Past support for so-called ‘march in’ rights is a red flag for biopharma innovators, but after two days of confirmation hearings, industry can be somewhat reassured.

Pharma has won pricing battles during the pandemic, but doesn’t seem to be winning war as senators on both sides of the aisle question how some drug companies were able to skirt controversial intellectual property ownership issues in COVID-19 drug and vaccine agreements with the US government. IP experts say the biggest harm to the government from the contracting language may not be the pricing concerns but the government’s ability to share leanings from the partnerships with other coronavirus development programs.

HIV community is pushing back against the change, arguing that revenue lost from reduced reimbursement will cripple providers, which use the extra funds for wrap-around patient support and services.