Axios

WASHINGTON — Outdated incentives, patent disputes and gaps in public understanding are getting in the way of patients' use of biosimilars, said government and pharmaceutical industry experts at an Axios roundtable event.

Why it matters: Lowering health care costs is a priority for voters going into the 2026 midterm elections, and biosimilars are often chemically comparable, less expensive versions of name-brand medicines used in the treatment of cancer and other serious diseases.

Axios' Adriel Bettelheim and Brock Turner moderated the July 23 roundtable discussion. The event was sponsored by Sandoz.

5 big takeaways from the conversation:

1. "The biggest threat to [health care] access right now is cost," said Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), and the potential savings associated with biosimilars shouldn't be blocked by other pharmaceutical companies hoping to make money.
2. "Made in America" is often "in conflict with an affordability agenda," said American Enterprise Institute senior fellow Alex Brill, and tradeoffs may be needed with the source of "safe, well-manufactured" drugs.
3. Using patents to block competition is a major obstacle in pharmaceutical innovation, said Rutgers Law School Board of Governors professor Michael Carrier. "There's no reason why a biologic manufacturer needs dozens or 100 or 150 patents."
4. Existing systems lean toward encouraging pharmacy benefit managers to prioritize brand drugs over consumer savings, said Christina Strogis, health policy and congressional affairs director of the ERISA Industry Committee.
5. A knowledge gap obstructs biosimilar adoption, AARP prescription drug policy principal Leigh Purvis said. "Consumers, a lot of policymakers [and] a lot of providers don't necessarily understand what biosimilars are."

Content from the sponsor's remarks:

In opening remarks, Sandoz CEO Richard Saynor said that biosimilars could be a significant savings opportunity for patients and payers in America.

• "When we come to midterms, it's going to become a very focal point in terms of American patients, their cost of their health care and their access to their health care."

We ask almost every AI architect and leader the same thing in private: What AI risk worries you most?

• Almost all of them fire back the same response: a killer pathogen, spreading too silently, widely and quickly to stop.

Why it matters: The rare agreement among AI experts flows from the belief these advanced models could help a bad actor create a deadly pathogen before the government and industry perfect detection and prevention systems.

The Trump administration's backlog of high-level health appointments isn't getting any smaller after the Senate health committee postponed votes yesterday on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director nominee and a divisive pick for an assistant health secretary post.

Why it matters: CDC nominee Erica Schwartz probably will have enough Republican votes to be approved after committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he'll support her — he just couldn't get enough GOP senators to show up yesterday.

Cases of cyclosporiasis have now been reported in at least 41 states, and infection rates continue to increase in the five states where the CDC has declared an outbreak.

The big picture: Although some cases of the diarrhea-inducing illness are reported each year, the outbreak will make 2026 the worst year on U.S. record for this food-borne parasitic infection.

WASHINGTON – The Safe Drugs Act would establish new safeguards for compounded GLP-1 drugs, said Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-Ind.) at an Axios event.

Why it matters: Mass-compounded GLP-1 drugs are cheaper alternatives to blockbuster medications like Wegovy and Ozempic, but those copycat versions are not FDA-approved.

Axios' Stef Kight and Brock Turner hosted conversations with Yakym, Rep. Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.) and Scott Kahan, director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness. The July 22 event was sponsored by the Partnership for Safe Medicines.

State of play: Compounded GLP-1s were permitted during an FDA-declared shortage of branded weight-loss drugs. After the shortage ended, the FDA banned the copycat drugs early last year, but some compounders and telemedicine companies continued selling them.

What they're saying: "Americans expect that when they take a medication, the medication they're taking is going to be safe," said Yakym, who co-introduced the bipartisan bill.

Yes, but: Kahan said telemedicine has "real value" in expanding obesity care because relatively few physicians specialize in treating obesity.

• He cautioned, however, that some for-profit models prescribe compounded GLP-1s based on online questionnaires with limited physician oversight or patient monitoring.

Zoom out: Drug affordability remains a major issue. The Trump administration is promoting discounted branded GLP-1s through TrumpRX, but Budzinski is skeptical.

• "It's very unclear what kind of real savings there is in it," she said. "There's a total lack of transparency around what is provided, what's being offered."
• She said Congress has bipartisan interest in lowering drug costs but argued TrumpRX doesn't address the "root of the issues."
• The administration has touted its "most favored nation" drug pricing deals as one of its biggest accomplishments. However, Yakym said he wants more details around the agreements before deciding whether Congress should codify the policy. "Right now we've got 17 or 18 separate negotiated agreements that are kind of in a bit of a lockbox that we don't know all the details to."

Content from the sponsor's segment:

In a View From the Top conversation, Shabbir Imber Safdar, executive director of the Partnership for Safe Medicines, said compounded GLP-1s pose a huge patient safety risk because of the lack of safety standards.

• "There's so many patients – hundreds of thousands of patients – who are taking these medicines, and what they don't realize is that they are not FDA-approved," said Safdar.

Go deeper: Watch the full event.

The Trump administration has quietly changed guidance on nursing home residents' right to vote, folding in increased warnings about fraud and coercion.

Why it matters: The move could signify that officials will keep a close eye on long-term care facilities during the midterm elections.

Compounding pharmacies and other businesses that have been restricted from the GLP-1 boom may be poised to cash in on a new windfall: the exploding market for peptides.

The big picture: The market for peptides — heavily hyped but loosely regulated substances made of short amino acid chains — could top $295 billion by 2033 if the Trump administration relaxes manufacturing rules.

Threats against people the U.S. Secret Service protects are up about 40% from a year ago, the agency says, as it prepares for Friday's rescheduled White House Correspondents' Dinner.

Why it matters: The surge is forcing the Secret Service to devote more agents and investigative resources to protecting senior government officials, potentially straining other protective operations.