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France’s 2026 Social Security Financing Bill (PLFSS) includes a measure aimed at expanding the range of countries used to benchmark medicine and medical device prices in FranceAs reported, Article 34, reinstated by the National Assembly after having been deleted by the Senate, was carried under Article 88, page 91 of the Bill. It allows the Economic Committee for Health Products (CEPS) to take into account non-European countries with comparable market characteristicsIn an explanatory note during the PLFSS readings last year, Thibault Bazin, Member of the Republican Right group, pointed to the rapid rise in spending on medicines and medical devices since 2021, an average increase of 7.4% annually, compared to 3% GDP growth over the same period. As such, the amendment argues that looking at countries with lower prices but strong access to therapeutic innovation could help restore balance to France’s social security accounts
Last week, to kick off the new year, NAVLIN Daily published its 2025 trends round-up, offering an in-depth review of the policy, pricing and access developments that shaped the global pharmaceutical landscape over the past year. Check it out now! In the U.S., AbbVie and J&J announced the 15th & 16th voluntary MFN drug pricing agreements with the Trump administration Elsewhere, Brazil majorly restructured its drug pricing regulation and in France, pharmaceutical industry trade body Leem faced a crisis as around 30 major members exited the organization, including Sanofi, Ipsen, and Pierre Fabre. If you’re interested in the implications of these recent changes, you can register for our new Global Policy Watch newsletter here
Spain’s draft Royal Decree regulating the assessment of health technologies (HTAs) has entered its decisive stage after being sent to the Council of State under an urgent procedure, which limits its review period to 15 days, reports to DiariofarmaThese details were confirmed by Sonia García Pérez, advisory member of the General Directorate of the Common Portfolio of the National Health System and Pharmacy, during a conference organized by EUPATI Spain to mark the first year of application of the European HTA RegulationAccording to Diariofarma the version currently under consultation is not identical to the draft previously submitted for public comments, as it incorporates a series of technical and structural adjustments aimed at clarifying how the future national HTA system will function and how it will align with the European framework
AbbVie announced a voluntary Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing deal with the Trump administration, becoming the 16th drugmaker to enter such an agreementOther manufacturers who have struck MFN deals so far include Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, Sanofi, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, EMD Serono, Eli Lilly, Johnson & Johnson, and Novo NordiskAbbVie’s deal appears similar to previous agreements and the company notes that its expanded DTP offerings will include Alphagan (brimonidine tartrate), Combigan (brimonidine/timolol), Humira (adalimumab), and Synthroid (levothyroxine). The company is also pledging $100 billion in U.S.-based research and development (R&D) and capital investments, including manufacturing, over the next decade
Happy New Year to our readers!NAVLIN Daily has published its 2025 end-of-year trends round-up, offering an in-depth review of the policy, pricing and access developments that shaped the global pharmaceutical landscape over the past yearWe take a look back at 2025 developments in MFN, price transparency, global M&A, access to GLP-1 therapies, NICE policy trends and HTA decisions; the full newsletter is available below, via NAVLIN Daily
China’s updated National Reimbursement Drug List (NRDL) prioritizes innovative and ultra-long-acting medicines. Nearly half of new additions are Category 1 drugs, emphasizing clinical value. Oncology, anti-infectives, and rare disease therapies led the new listingsThe NHSA favored ultra-long-acting drugs like Innogen’s GLP-1RA, Novartis’ Leqvio, and Hengrui’s PCSK9-targeted mA for their value and lower annual costs. Domestic drugmakers are pushing these products over short-acting alternativesHCV treatments in China have been subject to a shake-up as older drugs like Merck's Zepatier and Ascletis' offerings exit due to limited genotype coverage. New local therapies now dominate with broader coverage across genotypes offered by Kawin’s coblopasvir and HEC Pharma’s imitasvir
In a latest announcement, the European Commission opened the first 2026 submission window for joint scientific consultations under the EU HTA Regulation, running from 7 January to 4 February 2026, and open to developers of medicines and medical devicesDevelopers can request JSCs in parallel with EMA scientific advice, enabling joint meetings with EMA coordinators, EMA and HTA experts to support coordinated early regulatory and HTA planningApplications must be submitted via the HTA IT Platform by 4 February 2026, with briefing document deadlines in April, May, or June 2026; early platform registration is advised, and no fee applies
The Indian state of Rajasthan has introduced a portability provision under its publicly subsidised health insurance program, allowing eligible patients from other states to access cashless treatment at hospitals in RajasthanThe reform was implemented by the Rajasthan State Health Assurance Agency (RSHAA) with technical support from the World Health Organization (WHO) through the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) PartnershipSumeer Singh Meena, Executive Director (IT) at the RSHAA, said, “The mapping of health benefit packages across states and integrating them into the live IT system was one of the toughest milestones. Once completed, it opened doors for true portability. Now, patients can easily access services in Rajasthan, irrespective of their home state”
The UK’s Chair of the House of Commons Science, Innovation and Technology Committee has written to two senior ministers demanding urgent clarification over a controversial pharmaceutical trade deal with the U.S. and wider life sciences investment policy which was announced last DecemberAt the time Dame Chi Onwurah, Chair of the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee had written to ministers Zubir Ahmed and Lord Vallance, in which they responded that they could not comment in detail on negotiations, stating: “Given the nature of these discussions and the commercial sensitivities, we cannot provide a running commentary on the specifics.” They added that the government would “always act in the interests of UK patients and uphold our domestic health policy objectives, particularly around affordability and access to medicinesHowever, Dame Onwurah later said she was “surprised to see leaked details of the UK-U.S. pharma deal in the Financial Times the same day, with an official press release quoting both ministers released an hour later.” As a result, Dame Onwurah, has given Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Science and Technology Secretary Liz Kendall until January 9, to adequately address her original questions
The Trump administration announced Most Favored Nation (MFN) drug pricing deals with nine additional pharmaceutical companies, including Amgen, Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead Sciences, GSK, Merck, Novartis, and SanofiThe companies will join Pfizer, AstraZeneca, EMD Serono, Eli Lilly, and Novo Nordisk, who have already struck deals with the administration over the past few monthsThe new agreements appear to mirror the previous five, with a focus on: offering products at MFN pricing through Medicaid; commitments to set prices on new drugs launched in the U.S. at no more than prices in other wealthy countries; offering certain medications at a significant discount through direct-to-patient (DTP) models; and promises to invest billions in U.S. manufacturing and research
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