HHS Secretary Announces Intent to Extend HHS-OIG Exclusion Authority to CMS, Expanding the Administration’s Anti-Fraud Campaign
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recently announced that he would give CMS the authority to exclude individuals and entities from participation in federal health care programs, an authority previously held only by HHS-OIG. While the announcement has not been formalized since announced in July, the announcement signals a potentially far-reaching expansion of CMS’s enforcement powers, which in turn would have implications for healthcare providers, suppliers, manufacturers, vendors, and other industry stakeholders.
Most-Favored-Nations Drug Pricing Policy: White House Quietly Releases Report Describing Voluntary MFN Deals
On May 6, 2026, the White House Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)[1] discretely released the first report quantifying its view of the projected savings generated by the administration’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) drug pricing policy framework, based on existing MFN pricing agreements and expectations for future MFN agreements. According to the report, the MFN framework is expected to generate an estimated $529B in domestic savings and a 30% decrease in net prices for drugs in the U.S. over the next 10 years.
U.S. Drug Pricing Year in Review: Reflections on 2025 and Getting Ready for 2026
Federal drug pricing pressures intensified in 2025 with the second Trump administration. This Update reviews the year’s pivotal shifts and outlines what manufacturers should expect as they prepare for a more complex 2026.
