaller returns on investments for small molecule drugs, according to those who support the bill.
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