Pharmaceutical Executive Daily: September 26, 2025

Welcome to Pharmaceutical Executive Daily, your quick briefing on the top news shaping the pharmaceutical and life sciences industry.

In today’s Pharmaceutical Executive Daily, we cover the White House’s push for a Most Favored Nation drug pricing model, the FDA’s approval of Eli Lilly’s Inluriyo for ESR1-mutated metastatic breast cancer, and President Trump’s call for steep tariffs on branded pharmaceuticals.

The White House is pressing ahead with its Most Favored Nation drug pricing proposal, a policy that would peg U.S. prices to those paid in other wealthy nations. Advocates say the measure could bring much-needed relief to patients facing high out-of-pocket costs. Critics argue that copying Europe’s price controls also risks replicating access barriers, with fewer innovative therapies reaching the market quickly. Industry leaders warn that while affordability reforms are important, policymakers must ensure incentives for research and development remain intact. The MFN plan is expected to be a flashpoint in the drug pricing debate.

In regulatory news, the FDA has approved Eli Lilly’s Inluriyo, the first oral therapy targeting ESR1-mutated metastatic breast cancer. Approval was based on Phase III data showing a significant progression-free survival benefit compared with existing options. The decision provides oncologists with a long-awaited targeted therapy for patients whose tumors have proven resistant to endocrine treatment. Analysts see the launch as strengthening Lilly’s oncology pipeline while offering physicians and patients a new tool against an especially challenging cancer subtype.

And on the trade front, President Donald Trump has proposed 100% tariffs on branded, patented drugs imported into the United States. He framed the measure as a way to reduce reliance on foreign manufacturing and drive down costs. Industry observers caution that such tariffs could disrupt global supply chains, increase costs for U.S. payers, and trigger retaliatory measures abroad. The proposal adds another layer of uncertainty to ongoing policy discussions around drug pricing and market access.

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