The rescinded order directed Medicare and Medicaid to test ways to lower drug costs for enrollees. Those tests hadn’t started, so current drug prices are unaffected.

As of Monday, FDA commissioner Robert Califf, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra, Medicare director Meena Seshamani, and FDA Center for Drug Evaluation and Research director Patrizia Cavazzoni have retired or intend to retire prior to Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20.

Meena Seshamani’s Medicare swan song ended on a note of bravura: the announcement that 15 costly drugs, including Novo Nordisk blockbusters Wegovy and Ozempic, are slated for price talks.

Abe Sutton, a health policy aide in the first Trump administration, is likely to be named head of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation at CMS.

Ozempic and Wegovy, Novo Nordisk’s GLP-1 drugs that treat diabetes and obesity, are on the list. Astellas Pharma’s prostate cancer drug, Xtandi, is also on the list — alongside AstraZeneca’s cancer treatment Calquence, GSK’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) drug Breo Ellipta, and AbbVie’s antipsychotic medication Vraylar.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has selected 15 additional drugs for pr

Paul Mango, a senior health official during President-elect Donald Trump's first term who was a member of Trump's current transition team, has died at 65. | Paul Mango, a senior health official during President-elect Donald Trump's first term who was a member of Trump's current transition team,

The blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drug semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy) along with therapies for asthma, cancers, and various other conditions were among the 15 drugs the Biden administration selected for the next round of Medicare price negotiation.

One of the many executive actions taken by President Trump on his first official day in office was withdrawing from the World Health Organization.

Lewiston, Maine-based St. Mary's Health System is suing HHS for allegedly unlawfully withholding Medicare payments from the cash-strapped system, Maine Public Radio reported Jan. 14.

Part of clients' anxiety about this issue stems from the uncertainty of how much or how long such health care expenses will be incurred.