Pharma donations to lawmakers, PBM transparency, and more news

Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Clear blue skies and chilly breezes are wafting across the Pharmalot campus, where the official mascots are snoozing after foraging for their breakfast. This means we are free to focus on the matters at hand — rummaging through our to-do list and making cups of stimulation. Our choice today is polar peppermint, a necessary indulgence. As always, we invite you to join us. Meanwhile, we would like to note this marks the 18th year since we began our Pharmalot project, and wish to thank all of you who have stopped by and continue to do so. And now, here is the latest menu of tidbits to help you get started yourself. We hope your day is simply smashing and that you conquer the world. And of course, do keep in touch. We have adjusted our settings to accept postcards and telegrams …

Some social media influencers are making misleading claims about the political contributions given to lawmakers typically seen as pharmaceutical industry critics, STAT explains. The issue came up last week when Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Trump’s health secretary nominee, levied a surprising accusation last week against lawmakers who questioned him aggressively during his confirmation hearings: That they’re bought and paid for by “Big Pharma.” As the Senate considers Kennedy’s nomination, the talking point has swept across social media. In particular, the charges have targeted two lawmakers typically seen as pharma foes: Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Both will vote Tuesday on whether to advance Kennedy’s nomination to the full Senate.

New York would become the first state to force pharmacy benefit managers to publicly reveal how much they profit from rebates issued by drug manufacturers under a measure backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Bloomberg Law tells us. Lawmakers and pharmacists said the proposal for the state budget due on April 1 would push boundaries for transparency requirements on PBMs, the companies that manage drug benefits for employers and negotiate those prices with drugmakers. States have increasingly targeted PBMs over their role in setting prices in a prescription drug market exceeding $152 billion per year, spurred by independent pharmacists who argue that the companies are unfairly setting reimbursement rates that are forcing many to close.