election 2024
DeSantis’ moment to shine on health care
The GOP presidential field (minus its leading candidate) had yet another debate that toward the very end broke some new ground on health care, at least for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Here’s the quick version of his main points.
- Called for price transparency in health care
- Attacked liability protections for the manufacturers of Covid-19 vaccines
- Criticized vaccine mandates
- Proposed a 10-year lobbying ban for officials after leaving government service (with a dig at former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb for his position on Pfizer’s board)
- Promised to "clean house" at the NIH, CDC, and FDA to hold officials accountable for the approval of Covid-19 vaccines
Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, the only other candidate to get a word in edgewise, called for reform of the physician payment system, and to end antitrust exemptions for health insurance companies.
patents
FDA, meet PTO
My colleague Ed Silverman digs into what collaboration between the FDA and PTO to lower drug prices could really mean.
Patent gaming can be tough to prevent, but if the two agencies shared data, it could give the government more tools to combat it. The White House two years ago ordered cooperation, but Ed distills the challenges of that effort to get on the same page.
In other patent-related news, the FTC’s efforts to demand that 10 brand-drug makers fix their patent listings in a government registry hasn’t gone too well, Ed reports — only one company has responded, and the FTC is planning to sue the other companies, including AbbVie, AstraZeneca, and GSK.
MANDEL NGAN/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES
