Drug Pricing
Commentary
Insulin prices are falling due to market forces — no price caps required
California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, recently introduced legislation that would cap cost-sharing for insulin at $35 a month, regardless of whether a patient has public or private insurance. It’s a popular idea. But it may not be necessary. The cost of insulin has been falling due to market ...
Sally C. Pipes
February 4, 2025
Commentary
Patients Pay Dearly for Biden’s Pricing Mess
On Jan. 17, just days before leaving office, the Biden administration announced the next 15 prescription drugs dispensed through Medicare Part D that will be subject to price controls on Jan. 1, 2027, under the terms of the Inflation Reduction Act. Among them is the blockbuster semaglutide, a prescription medication ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 29, 2025
Commentary
Creative Counting Can’t Fix The Inflation Reduction Act’s Flaws
Just three days before President Biden left office, his appointees tried to tie incoming Trump staffers’ hands on a health policy decision that affects millions of Americans and tens of billions in federal spending. On January 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a new list of 15 ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 27, 2025
Commentary
California could lead the way on bipartisan prescription drug reform
California State Senator Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, recently introduced a bill aimed at reining in pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen largely responsible for the dysfunction plaguing our nation’s prescription drug market. Wiener’s effort should attract the support of lawmakers on both the left and right. By cracking down on ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 24, 2025
Commentary
The Dangers Hidden In CMS’ Drug Pricing Regulation
CMS recently announced the next 15 drugs that will be subject to price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). These are negotiations in name only because CMS can levy penalties on any manufacturer that fails to comply with the process. Since the penalties include an excise tax ...
Wayne H Winegarden
January 22, 2025
Blog
Read about a last minute Biden administration plan the Trump administration should undo
CMS’ Drug Price Controls Have Expanded to the Next 15 Medicare Part D Drugs
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. H.L. Mencken Back in 2022, the Biden Administration reasoned that drug costs are too high and devised a clear and simple answer: incorporate a Maximum Fair Price (MFP) provision into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ...
Wayne Winegarden
January 20, 2025
Drug Innovation
PRI Responds to CMS Adding 15 Additional Drugs That Will Be Subjected to Government Price Controls
PRI’s scholars responded to today’s action by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announcing 15 additional drugs under Medicare Part D that will be subject to government price setting effective January 1, 2027. The action was authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in August 2022. ...
Sally Pipes and Wayne Winegarden
January 17, 2025
Biosimilars
The Biosimilar Promise
Reforms Can Improve Competition and Generate More Savings
Reforms Can Improve Competition and Generate More Savings By Wayne Winegarden | January 7, 2025 READ PDF Executive Summary Reforms that will strengthen the biosimilar market and expand savings opportunities include: Reforming (ideally repealing) the Inflation Reduction Act’s price control measures. Improving the incentives underlying the current buy-and-bill system to ...
Wayne Winegarden
January 7, 2025
Commentary
Medicare should cover anti-obesity drugs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a rule expanding Medicare and Medicaid patients’ access to anti-obesity drugs such as GLP-1s. Congress is also considering such a move. Expanding coverage to these patient groups makes sense. Read the entire op-ed here.
Sally C. Pipes
January 6, 2025
Commentary
Keep Your Price Controls Off Weight-Loss Drugs
Biden administration is proposing that Medicare and Medicaid cover Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. It’s unclear what the Trump administration will do with its predecessor’s proposal. Democrats may be trying to goad Medicare under Trump into slapping price controls on GLP-1s — something progressives have long wanted ...
Sally C. Pipes
January 3, 2025
Insulin prices are falling due to market forces — no price caps required
California State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, recently introduced legislation that would cap cost-sharing for insulin at $35 a month, regardless of whether a patient has public or private insurance. It’s a popular idea. But it may not be necessary. The cost of insulin has been falling due to market ...
Patients Pay Dearly for Biden’s Pricing Mess
On Jan. 17, just days before leaving office, the Biden administration announced the next 15 prescription drugs dispensed through Medicare Part D that will be subject to price controls on Jan. 1, 2027, under the terms of the Inflation Reduction Act. Among them is the blockbuster semaglutide, a prescription medication ...
Creative Counting Can’t Fix The Inflation Reduction Act’s Flaws
Just three days before President Biden left office, his appointees tried to tie incoming Trump staffers’ hands on a health policy decision that affects millions of Americans and tens of billions in federal spending. On January 17, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a new list of 15 ...
California could lead the way on bipartisan prescription drug reform
California State Senator Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, recently introduced a bill aimed at reining in pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), the middlemen largely responsible for the dysfunction plaguing our nation’s prescription drug market. Wiener’s effort should attract the support of lawmakers on both the left and right. By cracking down on ...
The Dangers Hidden In CMS’ Drug Pricing Regulation
CMS recently announced the next 15 drugs that will be subject to price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA). These are negotiations in name only because CMS can levy penalties on any manufacturer that fails to comply with the process. Since the penalties include an excise tax ...
Read about a last minute Biden administration plan the Trump administration should undo
CMS’ Drug Price Controls Have Expanded to the Next 15 Medicare Part D Drugs
For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple, and wrong. H.L. Mencken Back in 2022, the Biden Administration reasoned that drug costs are too high and devised a clear and simple answer: incorporate a Maximum Fair Price (MFP) provision into the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 ...
PRI Responds to CMS Adding 15 Additional Drugs That Will Be Subjected to Government Price Controls
PRI’s scholars responded to today’s action by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) announcing 15 additional drugs under Medicare Part D that will be subject to government price setting effective January 1, 2027. The action was authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act signed by President Biden in August 2022. ...
The Biosimilar Promise
Reforms Can Improve Competition and Generate More Savings
Reforms Can Improve Competition and Generate More Savings By Wayne Winegarden | January 7, 2025 READ PDF Executive Summary Reforms that will strengthen the biosimilar market and expand savings opportunities include: Reforming (ideally repealing) the Inflation Reduction Act’s price control measures. Improving the incentives underlying the current buy-and-bill system to ...
Medicare should cover anti-obesity drugs
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has proposed a rule expanding Medicare and Medicaid patients’ access to anti-obesity drugs such as GLP-1s. Congress is also considering such a move. Expanding coverage to these patient groups makes sense. Read the entire op-ed here.
Keep Your Price Controls Off Weight-Loss Drugs
Biden administration is proposing that Medicare and Medicaid cover Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs for weight loss. It’s unclear what the Trump administration will do with its predecessor’s proposal. Democrats may be trying to goad Medicare under Trump into slapping price controls on GLP-1s — something progressives have long wanted ...