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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Non-transparent market means asymmetric information. Pharma companies know all the price deals and buyers just their own. And risk of corruption, which has been proven to be very real in pharmaceutical market, will increase.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

However, all this fuss might put some upward pressure on European prices for new drugs. Probably this will lead to even more confidential deals and less price transparency.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

These kind of confidential ad hoc deals with individual companies are of course very high corruption risk. And that's possibly just the point. It's perfect opportunity to extort money or other favours from companies.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

This doesn't look like serious pharmaceutical price control policy. It looks more like a show by authoritarian leader.

Journalists should ask critical questions and not just repeat unverified claims by Trump administration.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Real new thing is that direct-to-consumer channel will be named “TrumpRx”. So Trump can grow his personality cult and make fantastic claims that can't be verified. In exchange of this, Pfizer is released from incoming tariffs.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Pfizer's main business is developing new drugs. They probably will spend 70 billions on this and some other things in coming years anyway and it can be defined as investment. So probably nothing new here either.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Announcement that Pfizer is going to invest 70 billion dollars in US seems quite fantastic, so it is probably just creative storytelling.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Same as European list price? Possible, since that is not real price, especially for new drugs that are Pfizer's business. Is it more or less than current Medicaid prices? No idea, but my guess is that not much will change.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Current US list price? As far as I understand Medicaid doesn't pay that now, and direct-to-consumer discount programs are reality in US already.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

Pfizer has now promised to sell medicines cheaper to Medicaid and direct to consumers. But cheaper than what?

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

European payers generally don't pay lis price on new expensive medications either. There are all kinds of discounts and rebates tied to effectiveness, volume sold etc. These agreements making real prices are usually confidential.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

As mentioned in article, Medicaid can negotiate about prices, so probably it doesn't pay list price, especially on new expensive medications.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 5d

I've tried to follow Trump's policy on pharma prices and must say that it looks more and more just a show.

Deal with Pfizer is confidential, so we just have to rely on statements made. Here, like in many things, devil is probably in the details, and we don't know them. However, some points:

President announces TrumpRx website for drugs, and pricing deal with Pfizer

The Trump administration says it is making deals with drug companies to lower prices U.S. consumers pay for medicines. But key details are missing on how the initiative would work.

www.npr.org

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 8d

Kaikennäköisten kiireiden takia kävelykierrosten pitäminen on viime aikoina jäänyt vähiin, mutta su 5.10. ois taas tarjolla.

Aiheena Helsingin työväenhistorian varhaisvaiheet 1800-luvun lopulta vuoteen 1918.

Kierros on osa Helsingin kävelyfestivaalia, joten lippuja saa tätä kautta:

Festivaalin kävelyt - Helsingin kävelyfestivaali

HELSINGIN KÄVELYFESTIVAALI 4.-19.10.2025 Teemana Best of Kävelyfestarit eli oppaiden omia suosikkikierroksia vuosien varrelta. La 4.10. klo 11.00 Kallion uraauurtavat naiset Kallion alueella monet roh...

helsinginkavelyfestivaali.fi

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 18d

Käyttäkää ihmiset kondomia.

Reaalikapitalismi vähän yskii:

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

And if you are masochist enough to read whole paper produced by EU bureaucracy with support of pharma lobby, it's here:

health.ec.europa.eu

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

You can check the participant list here:

health.ec.europa.eu

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

Considering this background, it's hardly a surprise that the proposed Critical Medicines Act is bringing more subsidies and less regulation for the pharmaceutical industry.

Somehow, this is supposed to be the solution to the medicine shortages crisis.

I must admit that I'm a bit skeptical.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

+1 company-funded industry-patient cooperation,
WHO representative and 3 unidentified (probably pharma companies too)

But I'd say numbers are just part of the asymmetry here. The industry has advantages also in information and lobbying resources.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

I checked participants of this EU policy-forming dialogue and classified them:

2 patient/consumer representatives
4 healthcare professional representatives
4 healthcare organisation representatives
7 universities
23 regulatory organisations
13 industry organisations
34 pharma companies

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

It has an exhaustingly long name and very little actual evidence.

But it refers 10 times to "Structured dialogue" held in 2021, which "brought together stakeholders from the pharmaceutical industry..., wholesalers, academia, healthcare professionals and patients, and Member State authorities."

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 21d

Phuuh... I read a new European Commission paper on "evidence supporting the legislative proposal... for
strengthening the availability... of critical medicinal products" etc.
This paper aims to provide evidence to support the incoming EU Critical Medicines Act.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 22d

Korona-aikaan opin ymmärtämään että monen käsitys tieteestä on kovin pinnallinen. Yksi julkaistu tutkimus ei merkitse paljoa. Tutkimuksia joissa on menetelmämokia, virheellistä päättelyä tai suoraa vilppiä julkaistaan paljon.

Mutta olisihan se mukavaa jos kanelilla pääsisi diabeteksesta.

Health Nerd @gidmk.bsky.social · 22d

My new piece is on the painfully slow process of scientific error-correction and how it harms real people all the time.

Also, why cinnamon probably isn't a useful treatment for diabetes.

gidmk.substack.com/p/cinnamon-f...

Cinnamon For Diabetes And Vitamin D For COVID-19

The painfully slow process of scientific correction

gidmk.substack.com

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 22d

Aika optimistista. Uskoakseni Kokoomuksen oikeistosiiven rasismi on ihan yhtä aitoa kuin persuissa. Sisäsiistiimpää vain.

PS ei ole mihinkään häviämässä kuitenkaan, epäilen että perinteinen keskustaoikeistolaisuus on enemmän uhanalaista. Globaali trendi ja maailman tila vie siihen suuntaan.

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Reko Ravela @rekrav.bsky.social · 22d

Sen lisäksi keskustelussa tietysti iloisesti sotkeutuu "vieraskielisyys" (käsite josta tulisi luopua) , kansalaisuus ja syntyperäisyys/maahanmuuttajuus, jotka ovat eri asioita.

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