In this week’s edition of InnovationRx, we look at the havoc of generic drug tariffs, the companies looking to cash in on the coming peptide bonanza, the ongoing cyclosporiasis outbreak, Tempus’s acquisition of a cancer-testing company, and more. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here.

President Trump said that he’ll impose a 100% tariff on all generic drugs starting in August 2028–and rising to 200% the following year.

Around 90% of prescriptions are filled by generics, which are largely manufactured overseas, where costs to make these inexpensive drugs are cheaper. India, for example, is a major hub of generics manufacturing: nearly half of generics prescribed in the U.S. are made there.

The effort to force manufacturing of low-cost generic drugs back to the U.S. seems likely to backfire, increasing costs for cash-strapped patients.”Generic drugmakers lack the operational flexibility of large branded pharmaceutical companies,” Rajiv Leventhal, an analyst at Emarketer, tells Forbes. “Making a two-year shift of manufacturing to the U.S. a gargantuan, if not impossible, undertaking.”

There were barely any details on the policy as of Wednesday morning. Trump made the announcement on his own social media platform, Truth Social, and did not release any additional details, let alone an official executive order. That makes it tough to tell whether the tariffs will actually happen.

As Leventhal says: “The deeper this administration gets into its term, the less certain it has become whether the policy will be implemented as proposed, how it would be enforced, or whether it would ultimately survive.”

Peptides May Soon Be Legal. These Companies Are Ready To Cash In

When the FDA panel that’s considering whether to recommend legal production of seven peptides meets starting Thursday,........

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