May 26, 2017

The new FDA chief has a plan for taking on drug prices

J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Food and Drug Administration commissioner Scott Gottlieb says he's figured out a few things the FDA can do to help control rising drug prices, even though that issue isn't specifically part of the agency's mission. Business Insider has a good rundown of what he proposed at yesterday's House subcommittee hearing on FDA funding for next year:

  • Keep drug companies from gaming the system to win more time without competition.
  • Help get complex generic drugs to market more quickly.
  • Cut the backlog of generic drugs waiting for approval.

Why it matters: Republicans are counting on Gottlieb to help them achieve their goal: bring down drug prices through market competition, not through government intervention.

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Dan Primack
21 mins ago - Economy & Business

The business of tear gas

Illustration: Eniola Odetunde/Axios

U.S. forces yesterday used tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the White House gates, prior to a declared curfew, clearing a path for President Trump to visit a riot-damaged church for a photo opportunity.

The state of play: Two of the largest U.S. producers of tear gas are owned by private equity firms, but those firms have no interest in discussing their ownership.

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Sara Fischer
34 mins ago - Economy & Business

Exclusive: Washington Post makes major move into local news

People entering the Washington Post building in D.C. in 2019. Photo: Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

The Washington Post has signed all 30 of McClatchy's local news outlets to its Zeus Performance product, a software that gives sites better speed, ad view-ability and performance, executives tell Axios.

Why it matters: By adding more local news outlets, The Post can start to build a local news ecosystem within its tech stack.

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Fadel Allassan
1 hour ago - Politics & Policy

Biden: George Floyd's last words are "a wake-up call for our nation"

Former Vice President Joe Biden meets with clergy members and community activists during a visit to Bethel AME Church in Wilmington, Del. on June 1, 2020. Photo: JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Joe Biden will call George Floyd’s dying words “a wake-up call for our nation,” and criticize President Trump’s decision to unleash tear gas on peaceful protesters outside the White House, in a civil rights speech from Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Why it matters: Biden in the address will seek to draw a sharp contrast between himself and Trump, whose first remarks addressing nationwide unrest Monday highlighted law and order, extreme demonstrations of militarized “strength” and other blustery threats.

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