This week, John Stanford dives into the UK’s pharmaceutical challenges, including ABPI’s warning about declining competitiveness and major companies pausing investment. We also explore the debate over direct-to-consumer drug advertising in the U.S. and how it ties into investment decisions and the pill penalty. Finally, we close with August’s FDA approvals, celebrating breakthroughs for rare diseases and cancer patients.

What do you think?
Can the UK become Europe’s life sciences hub by 2030?
Should the U.S. rethink DTC advertising, or does it play a vital role in innovation?
Which of this month’s FDA approvals excites you most? 

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Timestamps:
 0:00 Welcome to Making Medicine
0:28 UK pharma outlook and ABPI report
1:37 Weaknesses in UK drug investment
2:24 Companies pausing UK investments
3:08 U.S. vs UK drug access and pricing
4:08 Global pressure for fair drug pricing
4:33 MFN pricing concerns in the U.S.
5:09 Debate over drug advertising
6:09 How DTC ads affect biotech investment
7:26 Connection to the pill penalty
7:48 FDA Approvals Corner – August highlights
8:17 Jazz Pharmaceuticals – Modeyso approval
8:36 Boehringer Ingelheim – Hernexeos approval
9:17 Other rare disease drug approvals
10:23 Closing thoughts & FDA wins 

DISCLAIMER: We’re reporting on the headlines, not making medical recommendations. For personal health questions, always consult a doctor.