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The Biden administration plans to endorse legislation that would end the disparity in sentences between crack and powder cocaine offenses that President Biden helped create decades ago, according to people with knowledge of the situation — a step that highlights how Biden’s attitudes on drug laws have shifted over his long tenure in elected office. (Sullivan and Kim, 6/21)

President Joe Biden's Justice Department is urging Congress to pass legislation to permanently end the sentencing disparities between crack cocaine and powder, a policy that has led to the disproportionate incarceration of African Americans across the United States .In written testimony submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Justice Department lambasted the "unwarranted racial disparities" that have resulted from the differences in how drug offenses involving crack and powder cocaine are treated under current law, and said the misguided policy was "based on misinformation about the pharmacology of cocaine and its effects." (Lynch, 6/22)

After a defeat in federal court, the Department of Health and Human Services withdrew an advisory opinion which said drug makers participating in a controversial federal program must offer discounts through pharmacies that contract with hospitals serving low-income patients. However, HHS simultaneously maintained the move does not have any bearing on a separate set of “violation” letters sent last month to six drug makers, which could face fines for failing to offer discounts through the 340B drug discount program for safety-net hospitals and clinics. The agency said the letters should be viewed as distinct from the opinion and that enforcement action can be pursued. (Silverman, 6/21)

The need of a pharmacist is dire amidst the pandemic. However, a new study shows that some of the nation's most populated counties are lacking pharmacists per 10,000 residents. North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and West Virginia are the top four states with the most adequate number of pharmacies, juxtaposed with states such as Oklahoma, California, Rhode Island and Hawaii, which have the least number of pharmacies per capita, according to USA RX. (Spencer, 6/21)

Covid-19 upended the way clinical trials get done — and don’t get done. With in-person visits on hold last year, drug companies jump-started a decade-old idea to enable trial participation from home. The momentum toward virtual, decentralized trials is continuing: Many drug companies are aiming to deploy digital devices like smartwatches and connected blood pressure cuffs to streamline data collection and develop new endpoints. (Palmer, 6/22)

At the end of March, Eli Lilly inked a contract with Cleveland Clinic to provide cardiac surgery for the drug giant's more than 35,000 employees. It was another initiative from a self-insured employer looking to lower costs and control quality by partnering with a center of excellence program. In 2020, more than half of large employers offered workers access to centers of excellence through their health plans, according to a survey from Willis Towers Watson, with companies often flying patients out of state to obtain care at nationally ranked centers. (Tepper, 6/22)

In 2016, a landmark report was issued on the global problem of  antimicrobial resistance. The paper, commissioned by the U.K. government and the Wellcome Trust, sought to quickly grab the attention of  policymakers — by tapping a former high-profile Goldman Sachs economist named Jim O’Neill to lead the effort. He issued a particularly dire warning of what was to come if the issue was ignored. (Silverman, 6/22)