Category: Uncategorized

Number Three, Of Four: Lilly’s Tripled Q1 Lobby Spend (’23 To ’25) Is Driven By The Explosion Of Its Weight Loss Franchises…

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That is decidedly good news (for Lilly shareholders) — it is making an investment, in lobbying, to protect both its patent positions on the drugs — and keep them listed as covered — through Medicare / Medicaid — and private insurance plans, where medical necessity is demonstrated. [We remain unsure as to what the long term side effects might be, from being on the jabs for years and years. Time will tell.]

In any event, next up — and the final installment — will be Amgen. Also a company that is bumping up its spending. But here is the Lilly rundown:

…Issues related to intellectual property protection and market access within current trade negotiations. Canada IP; USMCA implementation; Mexico patent linkage; Special 301; Trade talks: US-Japan, US-China, US-EU, US-UK, US-India, and US-Brazil; US Tariffs….

Patient protection; Pharmaceutical supply chain issues and shortages; Drug pricing, coverage, value, access and quality; Transparency; Intellectual property; Health insurance accessibility; Implementation of the “Inflation Reduction Act” (HR.5376); Prescription drug approval; Policy matters related to Artificial Intelligence in health care….

Intellectual property; 340B Program; Medicare & Medicaid prescription drug reimbursement, coverage and value; Implementation of the “Inflation Reduction Act” (HR.5376); CMS National Coverage Determination on Alzheimer’s disease….

Multi-lateral threats to IP and the biopharmaceutical industry; Drug importation; Prescription drug value, access and quality….

Pharmaceutical intellectual property issues….

Implementation and extension of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act; Domestic manufacturing tax incentives; Expensing of research and development costs; Global minimum tax; Pension and retirement benefit issues; round-tripping….

Hospital discounts; 340B program; Prescription drug value, access, quality and compliance with Drug Quality and Safety Act….

That last bolded bit is the Lilly litigation / legislation / lobbying campaign… to keep various compounders (some of which are perfectly reputable) from undercutting the weight loss franchise drug’s premium pricing, in the US — via supposed supply shortages. Now you know.

Onward now, into a Middle East driven primarily by corruption and commerce, it seems. [This present “Tangerine World” (normalizing brutal Syria) bears scant resemblance to the the not so long ago time, when Cy Vance had medical device companies pleading guilty to felonies — simply for providing life-saving IV solutions bags — to hospitals, for sick children, inside Syria.] Wow.

नमस्ते

Catching Up… On NASA’s Latest Learnings, About Jupiter’s “Northern Lights” — Hundreds Of Times Brighter Than Ours, Here On Earth…

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I need a palette cleanser (after “Air Horse One” / a purported Qatari 747 “gift”, has vexed me for three days, without relief) — so the gorgeous, gargantuan auroras… above Jupiter will do just the trick. Smile.

Do go watch the 4K video explainer below — but here’s a teasing bit:

…“We wanted to see how quickly the auroras change, expecting them to fade in and out ponderously, perhaps over a quarter of an hour or so. Instead, we observed the whole auroral region fizzing and popping with light, sometimes varying by the second.”

In particular, the team studied emission from the trihydrogen cation (H3+), which can be created in auroras. They found that this emission is far more variable than previously believed. The observations will help develop scientists’ understanding of how Jupiter’s upper atmosphere is heated and cooled.

The team also uncovered some unexplained observations in their data.

“What made these observations even more special is that we also took pictures simultaneously in the ultraviolet with NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope,” added Nichols. “Bizarrely, the brightest light observed by [JWST] had no real counterpart in Hubble’s pictures.

This has left us scratching our heads. In order to cause the combination of brightness seen by both [JWST] and Hubble, we need to have a combination of high quantities of very low-energy particles hitting the atmosphere, which was previously thought to be impossible. We still don’t understand how this happens….”

Onward — now you know… there are still vast mysteries out there — in the cold black night of space… even in our own neighborhood. That’s just… awesome — maybe your own kiddos will be the ones to figure out these gas giant / planetary science mysteries, in the decades that lie ahead. Smile.

नमस्ते

The Able USDC Judge Xinis Orders Noem /Rubio — To REFILE Their Errant Document Cover Page — And The FULL Privilege Log, In Abrego Garcia’s Case… By 3 PM Eastern Today.

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The full pdf of the just entered order is “eyes only” — because it might well mention some purportedly privileged items.

But the text summary of it is tantalizing enough. How badly overdue is Noem/Rubio — on getting the log together? It was ordered to be produced… weeks ago. She’s plainly nonplussed by the foot-draggin’, here:

…TEXT ORDER:

Directing Defendants to correct this deficiency and file the privilege log by 3:00pm today.

Signed by Judge Paula Xinis on 5/13/2025.

(kb3s, Deputy Clerk) (Additional attachment(s) added on 5/13/2025: # (1) CORRECTED Main Document)….

Now you know. Onward — resolutely.

नमस्ते

This Is More About MAGA Process — Than Substance — As East Bay IV Is In Good Posture In Oakland…

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I haven’t linked the fine Ninth Cir. remand order, because it is unsurprising, and correct as a matter of law. The able USDC Judge Tigar in Oakland is already underway, in getting a record put together, from the parties, to address the Hippocratic standing argument — and the scope of prior rules and orders (and Trump’s attempts to end them by Sharpie scribbles — there are reliance interests a-go-go there).

Mostly, I wanted to leave this one here — so that we may marvel at the hubris of the one conservative’s dissent.

For well-over 100 years, nationwide injunctions from federal courts have prevented people from violating others’ Constitutional rights. [Here think of George Wallace barring the doors of the University of Alabama to people of color.]

But this VanDyke guy would tell us that… this system of checks and balances is “getting in the way of” Tangerine 2.0’s lawless cruelty against primarily brown people — who’ve had the temerity to join us, seeking nothing — but a better life, for their children.

I am sick to death of these old (almost uniformly mediocre whyte) men whining that they can’t… get old Jim Crow back.

That is all.

Second, In The “Power Alley” Lobby Series: Pfizer Still Leads In Overall Lobby Spending — Across Three Prior Q1s…

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Here is the laundry list of what Pfizer bent legislative and agency ears, on — during the first 90 days of Tangerine 2.0’s time in office. Again.

The themes do broadly echo those seen at Merck, in our post of last evening — but these efforts are deeper (and also more focused on blunting tariff talk — thus more expensive — reaching down to staffers of Congress-critters, for example). Here’s all that — without any additional ado:

…H. Con. Res. 14 — Establishing the congressional budget [i.e., the Trump 2.0 administration wish list] for the US Government for FY 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034 Budget Reconciliation….

[US House] S 526 – Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act of 2025; S 527 – Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2025; S 832 – EPIC Act of 2025; S 864 – HELP Copays Act; S 882 – Patients Before Middlemen Act; S 1040 – Drug Competition Enhancement Act; HR 946 – ORPHAN Cures Act; HR 1492 – EPIC Act; Biosimilars Access & Reimbursement; 340B Reform; 340B Access Act; Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Biosimilar Pause; Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) Pill Penalty; Vaccine Coverage; Intellectual Property Protections; PBM Reform; Lower Cost More Transparency Act; Bayh-Dole Act March-In Rights; Cancer Policies; Drug Pricing/Foreign Reference Pricing; Digital Therapeutics Access & Reimbursement; Patient Out of Pocket Costs….

[Senate] S 526 – Pharmacy Benefit Manager Transparency Act of 2025; S 527 – Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2025; S 832 – Epic Act of 2025; S 864 – HELP Copays Act; S 882 – Patients Before Middlemen Act; HR 946 – ORPHAN Cures Act; PBM Reform; Medicaid Prescription Drug Access….

[Both — taxation] H. Con. Res. 14 – Establishing the congressional budget for the US Government for FY 2025 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2026 through 2034; VICP Reform and Excise Tax; Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA); Comprehensive Corporate Tax Reform….

HR 2213 – Authorize the President to Enter Into Trade Agreements for the Reciprocal Elimination of Duties or Other Import; Restrictions with Respect to Medical Goods; Medical Supply Chain Resiliency Act; International Supply Chain; Tariffs; Non-Tariff Trade Barriers….

Now you know. [Note that there are bills in Congress to now grant Trump authority to reduce older tariffs; and… note to the wise: he needs the same to. . . increase them.] And Pfizer’s spend is here declining slightly from 2023 Q1 (i.e., before the election year) — but it is still the leader of the pack in the USA, for pharma spend.

नमस्ते

Here Are The Details, From That Janet Reno 1995 Case Noem Cited — As Grounds To Remove Mr. Khalil. PREPOSTEROUS! 1995 Guy Was A Terror CONVICT In Jordan.

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Wisely, the lawyers for Mr. Khalil simply hand over the Janet Reno 1995 letter of removability — so the able USDC Judge in Newark might read it for himself. And that “read”… is devastating. Noem and Rubio touted it as bolstering their authority to summarily deport student protesters from Columbia U, last fall.

In fact, the only other time this provision was used, was after a man fleeing from Jordan — who, after being CONVICTED of terrorism there (bombing a cinema!) fled — to hide inside the US. He was found, and Jordan asked politely for his return, so that he might serve his SENTENCE there, for terrorism. You can readily see that none of these students — in the slightest — resemble this three-decades gone cinema bombing terrorist. Here’s all that, in a full seven page PDF:

…Permitting Mr. [REDACTED] to remain in the United States would be at odds with these important foreign policy initiatives and would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences for the United States. Mr. [REDACTED] has been identified to us by the Government of Jordan as a terrorist. He is accused of involvement in terrorist attack against cinemas in Jordan, and has been convicted in absentia.

The Government of Jordan has notified the Department of State that it seeks Mr. [REDACTED]’s rendition and that, in accordance with usual Jordanian practice, he will be tried again if he is returned to Jordan, after which the previous verdict will be null and void.

I believe that the Jordanian request is made in good faith. To permit Mr. [REDACTED] to remain at large in the United States in light of his alleged activities and criminal conviction in Jordan, and Jordan’s request for his deportation, would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences in several respects. It would cast doubt upon the seriousness of our resolve to combat terrorism, and thereby undermine our ability to play a leadership role in this arena.

It would also damage our credibility in making requests to other governments that they refuse to permit terrorists to travel freely in their own countries.

In the particular context of Middle East terrorism, it could damage U.S. relations with Jordan (a key player in the Middle Bast peace process) and other friendly foreign governments whose interests Mr. [REDACTED] threatens….

Jordan is aware of Mr. [REDACTED]’s presence in the United States, and has asked for our assistance in sending him to Jordan so that he may be brought to justice. To permit Mr. [REDACTED] to remain in the United States in these circumstances would potentially be seen as an affront to Jordan and at odds with many of the basic elements of our cooperative bilateral relationship….

So… the Noem and Rubio [and Tangerine 2.0] lawyers are caught being far less than candid — with a federal court judge. Again. This will damage their credibility — again, too. Mr. Khalil deserves to be free, pending any trial the Noem-ites might try to muster up.

Damnation. Out.

नमस्ते

Hey John: “Who… Is A Racist?!” Right. YOU ARE.

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Well, if one [as did Hinderaker, here] decides that… only brown people walking — often over thousands of miles, over rough desert terrain, in the blazing sun or freezing cold… are “invaders“, but only whyte skinned ppl, taking comfy passenger jets to LaGuardia, non-stop, with meals and frosty beverages, to boot… from Joburg, South Africa… are “refugees”….

YOU MIGHT JUST BE A…

R A C I S T.

Call the thing by his name.

Res Ipsa.

Out.

Merck’s Q1 2025 Lobby Spend Up From Last Year, But Still Below All Other Pharma Majors…

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As the follow-on to mine below — on the markets laughing off Trump’s Sharpie scribbles — on pharmaceuticals pricing… I’ll set out the first in the series of pharma majors’ lobby spend in the first quarter of 2025.

Do enjoy — this will be one of five or seven in a series, depending on how ambitious I feel this week. [And whether the Qatari “trojan horse” deal gets done. Hah.]

…H.R. 1244, Reducing Drug Prices for Seniors Act; H.R. 1492, To amend title XI of the Social Security Act to equalize the negotiation period between small-molecule and biologic candidates under the Drug Price Negotiation Program; H.R. 1503/S. 2916, Prescription Information Modernization Act of 2023; H.R. 1968, Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025; S. 1040, Drug Competition Enhancement Act; S. 1339, Pharmacy Benefit Manager Reform Act; S. 2076 Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions To End Up surging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2021….

Issues relating to [US House]: 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B issues; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Drug pricing and reimbursement issues; Prescription drug cost-sharing; Anti-microbial Resistance; Cost and value of medicines; Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) immunization; Vaccines issues; Vaccine misinformation; Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) immunizations; Package inserts, labeling issues, and E-Labeling authorization legislation; Pharmaceutical supply channel issues; Drug shortage issues; Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), issues relating to drug pricing provisions; FY-2025 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Intellectual property protection and trade issues; WTO IP Waiver for COVID therapeutics; Animal Health; Animal Health Technology Issues; Animal Health Policy Issues: Animal Drug User Fee Act (ADUFA) & Funding for Electronic Animal Traceability; One Health Issues; General pharmaceutical issues; Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP); Diversity in clinical trials; Accelerated approval reform; Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) policy issues; Pharmacy Benefit Manager reforms; Food and Drug Administration issues; Public Health Issues….

H.R. 1244, Reducing Drug Prices for Seniors Act; Issues relating to [Senate]: Medicare; Medicare Part B and D drug pricing issues; 340B program integrity; 340B of the Public Health Services Act; 340B drug pricing program; Drug pricing; Drug pricing and reimbursement issues; FY-2025 Budget and Appropriations Legislation; Medicaid drug rebate program (MDRP)….

Issues relating to [House & Senate]: Tax reform and tax policy, generally; Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (P.L. 115-97); Inflation Reduction Act (P.L. 117-169), provisions relating to budget reconciliation and taxes….

H.R. 8467, Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2024; Issues relating to: United Stated Department of Agriculture; Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; Final Rule regarding use of electronic identification eartags as official identification in cattle and bison (89 Fed. Reg. 39,541 — 39,566, May 9, 2024)….

Now you know. But this will now prove out… that Tangerine’s silly Sharpie is no match for world class lobbying efforts. They’ve already (long ago) won the match — in the House and Senate. Out.

नमस्ते

On Pharma, Trump Did… Nuthin’ — In Truth… Pharma Stocks JUMP UP, ~3% To ~5% — On The Day That Tangerine 2.0 Uses His Sharpie (Purportedly) To… “Drop Prices By 59%”?!

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Powerline thinks Trump’s sharpie means something.

It doesn’t.

Funny. Bill forgets to mention — he failed in 2018.

But Mr. Biden got it done. He did.

Trump is trying to retread a pricing push — that will be abandoned in a few weeks.

These people… Damn.

UPDATED: Here’s what I mean — more fleshed out, with some quiet drafting time, available — on the train home:

Sure — there is a very slim chance he gets something meaningful done, on pharma pricing. But it is a vanishingly-slim chance.

He just this morning signed an unlawful solo executive order / Sharpie scribble — telling big pharma to bring US retail drug prices “into line” with EU pricing. It is crystal clear this is not something he can achieve alone — both as a matter of law, and of political will-power. He needs the might of Congressional acts, at a minimum. And he will never get it (see at right; lobby efforts — in Congress, last year).

The savvy traders at Wall and Broad then gleefully… laughed at his impotence. That is my take. All major pharma names were trading up, all day. The smart money knows… he is already an utterly lame duck. So the traders rejoice — threats to pharma from this nincompoop… are at an end, as a practical matter. Here’s the latest:

…Pharmaceutical stocks like Pfizer Inc., Amgen Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly & Co., and Merck & Co. Inc. jumped on Monday, after US markets opened after Trump’s announcement.

Pharma giant, Pfizer’s shares jumped 3.3 per cent to hit the intraday high of $23.02 as of the early Wall Street session. The stock is now trading 2.92 per cent higher at $22.94 in Monday’s market, compared to $22.28 in the previous US market close….

And so — his incompetence (just as in 2017-19) is once again very good news for drug-makers and bioscience companies. Onward, grinning –[and, I’ll get Q1 2025 lobby spending summaries out this week, to be certain.] End updated portion.

नमस्ते

In The New Mexico v. Musk Matter, In DC — Slightly Elongated Deadlines — By Mutual Agreement, Before The Able USDC Judge Chutkan.

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This one is up on appeal as well, so the reply to Musk’s motion to dismiss need not be in any rush.

Ultimately, once again — it will be finally determined that the world’s richest but unregistered lobbyist (Musk, in violation of felony statutes) — a guy who he himself says has “no formal role in the US government“… cannot ransack USAID, and Treasury and IRS and Social Security databases. He just. cannot. Here’s the new schedule, in DC:

…MINUTE ORDER: GRANTING [92] Consent Motion for Extension of Time. Plaintiffs’ response to Defendants’ [90] Motion to Dismiss is due by May 28, 2025. Defendants’ reply is due by June 12, 2025. Signed by Judge Tanya S. Chutkan on 5/12/2025….

Now you know. Onward, to find some of my very favorite taco trucks — now roaming the City of Big Shoulders’ loop.

नमस्ते