Despite FDA Rule Change, Few Retail Pharmacies Dispense Mifepristone - April 13, 2026 - USC Schaeffer A very small share of patients have filled mifepristone prescriptions at retail pharmacies after the FDA lifted rules requiring that the abortion pill be obtained in person at a clinic or hospital. - ...

After the FDA lifted in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, less than 2% of pharmacy prescriptions were filled at retail locations, finds new USC Schaeffer research in @jama.com.

Center for Economic and Social Research Joins Schaeffer Institute, Building on USC’s Strengths in Social Science and Policy Impact - April 13, 2026 - USC Schaeffer The move advances USC’s role as a hub for social science research and policy translation. - April 13, 2026

The Center for Economic and Social Research, a global leader in generating data on how people live, work and make critical decisions, is joining the USC Schaeffer Institute and USC Price.

The move advances @usc.edu's role as a hub for social science research and policy translation.

Opinion | Bitter medicine: How California’s hospital bills end up depressing your take-home pay Hospitals are suing a state agency that limits their cost increases. Their bills inflate health insurance premiums, leaving employers with less money for wages.

Rising premiums are, in effect, a hidden pay cut for working families, writes USC Schaeffer's Glenn Melnick in @calmatters.org. When employers spend more on health insurance, there is less money available for wages.

Schaeffer Research Featured in Special Journal Issue on Alzheimer’s Care and Caregiving - April 7, 2026 - USC Schaeffer Topics include government support for informal care partners, clinical trial research participation and the societal cost of cognitive impairment. - April 7, 2026

Research from USC Schaeffer, featured in a special issue of Alzheimer’s & Dementia journal, sheds light on opportunities to better serve patients with dementia and care partners.

The next step in #PBM reform: greater transparency around PBM compensation and enforceable fiduciary responsibility so PBMs must act in clients' best interests, USC Schaeffer's Neeraj Sood writes in Stat.

Read here: schaeffer.usc.edu/research/pbm...

Why Widespread Testing for Alzheimer’s Is Essential It’s a standout among “senior moment” jokes: A patient goes to the doctor and says,

Almost quietly, there has been tremendous scientific progress in cognitive disease. It's now time to expand access to #Alzheimers testing, writes USC Schaeffer's Dana Goldman in RealClearHealth.

China's rise threatens the drug world's status quo The new world order could spark questions over who'll access new therapies and where money flows.

China's emergence as a hub for pharmaceutical innovation could upend how the U.S. funds and regulates R&D, USC Schaeffer's Lowell Schiller tells @axios.com.

📅How do we rebuild global trust in democracy?

Join us 4/22 for a timely conversation on strengthening democratic institutions and civic life with former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, chair of USC Schaeffer's new Center for Civic Society.

🔗Event info: schaeffer.usc.edu/event/restor...

Is cheaper better if it kills cancer cures? Affordability is a worthy goal, but a patient whose cancer just stopped responding to older treatment doesn't need a cheaper drug. She needs a better one.

By using past prices as the starting point for Medicare drug negotiations, the IRA weakens incentives for innovation, USC Schaeffer's Joe Grogan argues in the @washingtonexaminer.bsky.social.

Instead, CMS should consider a drug's value to American patients and caregivers.

Washington is on the verge of true PBM reform Like it or not, PBMs are fiduciaries.

Washington took the first steps toward #PBM reform this year. In a @statnews.com op-ed, USC Schaeffer’s Neeraj Sood explains why making PBMs more accountable to employers and patients—through enforceable fiduciary responsibility—should be the next step.

Study: TV news coverage of severe weather can boost support for climate action across the political aisle USC researchers show that even brief segments about extreme weather can increase climate concern and policy support among Americans.

TV news stories about severe weather can boost concern about climate change and support for policies to protect against extreme weather, according to a new USC Schaeffer study.

Tune in 3/26: USC Schaeffer Scholar Joe Grogan talks with @thehill.com about how Medicare reforms can boost access to new #Alzheimers early detection tools.

Cell and gene therapies hold tremendous promise for patients, but most lack access. Current efforts to expand access fall short.

Our new white paper proposes a phased approach, starting with a private-sector financing model to address systemic barriers.

🔗 schaeffer.usc.edu/research/cel...

What Nearly 1,000 Studies Reveal About Alzheimer’s Clinical Trial Recruitment - March 18, 2026 - USC Schaeffer Despite major gaps in the science of trial recruitment, a new analysis identifies crucial opportunities to advance knowledge of effective enrollment strategies. - March 18, 2026

Slow clinical trial recruitment is a major bottleneck in the search for new #Alzheimers treatments.

Our new review of almost 1,000 trials points to major gaps in the science of trial recruitment, but also critical opportunities to improve our knowledge of what works to recruit patients into trials.

Oversight shrinks Medicare Advantage payment gap to $76B: MedPAC The gap between Medicare Advantage payments and traditional Medicare reimbursement has narrowed, largely because of the standard known as V28, MedPAC found.

The narrowing gap between Medicare Advantage and traditional Medicare payment rates suggests a CMS effort to curb MA overspending is working, USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg tells @modernhealthcare.bsky.social.

Point: Let's Expand Access to GLP-1 Weight Loss Meds – DC Journal - InsideSources For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: Weight Loss Medications, Body Image and Health — What Happened to Body Positivity?” Alarmed by rising rates

"Critics argue that GLP-1s cost too much to broaden access. That case is fading quickly" as prices drop significantly, writes USC Schaeffer Scholar Alison Sexton Ward.

How Medical Costs for People with Dementia Are Changing Over Time and Across the U.S. - January 15, 2026 - USC Schaeffer Explore medical spending for Medicare beneficiaries with dementia in this interactive from the U.S. Cost of Dementia project. - January 15, 2026

Total medical costs for Traditional Medicare beneficiaries with #Alzheimers and related dementias reached $54 billion in 2022.

Our interactive visualization shows these costs have been changing over time, populations and care settings.

Can we prevent Alzheimer’s disease within a decade? USC researchers are on the cusp of a revolution in Alzheimer’s prevention.

Could #Alzheimers be preventable within a decade? USC Schaeffer Sr. Scholar Paul Aisen discusses how new early-detection tools and treatments are offering hope for tackling the disease years before symptoms arise.

There was a 72% drop in the number of FDA advisory committee meetings last year, according to analysis by USC Schaeffer’s @profgenkanter.bsky.social.

Study: Teen cannabis use doubles risk for psychotic and bipolar disorders A massive study co-authored by USC Price School Professor Rosalie Liccardo Pacula links teenage cannabis use with later diagnoses of psychiatric disorders.

Teen cannabis use 2x the risk of being diagnosed with psychotic and bipolar disorders later in life, finds a large study co-authored by USC Schaeffer's Rosalie Liccardo Pacula. There was also increased risk for depressive and anxiety disorders.

Price Controls 'Inevitable' in U.S. Healthcare, Economist Says New series poses questions about healthcare costs to top economists and policy experts

What's driving high healthcare costs -- and will what it take to get them under control? USC Schaeffer's Paul Ginsburg shares his insights in this @medpagetoday.com video interview.

Comments on Proposed GLOBE and GUARD Models - February 27, 2026 - USC Schaeffer CMS should replace the models with a pricing approach that reflects American values while encouraging foreign countries to pay their fair share of pharmaceutical innovation. - February 27, 2026

In formal comments, Schaeffer experts urged CMS to withdraw the GLOBE and GUARD international reference pricing models and instead pursue a value-based drug pricing approach grounded in American values.

Trump Admin Takes Pro-Patient Approach to Drug Prices | Opinion TrumpRx was unveiled this month as part of an effort to foster a more competitive marketplace for prescription drugs.

Call it the era of “Big Patient.”

Recent drug pricing developments in Washington signal an effort to shift power toward patients and away from established interests, USC Schaeffer's Joe Grogan writes in @newsweek.com.

What new PBM reforms mean for pharma Congress passed a number of new rules for PBMs in a government funding package.

New #PBM reform provisions could help keep pharmacies open and improve patient access to medicines and care, USC Schaeffer Sr. Scholar Dima Qato tells @morningbrew.bsky.social.

To ensure Medicaid remains a vital safety net, policymakers should take a close look at the program’s “mission creep” into housing, write USC Schaeffer’s Virat Agrawal and Neeraj Sood in @thehill.com.

More states are requiring insurers to cover non-opioid pain meds • Stateline More states are requiring their Medicaid programs and health insurance companies to cover non-opioid pain medications as an alternative to opioids, which can be cheaper for insurers but also more addi...

Insurer formularies often favor opioid pain medications over non-opioid alternatives, USC Schaeffer's Dima Qato tells @stateline.org @nhassanein.bsky.social. Some states are moving to change that.

Experts argue recent FDA expert panels may violate FACA requirements The US Food and Drug Administration@s (FDA) increasing reliance on holding expert panels, rather than advisory committees, for external expert advice may violate the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FA...

The FDA is increasingly turning to ad hoc expert panels instead of federal advisory committees for external advice. FDA watchers generally agree these expert panels "are likely unlawful," USC Schaeffer's @profgenkanter.bsky.social tells Regulatory Focus.

Should Drug Companies Be Advertising to Consumers?

The question of whether to ban drug ads isn’t so clear cut, USC Schaeffer research suggests. @nytimes.com cites Schaeffer research finding that ads led to increased use of non-advertised substitutes, including cheaper generics.

Congress, Trump usher in new era for PBMs Pharmacy benefit managers are subject to a slew of new regulations. They started adapting ahead of time.

USC Schaeffer's Geoffrey Joyce in @modernhealthcare.bsky.social explains why the FTC settlement with Express Scripts matters:

"[It] really gets to the heart of a lot of things PBMs do to make money and increase drug spend."
www.modernhealthcare.com/politics-reg...

Schaeffer Research Helps Reshape Federal Oversight of Pharmacy Benefit Managers - February 11, 2026 - USC Schaeffer Recent reform legislation, a settlement on PBM practices, and proposed transparency rules have been informed by Schaeffer’s extensive research on how the intermediaries affect drug spending, patient c...

Recent shifts in federal #PBM policy closely align with a decade of USC Schaeffer research examining how PBMs affect drug spending, patient costs and access.

Read more about our research with impact here ⤵️