Drew Armstrong

See you in a few minutes!

Live at 1:30 p.m. ET: What happens next with Sarepta and its showdown with the FDA? Sarepta Therapeutics faces layoffs, reports third patient death, and FDA conflict over Duchenne gene therapy; reporters to discuss developments in live session.

🎙️ Today on Endpoints News Post-Hoc Live, we're talking about Sarepta. @drewsnews.bsky.social will be joined at 1:30pm ET by @jaredwhitlock.bsky.social and @leileiwu.bsky.social about the company's showdown with the FDA over its #duchennegenetherapy. Watch live here: endpoints.news/endpoints-li...

"Most Favored Nation": The White House plan to cut drug prices YouTube video by Endpoints News

Join us at 1130am ET today for our latest Post-Hoc Live stream, to talk about Trump's "most favored nation" drug price plan. Executive editor @drewsnews.bsky.social and Nick Shipley talk about how the executive order works (or doesn't) and what happens next. www.youtube.com/live/7qGP5Ge...

I've been trying to do this chat for YEARS and am so glad we are finally making it happen. Come for the health policy, stay for the GameStop story.

If you are going to the FT Pharma and Biotech summit on Thursday, please come drop by my session where I'll be chatting with @drewsnews.bsky.social about my lil cancer, and some other fun things. uspharma.live.ft.com/agenda

Musk claims DOGE ‘restored’ Ebola prevention effort. Officials disagree. USAID’s initiatives to fight Ebola and other diseases have been gutted, current and former agency officials said.

Elon Musk said DOGE made a mistake by cutting USAID’s Ebola prevention but it had been “restored.”

That’s not true, current and former officials told me and @johnphudson.bsky.social.

“There have been no efforts to ‘turn on’” Ebola prevention, said Nidhi Bouri, who oversaw team until January.

Kudos to the @endpts.com team for not running away from this issue like everyone else.

Exclusive: Drugmakers plan Trump meeting next week amid Washington health shakeups Major drugmakers are planning to meet with President Donald Trump next week at the White House as part of the industry’s effort to work with the new administration.

Exclusive: Drugmakers plan Trump meeting next week amid Washington health shakeups, via @drewsnews.bsky.social

endpts.com/drugmakers-p...

Exclusive: Drugmakers plan Trump meeting next week amid Washington health shakeups Major drugmakers are planning to meet with President Donald Trump next week at the White House as part of the industry’s effort to work with the new administration.

Well, as I said a couple of weeks ago, thank God I'm not a CEO and I don't have to do this sort of dirty work. Because let's not kid around: if it has to do with the intersection of business and the Trump administration as it's been running so far, it's going to end up being dirty.

We’re about to find out which RFK will show up at HHS Robert F. Kennedy Jr. advances toward Senate confirmation despite vaccine controversy, as key skeptic Sen. Bill Cassidy backs nomination after receiving

Kennedy made promises that he'll be a moderate on vaccines, and then Trump blew them up.

endpts.com/trump-underc...

🏈📺This Hims Super Bowl ad leans very hard into the "pharma bad" / MAHA angle.

Looks like these guy are picking a fight (in part over compounding, but swinging bigger than that) with pharma:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5l6...

Endpoints at #JPM25 - January 13-14, 2025 - San Francisco In the biopharma world, the new year doesn’t start on January 1 — it starts when the industry descends on San Francisco for JPM.

We're a week out from Endpoints News at #JPM2025, and the agenda is fantastic!

We'll talk through the Trump transition, AI's year ahead, John Carrol will lead chats on cancer and dealmaking, and more.

If you don't have a ticket, I've got a discount 😉> JPM25_10

events.endpts.com/jpm25/697639...

In blow to compounders, FDA reaffirms tirzepatide shortage is over The FDA has reaffirmed that the shortage of Eli Lilly’s blockbuster obesity and diabetes medications is resolved, dealing a blow to pharmacies and telehealth services that have capitalized on providin...

Tirzepatide shortage is over, says FDA. That means compounding pharmacies making lots of copies of brand-name Zepbound and Mounjaro have to stop soon.

endpts.com/in-blow-to-c...

The Endpoints 2024 winners and losers list: Who was up and who was down in biopharma Endpoints News reviews 2024's biopharma winners & losers: Eli Lilly dominates obesity market, megadeals decline, I&I sector thrives, and FDA's setback in misinformation fight.

⬆️⬇️ It's here! Biopharma's winners, losers, featuring a 🐴

endpts.com/endpoints-wi...

I mean:

Vertex’s non-opioid pill disappoints in mid-stage chronic pain study Vertex Pharmaceuticals announced highly anticipated results from a Phase 2 trial Thursday morning in a chronic pain condition, saying its non-opioid pain pill suzetrigine met the primary endpoint and ...

...Pain trials are hard (so is anything w/ patient self-scoring)

...And placebo problems are real

...But this is a result that could kill a program or even a company at little biotech. (Vertex has the $$ + rep for Ph3 to find out if they're right.)

endpts.com/vertexs-non-...

The @endpts.com JPM agenda is LIVE. This is going to be next-level. We've got Jennifer Doudna, Scott Gottlieb, Hal Barron, Eric Tokat, Janet Woodcock, Steve Hahn and many, MANY more huge names...

events.endpts.com/jpm25/agenda

Major PBM reforms feature in Congress' year-end spending bill An end-of-year spending bill will include major reforms to the ways pharmacy benefit managers operate, including significant new restrictions on the fees and rebates that have huge influence over the ...

PBM reform... it's happening?

endpts.com/major-pbm-re...

If you're an @endpts.com subscriber, you may have recently seen a note in your inbox from @drewsnews.bsky.social. The TLDR is that many of us are here, on this site, giving you the biopharma and health care news you need. Give us a follow! Give us feedback! I always want to hear how we can improve.

Just finding us here? Endpoints News has a starter pack with our journalists so you can follow the team!
go.bsky.app/NzDRUhL

I've seen the same stuff on social (which X loves to surface) that you all have. I've heard it from people I know. I don't have a solution to this. I just know the logic of these attitudes is so deeply, deeply flawed.

I'm joining a chorus here, but the reaction to this killing says to me that there's something deeply, deeply broken in our discourse about how we solve problems, or even in our belief that we can.

The last week has left me going back to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabby Giffords. I was in Arizona on a personal trip, and was riding my bike by the shopping center where she was shot shortly after it happened. Then my editors at Bloomberg called...

I wrote about covering a shooting a 13 years ago, how the medium of the moment distorts violence in strange ways, and the strange, worrying moment we're in with the killing of an insurance executive.

endpts.com/post-hoc-wha...

Exclusive: Vijay Pande hands a16z biotech leadership to Vineeta Agarwala, moves to AI role The biotech and life sciences team at a16z is getting a new leader, as founding investor Vijay Pande moves into a role focused on artificial intelligence and its healthcare applications, Endpoints New...

Scoop with @kylelahucik.bsky.social and @drewsnews.bsky.social: There's a changing of the guards atop a16z's health and biotech team. Vijay Pande is handing over the reins to Vineeta Agarwala as he prepares for a larger role involving AI in healthcare. endpts.com/vijay-pande-...

Insurance executive killing puts spotlight on security measures at JP Morgan meeting The usual enhanced security measures are expected to be in place in San Francisco next month when the healthcare industry descends on the city for the JP Morgan healthcare conference. But it's not yet...

Good story from @drewsnews.bsky.social with JPM about a month away endpts.com/insurance-ex...

A great follow on rare disease, diagnostics and cool tech:

CEO of UnitedHealth insurance unit shot and killed in New York UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday morning, according to media reports.

UnitedHealth has confirmed the shooting and death of insurance group head Brian Thompson in Manhattan this morning. They've (obviously) canceled investor day. Completely shocking.

endpts.com/ceo-of-unite...

Exclusive | UnitedHealthcare CEO fatally shot outside of Hilton hotel in Midtown in possible targeted attack: sources The CEO of UnitedHealth was fatally shot in the chest Wednesday morning outside the Hilton hotel in Midtown in what police say was a targeted attack.

OMG -- $UNH exec Brian Thompson (leads insurance business) shot and killed in Manhattan, the Post is reporting. Citing police saying it may have been a targeted attack. Totally shocking.

nypost.com/2024/12/04/u...

omg