Key reading for knowing how and why things are moving in global health

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Nope Trump hasn't gotten American's the best deals on drug pricing and more State of the Union pharma, health care fact checking: www.citizen.org/article/fact... #healthpolicy

The White House still has not published any of its deals with drugmakers, making its claims to have lowered prices very difficult to believe. But we know for a fact Trump & GOP gave pharma an $8+ billion payout out of pockets of taxpayers & cancer patients via the Big Ugly Bill.

People in the U.S. are being charged up to 16x as much as peer countries for the same treatments. This is absurd. As generics manufacturers are expected to begin selling GLP-1s in Canada for less than $100 soon, we're calling on HHS to authorize generic competition for GLP-1 drugs.

Prepping for the State of the Union? Don't be fooled by Trump's misleading claims on drug pricing. #healthpolicy www.citizen.org/article/dont...

Americans pay the highest prescription costs in the world. What are we going to do about it? More from @maybarduk.bsky.social @pcmedsaccess.bsky.social @publiccitizen.bsky.social: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtYj...

TrumpRx Exposed: What It Means for Your Prescriptions #CareTalk live @maybarduk.bsky.social @pcmedsaccess.bsky.social @publiccitizen.bsky.social explores w/ me @healthcarevoices.org @mswmedia.com & Diane @socialsecurityworks.org @louisenorris.bsky.social#CareTalkanswer your health insurance q’s

Most people will do better through insurance than TrumpRx. Many without insurance will not be able to afford the still-high TrumpRx prices. But drugmakers certainly will appreciate Trump’s free product promos, delivered with a false veneer of price accountability. www.politico.com/news/2026/02...

Trump says he lowered drug prices. We’ll believe it when we see it. So we sued for access to the secret deals.

Lenacapavir could sharply cut new HIV infections. But only if people can actually get it. Watch this brief video from @maybarduk.bsky.social on how monopoly power is limiting access, and why World AIDS Day is the moment to demand change. www.instagram.com/p/DRh2CUIjl-Z/

LMAO PhRMA’s long-awaited answer to anger about its prices, which cause rationing & suffering & waste tens of billions in healthcare $$$ is … … a website. To support DTP sales. You would think a trillion-dollar industry that prides itself on innovation could do better. You would be wrong.

Thanks to health leaders Emily Bass, Mitchell Warren, Asia Russell, Amanda Banda, and Isata Dumbuya. And to our event co-hosts UNAIDS, Health GAP, People's Medicines Alliance, UAEM, Treatment Action Group, RESULTS, and Partners In Health.

We had a critical discussion about continuing the fight to bring medicines to all, with the first step being bringing that breakthrough — at that price — to the world. Thanks to UNAIDS' Winnie Byanyima and Unitaid's Tenu Avafia for joining us today and for your leadership.

We are launching a global campaign to make long-acting HIV prevention available to everyone, everywhere. With allies worldwide we will: *Challenge drugmakers’ power & patents; make $40 price available to all countries *Push for ambition from govt, funders to help 10 million+ people access PrEP LA

State’s Health Strategy is cover for cruelty. While the Pentagon budget balloons to trillion+ dollars w/Trump’s vanity projects, the admin picks out critically underfunded needs of global health for slashing & blames development groups for budgetary waste. www.nytimes.com/2025/09/18/u...

“The discounts, rebates, and patient assistance that Gilead offers [for LEN PrEP] are based on the underlying high price. If they really wanted to broaden access, they should just lower the list price and everything else would be easier,” says @maybarduk.bsky.social. www.thebody.com/news/hiv/mor...

Spoke w/ @apnews.com about HIV funding cuts & the risk of losing a threshold moment toward defeating aids, with the approval of long-acting injectables for HIV prevention.

Join us tonight to protect health & public media, and fight rescission.

The Medicaid cuts in Trump's budget bill are projected to cause more than 16,500 premature deaths ANNUALLY. Over 1.9 MILLION people could lose access to a physician. Over 1.3 MILLION people could go without needed medications. Americans will die for billionaires to thrive.

Africa has ~400x fewer MVA-BN doses per mpox case than the U.S had at the same 9-month point in the 2022-23 emergency. That shortfall limits vax ambition & adds to suffering. WHO just extended the mpox emergency. But Trump's exec orders block USAID support & work w/WHO. Some of what's needed:

Here’s world-class pharma jerk Bourla just casually threatening countries’ meds access if the U.S. seeks less abusive prices at home.   The only way to deal with bullies like this is stand up and fight them. www.reuters.com/business/hea...

This is a low point. Trump, having unconstitutionally obliterated foreign aid, asks members of Congress to bless the power he illegally took from them. Trump’s cuts will save a rounding error, but cost America its credibility and hundreds of thousands of people their lives.

🧭 MPP’s Board & observers met in Geneva this week. Grateful for their expertise and guidance 🙏 — and proud of our team’s professionalism and commitment to impact 💼🌍 #GlobalHealth #MPP #AccessToMedicines

Countries came together amidst scarcity to commit to a more just & healthy world. That is worth celebrating. If the U.S. had applied these terms NIH-Moderna could have been affordable & available to rich & poor countries alike, saving hundreds of thousands of lives. www.citizen.org/news/despite...

Our Access to Medicines Program director @maybarduk.bsky.social wrote about this in a new op-ed: www.politico.eu/article/phar...

Join PAN & FOUR PAWS at #WHA78 for The Pandemic Agreement & Beyond: International Solidarity in a Multipolar Era — Tue., May 20 — an action-oriented discussion with leading stakeholders in the pandemic agreement and IHR processes on what comes next. airtable.com/app943FMw4mw...

Under the Impoundment Control Act (ICA), the Administration can report a rescission (a proposal to cancel funds Congress has explicitly directed to be spent) to Congress. Once reported, it's up to Congress to say yes or no. Our representatives need to say NO. open.substack.com/pub/ninaschw...

⏰As final negotiations approach, equity concerns remain on Technology Transfer provisions in the #PandemicAccord 🙋🏽‍♀️The issue? Some countries insist on use of the word "voluntary.” 🧑🏽‍⚖️ 30 legal experts from around the world explain why that's redundant. 🧵

Here is a brief update on payment to #USAID contractors and grantees for money owed for work done through 12 February. This case involves @hivpxresearch.bsky.social and the Global Health Council (plaintiffs) against the US Department of State and President #Trump (defendants). 🧵

Rep. @jayapal.house.gov : “Democracies fall in months not years.” Organize

Outside Congress right now to save healthcare and fight Medicaid cuts — with @popdemoc.bsky.social @nationalnurses.bsky.social @seiu.org @publiccitizen.bsky.social @ppfa.org @peoplesactionparty.bsky.social

“86% of adults overestimate $$$ spent on foreign aid, saying the U.S. spends a quarter of its budget on aid. “After hearing foreign aid accounts for ~1% of the budget, the share who say the U.S. spends too much on aid drops >20 points from 58% to 34%. “This pattern is consistent across partisans.”

Thank you, @apoorvanyt.bsky.social for capturing this administration’s willful disregard for the lives and livelihoods affected by its reckless, process-free decision making.

Big police caravan gathering now to arrest protesters staging die-in & calling on Congress to save PEPFAR

1/This chain links to documents and repositories bearing witness to impacts of USAID stop work orders, contract terminations and staff reductions. Some relate to litigation. Most come from aid, advocacy & development industry organizations or beneficiaries that have a stake in the terminated work.

We are moving to hold Rubio and Vought in contempt For outrageously defying a federal court’s order to unfreeze foreign aid. Get the money moving Mr. Rubio

Judge Orders Trump Administration to Resume Foreign Aid Spending www.nytimes.com/2025/02/14/u.... Judge: "They have also provided supporting evidence that Defendants’ actions have had and will continue to have a catastrophic effect on the humanitarian missions of several plaintiffs."

Pepfar saves lives

🚨Major victory🚨Judge just issued temp restraining order reversing the aid freeze at #USAID, State, and rest of USG. huge. Clear win, judge says programs must be reopened during the review… as we’ve been arguing judge agrees it is contrary to law on multiple levels. bravo to…

Breaking: a fed court blocked Trump’s forced leave & evacuations at USAID for another week, extending the restraining order until Feb 21. “All USAID employees on admin leave shall be reinstated” til that date. We will invest that week fighting for an injunction, to reopen USAID 1/3

WHO confirmed today that CDC has stopped sharing flu surveillance data through WHO platforms. The U.S. is facing its most intense flu season in 15 years and is grappling with the threat from bird flu. Trump’s recklessness is already risking the health of Americans and people worldwide.

BREAKING: @publiccitizen.bsky.social on behalf of @drsforamerica.bsky.social for the lawsuit around the removal of clinical information & data from CDC, FDA, and HHS webpages was granted a temporary restraining order - by 11:59 pm, the pages must be restored. #MedSky www.citizen.org/news/judge-g...

Very kind Matt. You and your team’s work on this emergency — in the streets, journals and behind the scenes — has been awesome. Global health and development are pulling together.

New: We are suing Trump to reverse the foreign aid freeze, on behalf of AVAC @hivpxresearch.bsky.social and the Journalism Development Network. Act up, fight back. www.citizen.org/news/nonprof...

Here is the court order immediately reinstating all USAID staff placed on admin leave —though, only through next Friday Feb 14. The court notes govt “had no response” to the question why firings had to happen now (save unsupported possible “corruption”). Preliminary injunction hearing Weds 2/12.

New on #USAID: First, in @foreignpolicy.com our piece on illegality of abolishing USAID. To be clear-eyed: This is neither good policy nor legal under the most basic elements of U.S. law and the Constitution. w @abinader.bsky.social Also see our memo 👇 foreignpolicy.com/2025/02/04/u...

We stand up, we win

BREAKING: We have an early limited win in our suit. www.reuters.com/world/us/us-...

Yes we are