Sarah Karlin-Smith
Senior Writer
Sarah specializes in the policy and politics that affect the pharmaceutical industry. She covers the US Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service and Congress and other parts of federal and state government. Her work explores how government policies influence how drugs are developed and approved, what diseases are prioritized by scientists, and who gets access to medicines and at what cost. Sarah has covered health care since 2011. Prior to returning to the Pink Sheet in March 2020, she covered health policy at Politico for five years. She is a regular panelist on the Kaiser Health News 'What the Health' podcast. Sarah was selected for and attended a 2018 International Women’s Media Foundation reporting fellowship in Rwanda. In 2016, she attended Harvard Medical School’s media fellowship on bioethics and, in 2014, was an Association of Health Care Journalists-National Library of Medicine Fellow.
Latest From Sarah Karlin-Smith
Pink Sheet Podcast: US FDA Worries About Celebs Endorsing Drugs, Post-Chevron Lawsuits Emerging
Pink Sheet reporter and editor discuss the FDA’s latest advertising enforcement letter, which targeted a migraine treatment TV commercial featuring Serena Williams, and its impact on drug promotion, as well as the now growing list of legal cases targeting agency decisions with Chevron deference overturned.
Who Will Reap The BIOSECURE Spoils? US Industry Boost Not Guaranteed
With the BIOSECURE Act halfway to congressional approval, stakeholders are pushing for a financial boost to ensure the US gains the business Chinese companies will lose, but that may be a big lift.
Celebs Bring Extra Scrutiny To Advertisements, US FDA Tells AbbVie
AbbVie’s migraine ad overstates the drug’s benefit, a problem that is amplified by using a celebrity, the agency says.
US FDA Advisors Want Iterum’s Antibiotic Indication Narrowed
The agency’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee suggested a more limited indication for Interum’s antibiotic for uncomplicated urinary tract infections than the sponsor proposed, though it wasn’t necessarily clear committee members favored approval.
US FDA’s Marks Issues ‘Provocative’ Call For Target Gene Therapy Profile That Includes Costs
CBER Director Peter Marks said recent leaps in gene therapy science have not been matched by more affordable manufacturing technology and that the field needs to set a cost-effectiveness target.
Clinical Trials In China: As US Lawmakers Consider Crackdown, Here Are The Implications
If the US Congress continues to target trials at Chinese military hospitals, the impact could be relatively small, while a broader focus could upend multinational development programs.