Ameet Sarpatwari
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asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari
@asarpatwari.bsky.social
590 followers 93 following 67 posts

Assistant Professor of Population Medicine
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Harvard Medical School


Faculty Director, JD/MPH Program
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

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Economics 58%
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics 15%
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asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · Oct 10
This week, I had the privilege of appearing on Planet America, an Australian Broadcasting Corporation television show, to discuss drug pricing reform. The segment starts at minute 15 and goes to minute 27. www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Qo...
Files Declassified: The disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart | Planet America
YouTube video by ABC News In-depth
www.youtube.com

asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · 12h
Thank goodness the administration is implementing the IRA.
rachelsachs.bsky.social Rachel Sachs @rachelsachs.bsky.social · 17h
Great piece on the impact of the Trump Administration's drug pricing deals and their potential longer-term consequences for industry. www.statnews.com/2026/01/07/j...
And in the eyes of the market, pharma doesn’t appear to have given up much of value in the negotiation, despite Trump’s promise that certain drug prices would come down by “over 1,000%.” The actual details of each agreement are known only to the government and the drugmakers themselves, but the major pricing concessions apply to Medicaid, which already gets steep discounts, and to patients paying cash for certain drugs, a small fraction of the overall market. Moreover, public companies are required by law to publicize material changes to their business. Not one drugmaker has made such a disclosure to the Securities and Exchange Commission, a lack of smoke suggesting there’s no fire, said Spencer Perlman, managing partner at Veda Partners.

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

rachelsachs.bsky.social
Rachel Sachs @rachelsachs.bsky.social · 17h
Great piece on the impact of the Trump Administration's drug pricing deals and their potential longer-term consequences for industry. www.statnews.com/2026/01/07/j...
And in the eyes of the market, pharma doesn’t appear to have given up much of value in the negotiation, despite Trump’s promise that certain drug prices would come down by “over 1,000%.” The actual details of each agreement are known only to the government and the drugmakers themselves, but the major pricing concessions apply to Medicaid, which already gets steep discounts, and to patients paying cash for certain drugs, a small fraction of the overall market. Moreover, public companies are required by law to publicize material changes to their business. Not one drugmaker has made such a disclosure to the Securities and Exchange Commission, a lack of smoke suggesting there’s no fire, said Spencer Perlman, managing partner at Veda Partners.

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

commonwealthfund.org
The Commonwealth Fund @commonwealthfund.org · 1d
Drug prices continue to be a top concern for #Medicare beneficiaries, with one of five saying they use discount websites like GoodRx or Amazon, instead of their prescription drug plan.
What the Decline in Medicare Part D Plan Availability Means
Fewer standalone Rx plans in traditional Medicare raises questions about whether beneficiaries will have choices that align with health needs and budgets.
bit.ly

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Robert L. Tsai

npr.org
NPR @npr.org · 2d
Abortions will remain legal in Wyoming. The state’s supreme court ruled Jan. 6 that two near-total abortion bans are unconstitutional. (via @wyomingpublicmedia.bsky.social)
Wyoming Supreme Court protects abortion access
The state’s highest court ruled that two near-total state abortion bans violate the constitution.
n.pr

Reposted by Dorothy Bishop, Brendan Nyhan, Joshua S. Weitz , and 8 more

maggieastor.bsky.social
Maggie Astor @maggieastor.bsky.social · 3d
Copy Editing Matters, from HHS's release on the new childhood vaccine schedule: All the diseases will still be available to anyone who wants them
Ensures that all the diseases covered by the previous immunization schedule will still be available to anyone who wants them through Affordable Care Act insurance plans and federal insurance programs, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the Vaccines for Children program. Families will not have to purchase them out of pocket. Among peer nations, the U.S. will continue to offer the most childhood vaccines for free to those who want them.

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

charlesornstein.bsky.social
Charles Ornstein @charlesornstein.bsky.social · 3d
😳 CMS Says States Won't Have to Report Childhood Vaccination Levels
CMS Says States Won't Have to Report Childhood Vaccination Levels
Immunization quality measures shouldn't be used in payment arrangements, agency notes
www.medpagetoday.com

asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · 3d
Combine travel and the downstream consequences of these regional differences means there will be no safe harbor for the most vulnerable amongst us.
scottgottliebmd.bsky.social Scott Gottlieb, MD @scottgottliebmd.bsky.social · 3d
Shifting many pediatric vaccines into the category of shared clinical decision-making means in many red states governors and legislators will be pressured to strip them from school-entry requirements. Vaccination rates could fall sharply with stark regional differences in protection against disease
Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive
The number of recommended childhood shots drops from 17 to 11.
www.statnews.com

Reposted by Els Torreele

asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · 3d
"But Mitchell was noteworthy — he was clear-headed, generally unflappable, and, most of all, knowledgeable. You could discuss the vagaries of drug pricing with him and almost always come away with a useful insight, not just a quick quote."

Reposted by Stacie B. Dusetzina, Ameet Sarpatwari, Els Torreele , and 1 more

matthewherper.bsky.social
Matthew Herper @matthewherper.bsky.social · 3d
I was very sad to learn of the passing of David Mitchell,
a cancer patient who turned his own battle into a fight to make medicines more affordable. Here, @pharmalot.bsky.social gets at why Mitchell was so special.

www.statnews.com/2026/01/05/d...
With political savvy and outrage over drug prices, advocate David Mitchell was ahead of his time
David Mitchell, who helped launch Patients for Affordable Drugs to raise awareness of high drug prices and seek to bring them down, died at age 75.
www.statnews.com

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

jakescottmd.bsky.social
Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · 3d
1/ HHS just announced the most significant rollback of childhood vaccine recommendations in modern American history.
Seven vaccines are being moved to “shared clinical decision-making,” a category that sounds reasonable but functionally ensures millions of children won’t receive them.🧵

Reposted by John Mullahy, Ameet Sarpatwari, Scott A. Imberman

scottgottliebmd.bsky.social
Scott Gottlieb, MD @scottgottliebmd.bsky.social · 3d
Shifting many pediatric vaccines into the category of shared clinical decision-making means in many red states governors and legislators will be pressured to strip them from school-entry requirements. Vaccination rates could fall sharply with stark regional differences in protection against disease
Federal health officials slash recommended childhood vaccinations under Trump’s directive
The number of recommended childhood shots drops from 17 to 11.
www.statnews.com

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social
Sarah Karlin-Smith @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social · 3d
“If CMS makes this change, it will become harder to understand gaps in vaccination that leave communities exposed to outbreaks of serious and even deadly infectious diseases,” Joshua Sharfstein told CIDRAP News.

www.cidrap.umn.edu/childhood-va...
CMS to stop requiring states to report childhood vaccination levels
www.cidrap.umn.edu

Reposted by Anne Applebaum, Jason Mittell, Rebecca Solnit , and 50 more

jamesrball.com
James Ball @jamesrball.com · 5d
Marco Rubio is reportedly saying Maduro will stand trial in US courts.

Which means it’s now the US administration’s position that US courts can hold foreign presidents, but not the US president, accountable for crimes.

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Joanna L. Grossman

commonwealthfund.org
The Commonwealth Fund @commonwealthfund.org · 17d
Gaps in contraceptive access persist across the U.S. — and federal funding cuts could make them worse.

Full report:
An Overview of Federally Funded Contraceptive Programs
With sufficient funding, states can utilize Medicaid SPAs and Section 1115 waivers, MCO contracts, and Title X grants to expand access to contraceptives.
bit.ly

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Alan Richardson

by-cjewett.bsky.social
Christina Jewett @by-cjewett.bsky.social · 20d
My latest: Last month, RFK Jr.'s dep. sec. staged something of a coup against FDA boss Marty Makary. The White House waved it off.

But what a year: 4,000 staff out, a drop in foreign inspections and $$ restrictions that left lab staff sitting idle.

GIFT: www.nytimes.com/2025/12/19/h...
F.D.A. Turmoil Keeps Spotlight on Its Commissioner
www.nytimes.com

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

commonwealthfund.org
The Commonwealth Fund @commonwealthfund.org · 27d
Prescription drug prices in the United States are higher than in other countries; one contributing factor is the number of patents some drugmakers file to maintain monopolies on their brand-name drugs.
bit.ly/4rgHXql

Reposted by David S. Cohen, Ameet Sarpatwari

susanrinkunas.com
Susan Rinkunas @susanrinkunas.com · 29d
NEW (but deja vu): Texas and Florida are suing the FDA over its approval and regulation of the abortion drug mifepristone. The states are asking Judge Reed O'Connor to declare the 25yo approval unlawful and yank mife from the market—but judges can't do that
storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
screenshot of complaint in a lawsuit IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS WICHITA FALLS DIVISION THE STATE OF FLORIDA and THE STATE OF TEXAS, by and through their Attorneys General, Plaintiffs, v. U.S. FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION; U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES; MARTIN A. MAKARY, M.D., M.P.H., in his official capacity as Commissioner of Food and Drugs, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; RICHARD PAZDUR, M.D., in his official capacity as Director, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; and ROBERT F. KENNEDY, JR., in his official capacity as Secretary, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Defendants. Case No. ______________ COMPLAINT 1. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is responsible for “protect[ing] the public health by ensuring that . . . drugs are safe and effective.”21 U.S.C. § 393(b)(2)(B). 2. Yet the FDA’s approval and deregulation of abortion drugs have placed women and girls in harm’s way

asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · 29d
Nice overview of our health care conundrum by Zack Cooper. www.nytimes.com/2025/12/10/o...
Opinion | $27,000 a Year for Health Insurance. How Can We Afford That?
www.nytimes.com

asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · Dec 9
Important points
edwincpark.bsky.social Edwin Park @edwincpark.bsky.social · Dec 9
This plan doesn't extend the expiring enhanced Marketplace credits at all & instead contributes $ to HSAs for enrollees who may not even have HSAs & can't use that $ for premiums. By appropriating cost-sharing reductions, it further lowers underlying credit amounts & raises premium costs even more.
jennifershutt.bsky.social Jennifer Shutt @jennifershutt.bsky.social · Dec 9
Thune says Republicans will hold a vote on the Cassidy-Crapo health care plan Thursday as a counterproposal to Dems three-year extension of ACA tax credits

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

edwincpark.bsky.social
Edwin Park @edwincpark.bsky.social · Dec 9
This plan doesn't extend the expiring enhanced Marketplace credits at all & instead contributes $ to HSAs for enrollees who may not even have HSAs & can't use that $ for premiums. By appropriating cost-sharing reductions, it further lowers underlying credit amounts & raises premium costs even more.
jennifershutt.bsky.social Jennifer Shutt @jennifershutt.bsky.social · Dec 9
Thune says Republicans will hold a vote on the Cassidy-Crapo health care plan Thursday as a counterproposal to Dems three-year extension of ACA tax credits

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Brendan Nyhan, Ameet Sarpatwari , and 1 more

matthewhaybrown.bsky.social
Matthew Hay Brown @matthewhaybrown.bsky.social · Dec 7
The death rate among children under 5 is expected to grow this year for the first time in the 21st century, researchers say. A key factor, they say, is cuts to U.S. and other foreign aid

www.washingtonpost.com/world/2025/1...
Child deaths under 5 believed to be rising for first time in decades
Cuts to development aid from several countries is a key factor, researchers said.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Scott L. Greer, Ameet Sarpatwari

jasonlschwartz.bsky.social
Jason L. Schwartz @jasonlschwartz.bsky.social · Dec 6
As if it wasn’t clear long ago, it’s time to accept that the days of relying on the federal gov’t to lead vaccination work is over (for now, at least) and to focus on alternatives as if the longstanding HHS/CDC activities don’t exist. Because they don’t anymore! Time to be proactive, not reactive.
fenitn.bsky.social Fenit Nirappil @fenitn.bsky.social · Dec 6
The U.S. childhood vaccine schedule is increasingly in jeopardy.

President Trump late Friday announced he has directed federal health officials to consider aligning the U.S. with other countries that recommend fewer shots. wapo.st/4atob4M
Trump orders review of childhood vaccine schedule, calls U.S. an ‘outlier’
His announcement came hours after CDC advisers eliminated a long-standing recommendation for every newborn to receive a hepatitis B shot.
wapo.st

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

rachelsachs.bsky.social
Rachel Sachs @rachelsachs.bsky.social · Dec 5
"The drug industry relies on a predictable FDA to understand what it needs to do to win approval of new treatments, and executives fear instability at the agency could stymie advancements." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/...
FDA instability, alarm over agency’s direction escalate after top regulator exits
As leadership churn continues, FDA’s unpredictability rattles companies relying on stable regulation.
www.washingtonpost.com

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

fenitn.bsky.social
Fenit Nirappil @fenitn.bsky.social · Dec 5
!!!

The Post obtained hot mic comments by the chair of RFK Jr.'s CDC vaccine committee.

"We feel like a little bit like puppets on a string as opposed to really being an independent advisory panel" wapo.st/4atob4M
During the Friday discussion, Kirk Milhoan, a pediatric cardiologist who was recently named as the panel’s new chair, was overheard telling another panel member that he wanted to talk to “some of the higher-ups” about the panel’s work. “You know, I feel like, you know, it’s, sort of like we feel like a little bit like puppets on a string as opposed to really being an independent advisory panel,” according to a transcript of the exchange captured by videoconferencing software and obtained by The Washington Post. Asked about those remarks, Milhoan wrote in a text message, “There are pressures from many organizations: federal, industry, medical organizations that are trying to influence by ad hominem attacks, when we are trying to look at and ask for data.”

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

nytimes.com
The New York Times @nytimes.com · Dec 5
Breaking News: A federal vaccine committee voted to end the decades-long recommendation that all newborns be immunized at birth against hepatitis B, a highly infectious virus that leads to chronic liver disease in most infected children.
An End to Hepatitis B Shots for All Newborns
A federal panel voted on Friday to recommend halting the at-birth shots for all infants, in a step toward Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s goal of upending the nation’s vaccine policy.
nyti.ms

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

jakescottmd.bsky.social
Jake Scott, MD @jakescottmd.bsky.social · Dec 4
These are extraordinarily serious decisions. Even before any formal vote, today’s muddled process has already signaled to the public that a safe, cancer-preventing birth-dose is “up for debate” with no new safety data. The stakes are serious. The process hasn’t been. 2/2

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

joho.bsky.social
Jonathan Howard @joho.bsky.social · Dec 4
You don't say...

endpoints.news/prasads-clai...
Prasad's claim of 10 Covid vaccine deaths may be an overcount, FDA sources say
The number of Covid-19 vaccine deaths in children under FDA investigation likely will be lower than the 10 deaths initially mentioned in an internal email from CBER director Vinay Prasad, sources fami...
endpoints.news

asarpatwari.bsky.social
Ameet Sarpatwari @asarpatwari.bsky.social · Dec 4
We are living in a time in which we reward ignorance. The more bombastic and vulgar the better.

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari, Dana Howard

sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social
Sarah Karlin-Smith @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social · Dec 4
Next liaison, Jason Goldman of American College of Physicians who speaks "you are wasting taxpayer dollars by not having scientific rigorous discussion on issues that truly matter. The best thing you can do is adjourn the meeting."

Reposted by Ameet Sarpatwari

sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social
Sarah Karlin-Smith @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social · Dec 4
Amy Middleman, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) a liaison representative to ACIP is saying HER study was misinterpreted in earlier presentation. ---- its clear that many of the presenters today don't have expertise to understand the data they are looking at and presented.