The Italian health ministry is looking for someone to take over as director general of the medicines agency AIFA. The move has shocked health activists who see Luca Di Bassi as a champion of drug price transparency.

Allowing multi-regulator collaboration on oncology application assessment may run into pricing issues if Canada and Australia gain access to novel drugs before European countries, US FDA's Pazdur says.

HHS Secretary Alex Azar says that reshaping Administration’s upcoming proposed rule would drive Medicare Part B drug prices even lower than previously projected. As Part B drug costs are being blamed for higher premiums, the policy revisions are at OMB, but plan would reemerge as "a notice of proposed rulemaking if that comes out,” Azar said.

Nine countries are joining forces on horizon scanning with the aim of improving their chances of securing lower prices for high-cost drugs.

Plans for a new commercial framework for publicly funded medicines in England are out for consultation. The concept of fair and responsible pricing figures large in the proposals.

“We’re out of time for ideas," Domestic Policy Council Director Joe Grogan says. Trump administration is pushing hard to get the Senate drug pricing bill through Congress quickly and score a major victory for the President.

Political focus of drug pricing debate has shifted away from pharmacy benefit managers, CVS Health’s Merlo suggests.

Price inflation rebates are the linchpin of the legislation’s Democratic support, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-IA, argues. But to many Republicans, they sound too much like price controls.

Heath technology assessment body NICE says it has relaunched its international division to deal with the growing number of enquiries for advice it has been receiving from government agencies and organizations abroad.