Saved By The 51st State, Wasting Billions A Week On GLP-1s, Insurance Drops Half a Bill On PR

Hey all,

Happy Thursday! As all of us suffered through the heat this week it reminded me of all of the different factors that can lead to poor health. While I recover in the air conditioning from the 100 degree heat in Washington D.C. I am thankful I am fortunate enough to be able to work inside.This week's scorching heat was a stark reminder of the many factors contributing to poor health. As I recover in the air conditioning from Washington D.C.'s 100-degree temperatures, I'm grateful for the privilege of working indoors. Enjoy the rundown!

Jacob Brody (Co-Founder & CEO, ZorroRX)

(The Regulatory Review) Making Drugs Affordable Through Personal Importation

Gabriel Levitt contends that personal importation of prescription drugs is the most actionable and legally grounded path to lower drug prices for Americans under President Trump’s “most-favored-nation” pricing initiative. While most of the executive order’s measures require complex rulemaking or international cooperation, Section 804(j)(2) of the FDCA allows the Secretary of HHS to permit personal drug imports via discretionary waivers—empowering patients to safely access lower-priced medications from well-regulated foreign markets. Maybe this is why President Trump wants Canada to be the 51st state—he’s just trying to fix the pharmaceutical price problem. Full Article

(BenefitsPRO) and GLP-1 Prescription Cost Savings

A new analysis by DoseSpot found that over 90% of GLP-1 prescriptions could have been filled at a lower cost, potentially saving patients billions if scaled across the 33 million Americans using these medications monthly. The study highlights how transparent pricing, patient choice of pharmacy, and manufacturer savings programs—largely underutilized—could dramatically improve adherence, especially given that cost is the top reason Americans skip prescriptions. But sure, let’s keep pretending low adherence is some mysterious behavior problem, not the predictable result of people simply not being able to afford their meds. Full Article

(Health Care Un-covered) Health Insurance Lobbying and Reform Promises

Health insurers and their lobbying groups have spent a staggering $476.5 million since 2020—largely funded by premiums and tax dollars—to block reforms and preserve profit-driving practices like prior authorization, all while publicly promising voluntary improvements. This spending has helped shield the industry from regulatory threats, ensuring continued dominance over key programs like Medicare Advantage and pharmacy benefit management. As for those reform promises—if you believe them, I’ve got some magic beans to sell you: Full Article.