Is trump a drug dealer now?
and the iykyk LA antique shop midcentury modern homeowners buy their hardware from
Merry Christmas, I hope you had a nice one. Mine was perfect. Kicked off celebrations early in LA with my family before flying back to NYC. The 24th/25th in New York are sacred to me—best spent on long solo strolls down 5th Ave and reading in festive hotel lobbies. This year, I dined with Sindi at Le Veau D’Or on Christmas Eve Eve, indulged in a selection of pickled herring and other Swedish delicacies at my boss’ house, and rounded out the festivities with dim sum brunch at House of Joy with Oyster + friends before heading home to bake kardemummabullar.
Read below for a book that makes a good gift for Divorced Dads and all who love them, my thoughts on TrumpRX and the MFN deals, plus a few LA favorites on rotation this trip—including the iconic case study home on the market for the first time.
WHAT I’M INTO
Press Play: “4 Raws Remix” by EsDeeKid ft. Timothée Chalamet
Everyone knows I love a Scouse. Which is why I joined the cult of EsDeeKid (thanks, Olivia!) after my Lad Work Trip in Scotland. She said Scousers (Liverpudlians if you’re posh) are “the closest to Scottish that a British person can get.” He’s really good at selling street debauchery. Later, I learned of the niche internet theory that EsDeeKid is actually just Timothee Chalamet in a balaklava. This music video is their response to that conspiracy theory. Now that we’ve heard both of them rap, we know better than to confuse the Scouse accent with that of a French-American. It’s Himothée Chalamet chillin’.
Side Note: A friend in the table tennis community told me he was skeptical of Timmy’s Marty Supreme press tour antics. I haven’t watched Marty Supreme yet (will watch it Jan 1 with MKS!), so I can’t speak to that. But my understanding is this is who he was before the French art heau arc. Unclear? Anyway, table tennis is IN for 2026. Pickleball is OUT. You heard it here first.
Build Literacy: I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally
I’m late to the game, but the British restaurateur who invented the Vaguely European Vintage-Looking New Bistro in New York published a memoir this year. He has a lot to say, and his life is kind of a mess, but he’s honest about his shortcomings. I Regret Almost Everything reads like an extended cut of his Instagram captions, which makes it an easy read. He’s politically incorrect, but writes with a bluntness and honesty that feels refreshing. Reading about the many lives he lived before his restaurant era reminds me of my high school AP World History teacher, who somehow evaded the War by serving as an army dishwasher or something, then owned a textile company before hard pivoting to teaching ambitious children. These stories interest me, because my peers in the Ivy League to Corporate Heau “career funnel” don’t seem to have as many fun and flirty side quests, especially among the lower-income set. And who can blame us? Life’s expen$$$$ive.
Let me curate ur news: “The World Has Laws About Land and Sea, But Not About Ice” by Brett Simpson (The Atlantic)
The Arctic is melting. You probably already knew that. But did you know that ships are taking shortcuts through it? A cargo ship sailing from Asia to Europe through the Arctic has cut its travel time by half (20 days vs. the usual 40), unlocking a route only made possible by melting ice. Climate scientists predict come 2025, most of the Arctic Ocean will be ice-free in summer. Partially exacerbated by human intervention like ice-breaking ships and environmental pollution, but also the inherent impermanence of sea ice. The challenge is ice is lawless! And we don’t know who owns the ice. To me, ice belongs to itself. Legal scholars propose giving Ice personhood to protect it from exploitation, but this isn’t as black and white as it sounds.
PULSE CHECK!
“Pulse Check” is your curated healthcare + pharma quick hit, complementing the longer, more in-depth “On Health” letters.
In response to Trump’s Most-Favored Nation (MFN) executive order and tariff threats, three companies struck deals with the Trump Administration:
Side Note: MFN is Trump’s strategy to anchor US drug prices to what peer OECD countries pay. Mostly by setting price targets and imposing tariffs, but some policy positions also suggest raising ex-US drug prices closer to US levels. I don’t think this is the best way to achieve his goal (and not only because I’m pharma-pilled). It’s just that we always have a list price and a net price. No one pays the list price, not even the US. Outside of the US, it’s common practice for pharma companies to secure access through confidential rebates/discounts. I imagine this pricing strategy will continue, regardless of EU4 + UK prices reaching US parity. It could also further delay access to drugs ex-US as drug companies either delay launches or choose not to launch to protect US prices. We also tend to value innovation higher than other countries, which is why we get drugs faster and have access to more of them in the US (I can get into this in a later letter, if you’d like!). There are better ways to optimize access to drugs. For starters, let pharma have a seat at the table instead of being served for lunch.
Pfizer was the first mover. Committing to Medicaid MFN pricing and discounts of up to 85% on primary care drugs via TrumpRX (online government platform) with price parity for new products. This grants them a 3-year exemption from Section 232 (tariffs!)
AstraZeneca followed, using the Pfizer deal as a model, and committing to MFN pricing for Medicaid and new products. They also vowed to equalize US prices with those of other OECD markets and pledged $50 billion in US manufacturing and R&D investment by 2030 and “repatriate” increased foreign revenue on existing products. They also secured a 3-year exemption from Section 232 tariffs.
Merck (the other one…Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany) EMD Serono offered lower pricing on fertility products at list prices discounted up to 84% when the three standard IVF protocol drugs were used in tandem. This also secured them tariff relief (details unclear), but their biggest win was gaining an FDA National Priority Review voucher for a new infertility drug and securing concessions from specialty pharmacy distributors.
Then we got more deals:
Lilly offered its Zepbound multi-dose pen at the lowest dose for $299 with additional doses up to $499. Novo offered Ozempic and Wegovy at $350 cash monthly when purchased through the government online portal. Both of these negotiated prices will reportedly enable Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to gain Zepbound, Mounjaro, Ozempic, and Wegovy at $245, with a $50 co-pay for those on Medicare). Lilly included other migraine and diabetes drugs in the deal, and made future promises on Orforglipron, their oral GLP-1 pill, if approved by the FDA. Novo also committed to lower prices for their insulin products.
Additional drug pricing deals include: Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer Ingelheim, Genentech, Gilead, GSK, Merck (the American one), Novartis, and Sanofi. These reflect the earlier deals—offering products at MFN prices through Medicaid and discounted rates for direct to patient sales while promising lower prices on new drugs and U.S. investment on manufacturing and R&D.
I’m not convinced these MFN deals will move the needle much.
First, they’re confidential and vague, so we can’t predict real savings in the health system.
Second, we have different healthcare priorities! Tying ourselves to the healthcare agendas and willingness to pay of other OECD countries is a losing game. The US is unique for many reasons, including the speed and breadth of access to drugs that other countries don’t have. Naturally, our treatment patterns differ. We value a quality-adjusted life year improvements more than other countries. For example, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence in the UK historically valued a standard QALY at £20-30k, where as our most conservative QALY values range from $100-150k. Recognizing they were losing out on innovation, the UK updated its standard threshold this year, but at £25-35k it’s still significantly lower than the US. Our health system is also a mix of government and commercial payers—sometimes doctors are the payers. Letting other countries decide if a new drug is worth paying for feels antithetic to American philosophy.
Third, and most vexing for public health: MFN could delay drug launches in ex-US countries to maintain US prices.
Last, it’s fascinating that the small government party is centralizing Direct to Patient (AKA direct-to-consumer) sales via an online platform named TrumpRX. But I do think DTC drugs options can support better access to quality drugs and reduce middle-men (i.e., PBM) waste in the system.
Now, do I think Trump is a drug dealer? No. TrumpRX is just a site that links out to each pharmaceutical company’s site to buy the drugs cash. TrumpRX is NOT a point of sale. That makes him more of an an influencer with an affiliate link than a drug dealer.
WHAT I’M UP TO
Working East Coast Hours on the Pacific Coast frees up your late afternoons for things like touring real estate for an LA pied-à-terre to cement your bicoastal lifestyle. I learned finding good-boned midcentury homes butchered with grey acrylic floors and other anachronisms is easy. But finding a midcentury gem in pristine condition, restored to its original midcentury charm? That’s a tall order. When you uncover one, sellers often credit the same woman for their door, window, furniture hardware, lighting and accessories worthy of an art museum:
