STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re reading about a Novartis investor seeking a shake-up, a Gilead setback, and more — SkimNews
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- David Samra of Artisan Partners called for a Novartis board overhaul, criticizing successive chairmen for failing on acquisitions and saying the company needs to change how it oversees deals.
- Novartis disclosed that a muscle-wasting disorder drug acquired through its $12 billion takeover of Avidity Biosciences failed a late-stage study, while heart drug pelacarsen also posted results that disappointed investors.
- CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz said the Trump administration is pursuing additional drug-pricing agreements with pharmaceutical companies on top of the more than two dozen voluntary deals already announced.
- The existing drug-pricing agreements are described as 'bespoke,' with companies generally agreeing to lower public-program prices and launch new drugs at prices similar to those paid by other developed nations in exchange for tariff relief.
Why it matters: Samra publicly tied Novartis's acquisition governance to the failed $12 billion Avidity deal, directly blaming the board after two simultaneous trial setbacks drove shares to a record low. Separately, Oz's confirmation of more drug-pricing deals signals the administration's pharma-pricing push is expanding beyond the two dozen agreements already announced.
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