HHS tries pushing pharma to the negotiating table

The Trump administration is pressuring pharmaceutical companies to negotiate drug prices down to levels seen in other wealthy nations, invoking a "most-favored nation" clause as leverage. While industry executives await specifics on which drugs and price targets could be in play, the Department of Health and Human Services is insisting companies already have the guidance they need, STAT's Daniel Payne reports.

"Under President Trump's direction, HHS is demanding that pharmaceutical companies end their obstruction and come to the table — just as they already do with nearly every other economically comparable nation — to negotiate fair, transparent pricing for Americans," an agency spokesperson said in a statement to STAT, adding that the companies were "prevent[ing] progress of lowering prices for the American people."

The administration's plan could include letting Americans buy drugs directly from manufacturers at those globally benchmarked prices, though the logistics of how that might work remain unclear.

layoffs

Recursion CEO defends layoffs amid market pressure

AI biotech player Recursion cut 20% of staff this week, framing the layoffs as a painful but necessary move to preserve the company's mission in a harshest economic climate. Writing in a First Opinion piece in STAT, CEO Chris Gibson defended that choice — saying that as capital dries up and industry-wide restructuring continues, now is the time for true skill and strategy to emerge.

"The best drivers are those who can adapt, stay focused, and keep their eyes on the track ahead — even in the worst conditions," he writes. "For the biotech sector to emerge stronger, I urge my fellow leaders to double down on their core missions, to be courageous in adapting with urgency, and to remember that the patients waiting for our solutions depend on our collective resilience and innovation."

VACCINES

Moderna's RSV vaccine gets extended approval

The Food and Drug Administration late yesterday expanded the approval of Moderna's RSV vaccine, extending the license to include adults aged 18 to 59 who are at high risk of severe illness if they contract respiratory syncytial virus.

Previously the vaccine, sold under the name mResvia, was only licensed for use in adults aged 60 and older.

The approval was a welcome win for the company, which has faced several setbacks of late due to deep distrust of its messenger RNA vaccine platform among supporters of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., STAT's Helen Branswell notes.

podcast

RFK Jr.'s CDC vaccine panel explained

Why did Robert F. Kennedy abruptly fire all members of the expert panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines? Who are the new members that Kennedy named? And what does that all mean for the future of public health?

We discuss all that and more on this on this week's episode of "The Readout LOUD," STAT's biotech podcast. We bring on Kathryn Edwards, a vaccine expert and a former member of the CDC advisory panel, to parse through the turmoil.

We also chat about how pharma companies still don't have much clarity on Trump's most-favored nation drug pricing policy, biotech's next big takeout target, and more.

Listen here.

And if you'd like to read a transcript of the conversation with Edwards, click here.

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