Drugmakers are delaying launches of some new medicines in Europe as the industry grapples with U.S. pressure and pricing policy shifts from President Trump, according to Reuters. The White House has been pushing to lower the cost of prescription drugs in the U.S., which has traditionally paid significantly more than other wealthy countries. Trump asserts that the industry has been unfair to U.S. consumers and has sought to tie the cost for Americans to what is paid elsewhere, including in Europe, known as most-favored-nation pricing. This has led drugmakers to press pause on bringing some drugs to European markets, where health spending is lower, to avoid lowering prices in the $700 billion U.S. market. It has also created a complex balancing act for chief executive officers and Europe’s health care policymakers.
Eli Lilly agreed to buy Centessa Pharmaceuticals, the maker of an experimental drug meant to combat sleeping conditions, for roughly $6.3 billion in cash, STAT notes. Centessa, which was publicly launched in 2021, started with more than a dozen programs across a range of diseases, but over the years it has focused on disorders that leave people struggling to stay awake. Its lead drug has been tested in Phase 2 studies in different types of narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. Centessa is behind Takeda Pharmaceuticals, which has submitted a drug for narcolepsy type 1 to regulators for review, and Alkermes, which plans to start a Phase 3 program for its narcolepsy treatment this year.
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