Pharmalittle: Trump closes Regeneron deal, issues marijuana order

And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans. Our agenda is still shaping up but we expect to drop in at a couple of folkie happenings, promenade with the official mascots, and tidy up around the castle. We also hope to have yet another listening party, where the rotation will likely include this, this, this, this and this. And what about you? This is a fine time to enjoy the great outdoors. Hiking trials, shorelines, and cityscapes await you. This may also be an opportunity to start your spring cleaning, read a good book, or search out someone special. Well, whatever you do, have a grand time. But be safe. Enjoy, and see you soon. …

President Trump heralded a drug-pricing agreement with Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, closing the last of 17 deals initially sought by the White House last year, STAT notes. Regeneron, as part of the private deal, will reduce prices on drugs to Medicaid, provide the Praluent cholesterol medicine on TrumpRx for $225, and invest $27 billion in drug development in the United States. At the same time, Regeneron also announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval of Otarmeni, the first gene therapy to be greenlit under the agency’s new National Priority Voucher program. Last year, Trump sent letters to 17 of the largest pharmaceutical companies, demanding lower prices and kicking off months of intense negotiations. But the deals the administration struck with each firm remain private, and in some cases they may not be finalized. 

The Trump administration issued an order reclassifying state-licensed medical marijuana as a less-dangerous drug, a major policy shift long sought by advocates who said cannabis should never have been treated like heroin by the federal government, the Associated Press explains. The order signed by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche does not legalize marijuana for medical or recreational use under federal law. But it does change the way it is regulated, shifting licensed medical marijuana from Schedule I, which is reserved for drugs without medical use and with high potential for abuse, to the less strictly regulated Schedule III. The move — which STAT described as “a new era in GOP drug policy” — also gives licensed medical marijuana operators a major tax break and eases some barriers to researching cannabis.