Pres. Trump's deal with Pfizer is pretty devastating to PBMs and insurance companies: John Lamattina

Market Dynamics & Drug Pricing - President Trump announced a deal with Pfizer to sell medication directly to consumers through Trump RX, contingent on US manufacturing investment [1] - Drug company stocks experienced an increase following the announcement [3] - The initiative aims to address concerns about drug pricing, building upon the Inflation Reduction Act's price controls in Medicare and Medicaid [4] - Pfizer emphasized the voluntary nature of its participation in Trump RX [4] - Drug companies typically receive less than 50% of the list price due to pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) and other intermediaries [6] - Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturing Association is launching America's Medicines com to allow direct access to drug pricing [6][7] - Concerns exist that drug companies might raise prices in Europe to match lowered US prices [10] - Bristol Myers Squibb will sell its new anti-psychotic drug in Europe at the same price as in the US [11] Impact on Stakeholders - Direct drug sales could be devastating to PBMs and insurance companies [9] - Reduced income for drug companies could negatively impact R&D, as 25% of drug sales go into R&D [12] - A hypothetical $100 billion reduction in industry income could result in $25 billion less for R&D, equivalent to 60% of the NIH's R&D budget [13] Lucarin & Drug Shortages - The FDA's announcement regarding Lucarin for autism led to a surge in demand and subsequent shortages [15][16] - Lucarin, a generic drug used to mitigate toxicities from methotrexate in cancer and rheumatoid arthritis patients, is now difficult to obtain [16][17] - The increased demand for Lucarin, driven by the White House announcement, has strained existing supplies [19] - Manufacturers are expected to increase production of Lucarin to address the shortage, but the timeline remains uncertain [20][21]