Sarah Karlin-Smith
Senior Writer
Sarah specializes in the policy and politics that affect the pharmaceutical industry. She covers the US Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service and Congress and other parts of federal and state government. Her work explores how government policies influence how drugs are developed and approved, what diseases are prioritized by scientists, and who gets access to medicines and at what cost. Sarah has covered health care since 2011. Prior to returning to the Pink Sheet in March 2020, she covered health policy at Politico for five years. She is a regular panelist on the Kaiser Health News 'What the Health' podcast. Sarah was selected for and attended a 2018 International Women’s Media Foundation reporting fellowship in Rwanda. In 2016, she attended Harvard Medical School’s media fellowship on bioethics and, in 2014, was an Association of Health Care Journalists-National Library of Medicine Fellow.
Latest From Sarah Karlin-Smith
Medicare Price Negotiations: Competitors’ Net Prices, Clinical Benefit Are ‘Starting Point’ For Initial Offer
CMS chose the prices of therapeutic alternatives and these competitors’ comparative benefits as the ‘foundation and starting point’ for setting an initial offer for drugs subject to negotiation, ahead of other factors Congress laid out it could consider that are more singularly focused on the specific drug at issue.
The Same But Different: Biden Budget Proposes Flexibility For Generic Drug-Device Combos, ‘Skinny Labels’
President Biden's fiscal year 2024 budget pushes new legislative changes to get generic drugs to market faster.
The Same But Different: Biden Budget Proposes Flexibility For Generic Drug-Device Combos, ‘Skinny Labels’
President Biden's fiscal year 2024 budget pushes new legislative changes to get generic drugs to market faster.
Biden’s Second ‘Moonshot’: A National Subscription Model To Eliminate Hep C
A federal plan that would provide a lump sum to drug makers to increase hepatitis C treatment, building on subscription models used in Louisiana and Washington state, was previewed by Francis Collins, former NIH director and current special advisor to President Biden.
US FDA Advisory Committees' Future: Drug-Agnostic Panels, More Debate Time
FDA Commissioner Califf and some top deputies are angling for more advisory panels that would influence drug development programs rather than approval decisions. Califf also wants to adjust meeting formats so advisors have more time for in-depth discussions.
Congressional Pressure Mounts On PBMs, But Skepticism Remains About Near-Term Action
Attention on PBMs with minimal risk of policy change may represent the best of both worlds for pharma, which benefits from another part of the industry taking the heat on drug prices but could stand to lose out financially depending on the PBM reform approaches taken.