Here’s what we’re looking out for this week in the worlds of pharma and biotech:
The Hill buzzes with health reform chatter
Lawmakers on the House and Energy Commerce Committee will meet on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week to discuss Medicaid and the Obamacare markets. The busy schedule is a sign Congress is gearing up to tackle health reform, as promised. The questions before the committee — what to do with Medicaid and how to stabilize private insurance markets — are among the most difficult Republicans face.
The pharma earnings train rolls on
After last week’s wall-to-wall financial blitz, more of the industry’s biggest players are on deck to talk 2017 in the coming days. Leading the way are global behemoths Pfizer, Roche, Eli Lilly, and Merck, and we’ll also hear from Amgen, Novo Nordisk, and Eisai. Each has specific headwinds and tailwinds that will shape expectations for the year, but you can expect drug pricing — and its sustainability — to be a common theme. Investors will hope things go better than last week, when Biogen lowered its projections, AbbVie missed Wall Street estimates, and Bristol-Myers Squibb had an embarrassing microphone problem that did little to distract from their disappointing results.
