Healthcare and Pharmaceutical Sector
The FDA approved Bristol Myers Squibb's new multiple myeloma treatment ZENBEXUS, while Biosolution expanded into China with a high-priced cell therapy. Meanwhile, regulatory pressure intensified as the FTC targeted Epic Systems over data interoperability and Florida launched an antitrust probe into CVS Health and Caremark. Additionally, pharmacy benefit managers integrated TrumpRx cash prices into their tools, and the FDA escalated an egg recall to a Class 1 risk level.
Ten pharmacy benefit managers and the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association agreed Thursday to display TrumpRx cash prices within their benefit tools. The participating companies, including industry heavyweights CVS Health, OptumRx, and Express Scripts, will list TrumpRx prices alongside plan benefit prices for in-network prescriptions. Patients across commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid plans will be able to view these price comparisons using real-time benefit tools or platform features. CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz endorsed the move as a way to boost market competition and lower consumer costs. The Trump administration launched the TrumpRx platform earlier this year, building on prior expansions that added hundreds of generic drugs to the portal.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to Bristol Myers Squibb's ZENBEXUS, or iberdomide, for adult patients with multiple myeloma who have received at least one prior line of therapy. The approval pairs the new pill with daratumumab and hyaluronidase-fihj plus dexamethasone, establishing the first-ever regulatory green light for a cereblon-modulating protein degrader, or CELMoD. Trial data showed the regimen doubled minimal residual disease-negative complete response rates to 41% compared to 21% for the standard comparator arm. The drug carries boxed warnings for embryo-fetal toxicity and thromboembolism, with some patients discontinuing treatment due to adverse reactions. Meanwhile, Bristol Myers Squibb shares traded around $64.66 following the announcement, leaving the stock near consensus price targets.
The Federal Trade Commission has opened an antitrust investigation into Epic Systems, examining how the medical records giant grants and withholds data access across the healthcare technology industry. Federal investigators have issued civil investigative demands to other sector participants to scrutinize whether Verona, Wisconsin-based Epic uses its dominant market position to stifle competition and restrict software interoperability. Epic's electronic health record systems and MyChart patient portal are used by healthcare providers that collectively treat more than 280 million people in the United States. The inquiry follows mounting legal pressure, including a December lawsuit from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton accusing the company of locking out rivals through restrictive fees and data-hoarding practices. Particle Health, a competing medical records platform used by insurers, has also sued Epic over alleged barriers to client onboarding, an accusation Epic has dismissed as baseless while alleging Particle obtained records under false pretenses. Epic maintains that it leads the industry in interoperability and that its healthcare provider customers control patient record access. The FTC declined to comment on the ongoing investigation.