Show Notes
Slowly but surely – and just in time for the State of the Union – the full picture of the Trump Administration’s Most-Favoured Nations drug pricing policy is coming into focus. At the end of last year, CMS published the draft guidance for its GLOBE and GUARD pricing models, which establish MFN pricing in Medicare Part B and Part D, respectively. And earlier this month TrumpRx – the government’s promised patient-facing discount portal – finally went live. On today’s podcast, Jonah Comstock is joined by Alice Valder Curran, a partner at Hogan Lovells and a healthcare policy expert, to break down what we know and what we still don’t know about each of these developments. Among other things, Valder Curran breaks down how the two CMS pilot programmes will work, what statutory authority CMS is leaning on (and whether that authority is likely to be challenged), and how the industry is responding. Comstock and Valder Curran also discuss TrumpRx and how impactful it’s shaping up to be, at least based on what’s been revealed so far. And how do those negotiated MFN deals fit in to all this? We can’t give you the answers to all your questions about MFN – too much is still up in the air. But this podcast will at least give you an idea of what those open questions are and how they’re likely to play out. You can listen to episode 246 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it - and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.
More from pharmaphorum Podcast
As the European Society for Medical Oncology 2026 Congress commences in Madrid, pharmaphorum invited Syncromune Executive Chairman Dr Chuck Link onto the podcast for a conversation on the updated long-term overall survival data from its Phase 1 trial of SYNC-T Therapy SV-102 in patients with metastatic prostate cancer. Dr Link discusses SYNC-T, their investigational in situ personalised immunotherapy, as well as metastatic castration-resistant (or mCRPC) and metastatic hormone-sensitive (or mHSPC) disease, and the possible outcomes for patients going forward. Listen to the conversation and keep up on ESMO26 updates here.
*This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is brought to you in association with Klick Health* By 2030, 1.2 billion women worldwide will be menopausal or post-menopausal - many at the peak of their working lives. Yet, menopause remains largely absent from health system planning, despite growing evidence linking unmanaged symptoms to reduced productivity, absenteeism, and women leaving the workforce altogether. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Dr Cecilia Caetano, vice president, global medical affairs and evidence generation lead in women’s health at Bayer, for a conversation on this overlooked, but increasingly urgent global health issue. Caetano discusses the lack of innovation in women’s health and, critically, the lack of understanding of menopausal needs. She also explores the European landscape for menopause in comparison to the UK, as well as describing what ‘health system readiness’ looks like. You can listen to episode 281 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from. *This episode of the pharmaphorum podcast is brought to you in association with Klick Health*
Even the most promising innovation still depends on strong governance, resilient operations, and confidence in sensitive data. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Robbie Tyrie, founder and managing director of Torridon Cyber, for a conversation on cybersecurity when it comes to pharma companies and health systems more widely. Tyrie shares his insights and explains how to ensure cybersecurity acts as a business enabler, as opposed to a barrier to growth. You can listen to episode 280 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.
Industry is using AI to surface hidden patterns and accelerate decision-making in high-pressure launch environments. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, host Nicole Raleigh speaks with Jason Smith, CTO of AI and analytics at Within3, for a conversation on data-fuelled agile launches and smarter decision-making. Smith discusses alignment of cross-functional teams and fostering real collaboration and efficiency, how pharma teams can use real-time data to shape more precise and effective launch strategies, and the importance in all this of maintaining a deep focus on patient needs and healthcare provider challenges. You can listen to episode 279 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.
Bioconvergence is a multidisciplinary research and development approach that merges technologies from biology, engineering, and computation, providing solutions in medicine, food, agriculture, manufacturing, climate, and more. In a new pharmaphorum podcast, web editor Nicole Raleigh speaks with Shai Melcer, head of the national bioconvergence programme at Israel Innovation Authority, for a conversation exploring bioconvergence broadly. Melcer discusses the foundations, goes into detail about companies currently working in the bioconvergence space, and what it could – all together – mean for the future of human health. You can listen to episode 278 of the pharmaphorum podcast in the player below, download the episode to your computer, or find it – and subscribe to the rest of the series – on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast, Pocket Casts, Podbean, and pretty much wherever else you download your other podcasts from.