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Pfizer Leads Industry-Wide Surge in Drug Prices for 2026 Despite Political Pressure
More than a dozen pharmas have recently struck deals with the White House to lower drug prices. Nevertheless, drugmakers reportedly plan to raise the U.S. prices of at least 350 branded medications. Drugmakers plan to raise the U.S. prices of 40% more drugs in 2026 than they did in 2025—despite pressure from President Donald Trump to charge less. Specifically, more than a dozen Big Pharmas have now reached Most Favored Nation agreements with the White House.
Nevertheless, drugmakers plan to raise the U.S. prices of at least 350 branded medications, Reuters reported based on data from healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. That’s compared to the 250 or so drugs whose prices companies moved to raise at the start of 2025. At 4%, the median price increase this year is the same as in 2025 and in line with the average since the industry scaled back its annual price hikes in 2019.
Pfizer, the first pharma to strike a drug pricing deal with the White House, is reportedly increasing the prices of 80 products, more than any other company. Pfizer drugs that will cost more this year include the cancer medicine Ibrance, migraine pill Nurtec and COVID-19 therapy Paxlovid.
Flu and COVID Vaccination Rates Are ‘Alarmingly Low’ in Massachusetts, State Health Official Says
Fewer people in Massachusetts are getting their seasonal flu and COVID vaccinations as the number of respiratory infections in the state continues to rise. “Certainly we’re going to see more cases of influenza this year than we saw last year,” said Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the infectious diseases division at Mass General Brigham. According to Department of Public Health data, about 34% of Massachusetts residents have received their flu shot this season, while only 11% got the COVID vaccine.
“The vaccination numbers are really alarmingly low … this is about the lowest we’ve been in the last five years,” said Dr. Larry Madoff, who is the medical director of the department’s bureau of infectious disease and laboratory sciences. “Massachusetts usually does pretty well in terms of flu vaccination, but we’re not this year. We’re really lagging.”
The Centers for Disease Control’s weekly report shows that flu activity in Massachusetts is very high, driven by a new strain known as subclade K. Dr. Kuritzkes says there is “a little bit of a mismatch” with the current vaccine and the virus that it’s targeting.
GLP-1 Agents Showed Broader Risks, Rewards in 2025
In 2025, the American Medical Association proposed a dedicated registry to track adverse events associated with blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drugs like semaglutide (Ozempic, Wegovy) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro, Zepbound). The registry has yet to materialize, but the proposal intensified debates about the safety of GLP-1 receptor agonists, including reports of a potentially blinding condition.
Semaglutide made headlines in 2025 when the European Medicines Agency warned it may cause non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Following a report in 2024 that linked semaglutide with a fourfold higher risk for NAION, more data in 2025 added fuel to the fire, though risks were smaller than previously reported. While the FDA has yet to issue a warning for NAION, it is actively monitoring reports of the condition linked to GLP-1 drugs.
There was also chatter in 2025 about a possible adverse oral health condition dubbed “Ozempic teeth.” Obesity medicine specialists told MedPage Today that dry mouth associated with GLP-1 drugs could disrupt the mouth microbiome, increasing risks for periodontal disease, tooth decay, and bad breath. Frequent vomiting, a known class-wide side effect with GLP-1 agents, also might damage tooth enamel via gastric acid erosion, experts suggested.
Meanwhile, in attempts to address long-standing thyroid cancer concerns, a research team conducted a 350,000-person analysis in 2025. Studies are still inconclusive, though most GLP-1 receptor agonists carry a black box warning for thyroid C-cell tumors.
Novo’s Wegovy Pill Makes US Debut, With Starter Dose Launching at $149 per Month for Cash-Paying Patients
Shortly after scoring a historic FDA nod for its Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk is off to the races with the oral obesity med’s launch. The once-daily pill officially debuted in the U.S. Monday, with the cost of the starting 1.5-mg dose set at $149 per month—or about $5 per day—for cash-paying patients.
The monthly price for commercially insured patients, meanwhile, could potentially run as low as $25 for those using savings plans, Novo said in a Jan. 5 press release.
Novo’s Wegovy pill became the first oral GLP-1 approved by the FDA for weight loss Dec. 22. Aside from its obesity indication, the daily medication is also cleared to curb patients’ risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) such as death, heart attack or stroke.
