Bourla bankrolled Dr. Oz's campaign

The day the Inflation Reduction Act passed the House of Representatives last year, plenty of people in the pharmaceutical industry were disappointed that Democrats' drug pricing policies were going to become law. But only one industry executive decided to donate to the campaign of Dr. Oz.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla gave Mehmet Oz $2,900, the maximum individual contribution, on Aug. 12, according to federal campaign finance filings. The two make an odd couple politically, as Oz is well-known for peddling medical misinformation, and Bourla touts the merits of scientific innovation as he runs one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies.

Pennsylvania's Senate race was one of the most competitive in the country, and drug makers were certainly eager to avoid giving Democrats another two years with trifecta control of government. I break down the unusual donation in a new story out this morning.

WHITE HOUSE

Two things to watch on Budget Day

We should be learning a whole lot more about President Biden's budget today, and the STAT team will be tracking all the biggest developments for health care policy. Again, budgets are more of a wishlist than a realistic legislative agenda, but it is at least a signal of the White House's priorities ahead of a politically tense year.

We have two glimpses as to what will be coming out so far. The first is a hint by White House science advisor Francis Collins at our STAT event this week that the administration will request "significant investments" to help eliminate hepatitis C in the United States. (Democratic Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia hinted that it could be about a $10 billion ask.)

The second is that the Biden administration will be proposing to expand the Inflation Reduction Act's drug price negotiation program to include more drugs, and make drugs eligible sooner after they come on the market. We got a preview earlier this week, but expect more details to come.

HOSPITALS

A red flag for hospitals in a red state

State legislative sessions are well underway, and hospitals are in trouble in Indiana. The Republican-state legislature is considering an unprecedented step to lower hospital costs in the state: price controls.

A bill being considered this session would penalize nonprofit hospitals that charge more than 260% of Medicare rates. It passed the state House on an 85-11 vote, and is now before the Senate. Hospitals oppose it, arguing that they are already operating in the red and the cost containment measures could cause further financial stress.

The state is a hotbed of innovation on hospital pricing policy, driven by a wealthy, well-connected businessman who used to work in the Bush White House and supported by Laura and John Arnold, who I profiled last year.

COVID

Lawmakers float bans to controversial virus research

A revamped House committee on the coronavirus kicked off Wednesday with a hearing on the origins of Covid-19 that delved, once again, into whether researchers should be allowed to alter pathogens to study their spread.

The first hearing of the now GOP-led House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic focused largely on whether the virus accidentally leaked from a lab or spread naturally from animals to humans. The answer to that question — however impossible it may be to find — could heavily influence proposed limits on so-called gain-of-function research. Democrats on the committee stressed that they are open to all answers, but stopped short of calling for research limits just yet. The House could soon pass legislation, already advanced by the Senate, requiring top intelligence officials to declassify documents related to the virus' origins.

Former CDC Director Robert Redfield, a proponent of the lab leak theory, testified that other officials sidelined him during the coronavirus response and argued for a moratorium on pathogen-altering research until there was "consensus" on its value — and risks. Read more highlights from the hearing.

ICYMI

All the news from Xavier Becerra, Meena Seshamani, and Bill Cassidy

It was lovely to see so many of you join us for our jam-packed event this week, where my colleagues and I interviewed some of the biggest decisionmakers in health policy. Here's a roundup of the news you missed:

HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra offered his take on the ongoing lawsuit challenging mifepristone's approval
Becerra is apparently on board with new DEA restrictions that will force patients to have an in-person visit before obtaining refills of buprenorphine
Medicare chief Meena Seshamani talked about the agency's new drug price negotiation program's operations, hiring, and timelines

More around STAT

Check out more exclusive coverage with a STAT+ subscription

Read premium in-depth biotech, pharma, policy, and life science coverage and analysis with all of our STAT+ articles.

What we're reading

Reentry programs to help former prisoners obtain health care are often underused, Kaiser Health News
'Truth is losing the battle': The FDA commissioner on grappling with a wave of health misinformation, STAT
Next-gen Covid vaccine hopefuls give up on K Street, Politico