Daniel Payne

New: Small pharma companies are in talks with the White House to sign drug pricing deals of their own. Small companies will have to cut a deal in the next 180 days to fully avoid tariffs on branded drugs. statnews.com/2026/04/02/dru…

Trump’s long-awaited pharma tariffs are here — with plenty of carveouts statnews.com/2026/04/02/tru…

The Trump admin has drafted an order that would put a 100% tariff on patented drug imports, according to a copy obtained by STAT. But there are several exemptions — and open questions. statnews.com/2026/04/01/tru…

Amid the Trump administration's focus on food, a key FDA leader briefs lawmakers on the agency's plans statnews.com/2026/03/27/fda…

Early details of what's in the White House's drug pricing bill text — and who's getting a sneak peek of it statnews.com/2026/03/27/mos…

Inside the delicate, high-stakes search for a new CDC director, via @rickberke statnews.com/2026/03/20/new…

The future of promising therapeutics is on the line in the Trump administration's FDA, says the agency's former commissioner statnews.com/2026/03/19/pol…

Trump’s Medicare director seeks to rein in expectations for TrumpRx statnews.com/2026/03/19/chr…

More here: statnews.com/stat-summit-ea…

Many interesting conversations ahead today at #STATBreakthrough — including on CMS and FDA, both at critical junctures:

The Trump administration is "gearing up for war" to push Congress to codify its drug pricing policy — despite little appetite for it on the Hill. Still, the pharma industry sees risk in the back-and-forth. statnews.com/2026/03/17/mfn…

Federal judge stalls health secretary RFK Jr.’s overhaul of vaccine policy statnews.com/2026/03/16/ken…

As the midterms approach, the White House doesn’t want to talk about vaccines anymore, especially since polling shows vaccine access remains popular across the political spectrum. But MAHA is trying to convince MAGA otherwise: statnews.com/2026/03/13/tru…

“We’re just kind of done with the vaccine issue,” said one White House official. “We’ve done what we want to do on the vaccine front.” On the future of the MAGA-MAHA alliance, w/ @ChelseaCirruzzo statnews.com/2026/03/13/tru…

@rachelcohrs So thankful you're ok, and very glad you're back!

I’m glad to be returning to work following a serious medical emergency. On December 22 I had a sudden cardiac arrest in my living room. My heart stopped for 20 minutes. Five days later, it happened again in the hospital. I received more than 50 defibrillator shocks over several hours until my condition stabilized. Thanks to the heroic efforts of first responders, the medical team at Inova Health, and bystander CPR, I survived. Against all odds I’m well on my way to a full recovery. I’ve been uplifted by the steadfast support of my family, friends, and Bloomberg colleagues as I’ve healed. I feel incredibly lucky to be back to doing work I love. I am hopeful this up close and personal experience with the health care system will make me a better reporter. Let's catch up!

@SarahKarlin Yes — the Zepbound Kwik Pen was added after the initial launch

@_daniel_payne Having trouble finding which is the 44th drug they added. Is it just they didn't have the two formulations of zepbound before?

President Trump heralded TrumpRx as “one of the most transformative health care initiatives of all time.” A month in, administration pledges are far from being met — even as drug pricing has become a key part of its pitch to voters. statnews.com/2026/03/05/tru…

The bracket is open! As they say, vote early and often!

RFK Jr. on Trump's glyphosate EO: “It’s not something I was particularly happy with, let me put it that way — mildly. But I also understand the president’s point of view. The president didn’t create the system. He’s dealing with a problem that was created long before.”

He’s an action figure. He’s a milk-drinking rave-goer. He’s America’s health secretary — and he’s looking to cement the MAHA-MAGA alliance with political clout. w/ @ChelseaCirruzzo statnews.com/2026/02/27/rfk…