Axios

Seven states account for the majority of measles cases in the United States, becoming hot spots for the life-threatening disease.

Why it matters: The U.S. measles case count has officially shattered last year's record — hitting levels unseen in more than three decades, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data released Friday.

WASHINGTON — Outdated incentives, patent disputes and gaps in public understanding are getting in the way of patients' use of biosimilars, said government and pharmaceutical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.