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With the defection of Arizona’s John McCain and others, Senate Republicans decided on Tuesday not to hold a vote on the latest Obamacare repeal bill. That would be the good news. But anyone looking for something more than the status quo on health care, especially the spiraling cost of pharmaceuticals, might keep an eye on Sacramento rather than Washington. (9/27)

President Trump will soon issue an executive order to lower drug prices. The order likely will encourage federal health agencies to make greater use of "outcomes-based" contracts. That's great news for patients. These contracts link a drug's price to its effectiveness. If a drug cures or treats patients as advertised, insurers pay the full price. If the drug is less successful than hoped, insurers pay a reduced price or nothing at all. (Sandip Shah and Joe Black, 9/25)

Why let biotech have all the fun? In keeping with a trend of smaller firms raising buckets of cash using Big Pharma's cast-off drugs, Pfizer Inc. is adapting the strategy for itself by spinning off four pipeline drugs into a new company called SpringWorks Therapeutics. (Max Nisen, 9/25)

"Never give up" is inspirational advice, but not always suited to the pharmaceutical world. Allergan PLC announced mixed results Friday from a mid-stage test of cenicriviroc -- a drug for the liver disease NASH -- but it still plans to continue a larger final-stage test. (Max Nisen, 9/22)

According to its proponents, it would save taxpayers a lot of money by requiring state agencies and those receiving funds from the state spend no more for prescription drugs than what the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays. That would affect millions of Ohioans, ranging from those on Medicaid to, possibly, state government retirees.In reality it would save very little money. Federal law requires the VA to be given a 24 percent discount on prescription drugs. The state Medicaid program, which pays for about three-fourths of the drugs paid for with state funds, already receives a 23.1 percent discount. Buckeye State officials already use bulk buying power to bargain for discounts for many other government programs. (9/26)

The pharmaceutical industry often operates like the rules don’t apply to it. Over the years, prescription drug manufacturers have been slapped with billions in fines after they are caught overstepping regulatory limits meant to protect patients and taxpayers. The most significant cases were initiated by whistleblowers, and thanks to them, greater transparency has been forced on the industry. (Erika Kelton, 9/26)

Investing in early-stage biotech is always a gamble: big potential rewards, along with a risk of losing your shirt. But some biotech gambles are much riskier than others. Take Axovant Sciences Inc. Encouraged by the company and cheerleading analysts, investors ignored evidence suggesting Axovant's lead medicine intepirdine was likely a dud. They paid the price Tuesday morning after the medicine thoroughly failed a trial in Alzheimer's, sending shares down 70 percent. (Max Nisen, 9/26)

It’s easy to take safe, reliable medicines for granted. Picking up drugs from the pharmacy, I hardly give a second thought about their safety and efficacy. But the lull of normalcy masks very real threats to a relatively well-functioning system, including counterfeiting, fraud and powerful narcotics in the wrong hands. (Eric O'Neill, 9/24)