Axios

The U.S. healthcare workforce shortage is already straining access to care, and the Covista Healthcare Workforce Index, the latest in an ongoing series of research by Covista on the healthcare workforce, projects that the shortfall is on track to nearly double by 2040 without action.

Private equity firm Sycamore Partners reportedly is in talks to sell British pharmacy chain Boots to part of the billionaire Weston family for around $9 billion (including debt).

Why it matters: Sycamore isn't wasting any time breaking up the Walgreens Boots Alliance, believing that it's worth less than the sum of its parts.

China is making it clear that it wants to become a powerhouse on par with large Western pharmaceutical companies in the near future, and not just strike licensing deals for promising new drug candidates.

Why it matters: Some experts warn that big drug companies are prioritizing the short-term benefits of partnering with Chinese biotechs over the longer-term risk of China usurping the U.S. as the world's biopharmaceutical superpower.

A wave of new Trump administration tariffs on brand-name drugs took effect this week, and some in the biopharma world are worried.

Why it matters: The steep tariffs that took effect on Tuesday pose a threat to small and midsize biotech firms that outsource their manufacturing.

Eric Cantor, a former House Republican leader who is among the most seasoned navigators of official Washington, on Tuesday was named president and CEO of PhRMA, the voice of the pharmaceutical industry, effective Nov. 9.

Why it matters: Cantor, 63, becomes the public face of an industry that's at the forefront of American innovation in the AI age but will face rising scrutiny if, as expected, Democrats take the House in November's midterms.

Americans pay nearly 3x as much as patients in other wealthy countries for the same prescription drugs.

The impact: Nearly 40% of Americans report cutting pills, skipping doses or not filling prescriptions because of high prescription drug prices.

Smart ring maker Oura on Tuesday delayed an IPO that had been expected to raise up to $2.2 billion, citing "market conditions."

Why it matters: The IPO window is narrowing. This is the third official postponement this month, while others have informally delayed.

Health insurers on Tuesday will tell a "Make America Healthy Again" summit that they're partners in efforts to make patients healthier and health care more affordable, not the political boogeymen President Trump and others have made them out to be.

Why it matters: Health plans are responding to bipartisan anger over coverage costs by making inroads with a historically hostile crowd.

SALT LAKE CITY — Utah's health care workforce shortage reflects gaps in pay, clinical training and access to career pathways, local leaders said at an Axios roundtable.

Why it matters: As the post-COVID pandemic health care hiring boom slows down, shortages are disrupting provider capacity and creating more barriers in educating young health care workers.

Axios' Erin Alberty and Adriel Bettelheim moderated the roundtable. The Sept. 23 event was sponsored by Covista and Chamberlain University.

5 big takeaways from the conversation:

1. Careers in health care feel "out of reach for a lot of people," said Proxima Careers COO Cameron Wright. "There is a need to create the vision of attainability."
2. The large pool of low-paying health care jobs in Utah stems from a lack of unions and state support structures, said Association for Utah Community Health medical director Sarah Woolsey. "We can recruit lots of young people … [and] put them into those jobs, and they may not stay because it's not going to be a livable wage over time."
3. Utah's major Medicaid shortfall could "steal resources that could otherwise be used to address critical shortages," said Evan Done, advocacy and public policy director at Utah Support Advocates for Recovery Awareness.
4. High-quality job training is hindered by the wider workforce shortage, said CommonSpirit Health's director of operations Crystal Albrecht. "We don't have an adequate supply of experienced nurses to train those new nurses."
5. Data investments are needed to study the state's health care employees, said Teresa Garrett, Utah Health Workforce Advisory Council Legislative Review Committee chair and co-lead of the Utah Action Coalition. "There's a lot that we don't know about what's going on in the health care workforce," she said.

Content from the sponsor's remarks:

During opening remarks, Chamberlain University president Amelia Manning said its new Utah campus is fortifying its nursing program to account for pressures created by shortages.

• "Chronic understaffing and challenges that nurses face at the bedside is really a critical part of what we need to be helping to prepare nurses for," Manning said.

WASHINGTON — Innovation in health care treatments and drug development is prompting calls for U.S. policy to contend with the biotech sector's growth, said regulators, advocates and investors at an Axios event.

Why it matters: China's rapid advancements in biopharma are raising questions about America's global standing in the life sciences as policymakers weigh the industry's changes and the implications for national security, patient care and drug discovery.

Axios' Caitlin Owens and Emily Peck moderated the Sept. 23 roundtable discussion. The event was sponsored by Genentech.

5 big takeaways from the conversation:

1. China's biotech growth is the result of a deliberate national strategy, said Caitlin Frazer, executive director of the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology. "It is a very intentionally designed strategy by the [Chinese Communist Party] to dominate biotechnology."
2. Regulatory barriers are hindering U.S. ability to compete with Chinese drugmakers, said Colin Rom, head of policy for Bio + Health at Andreessen Horowitz. "Until we compete on the regulatory side, they will continue to eat our lunch to some extent."
3. Accelerating patient diagnoses and workforce growth should be deliberated alongside drug advancements, said National Organization for Rare Disorders CEO Pam Gavin. "We have to also prioritize the workforce to complement these investments that we need to make relative to national security."
4. A "whole-of-government" approach is needed to coordinate a broader U.S. biopharma strategy that provides "a clear vision that says, 'This is what we're doing,'" said Raymond James managing director Chris Meekins. "There doesn't seem to be that coordination at the White House level."
5. FDA leadership will play a role in the U.S. approach to drug development and competition with China. FDA deputy commissioner Grace Graham said President Trump's pick to lead the agency, Heidi Overton, "has a unique experience in management of running interagency processes and where to go with the speed … to get FDA policies done in the right way."

Content from the sponsor's segment

In opening remarks, Genentech senior vice president of public affairs and access Fritz Bittenbender said health care policy should be centered on patient care.

• "I think we have to go back and have a policy conversation that actually puts the patient at the center, and once you do that, I think answers to some of these questions become a lot easier."