President Trump met with several pharma CEOs in late January. 

1. President Donald Trump, in his first address to Congress, reiterated his pledge to bring down prescription drug prices, saying he would “work to bring down the artificially high price of drugs.” He also said he plans to slash regulations at the FDA. (CNN transcript)

2. Novartis has renewed its focus on developing immunotherapies. The drugmaker recently hired Peter Hammerman from Harvard University to help guide the study of its 12 experimental immunotherapies. (Reuters)

3. Three lawmakers — Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Bob Casey (D-Penn.) — introduced legislation that would allow the U.S. to import drugs from Canada. A companion bill was also introduced in the House. (Modern Healthcare)

4. The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence did not recommend Merck’s Keytruda as a first-line treatment for patients with lung cancer. The draft guidance said the trial data is not reliable enough. (Reuters)

5. Orphan drugs generated an estimated $114 billion in sales in 2016, making up roughly 16% of the global branded drug market. The orphan-drug market is expected to reach $209 billion by 2022. (EP Vantage)