OptumRx is calling on pharmaceutical companies to deploy major changes toward rebates, according to a STAT report, but appears to be looking after its own bottom line. The pharmacy benefit manager in December sent a letter to companies demanding seven-quarters notice before lowering drug prices, […]
PBMs Defend Against Trump Administration’s Proposal
The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) is fighting back against claims that pharmacy benefit managers are to blame for rising drug prices, FierceHealthcare reports, and has launched a new initiative aimed at educating consumers. The campaign, #OnYourRxSide, comes on the heels of the […]
Azar: Rebates Proposal is Exit From ‘Broken Status Quo’
The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the current rebate arrangement between pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy benefit managers is a "departure from a broken status quo," Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar says. "Every day, Americans — particularly our seniors — pay more […]
Sachs Looks at Possible Implications of Rebates Proposal
The Trump administration's proposal to eliminate rebates paid by pharmaceutical companies to PBMs in Medicare Part D and Medicaid managed care organizations is a significant step in a new direction, but there are a host of concerns about the push to shift savings to consumers' pockets, according to […]
Report: PhRMA Could Accept Inflation Limits
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) board is mulling a proposal that would commit members to cap price hikes for drugs purchased by Medicare, according to a BioCentury report. According to the report, which cites unnamed biopharmaceutical executives familiar with the […]
PwC Report: IPI Would Cut Pharma Profits, Boost Competition
A recent report by PWC's Health Research Institute suggests that an international pricing index for Medicare Part B drugs, as proposed by the Trump administration, would put a significant dent in the revenue of pharmaceutical companies, Becker's Hospital Review reports. PwC's report says the new […]
Researchers Uncover Loophole in Proposal to Include Prices in TV Ads for Drugs
A group of researchers in a recent study suggest the Trump administration's proposal to include prescription drug prices in television advertisements contains a significant loophole through which drugmakers can make the on-air prices meaningless via modifiers, CNN reports. According to the report, […]
Report: Cummings Seeks 10 Years of Pricing Data from Pharma
Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings is looking for 10 years worth of pricing and research data from the 12 pharmaceutical companies being investigated by the House Oversight Committee, STAT reports. The first hearing on the investigation is scheduled for Jan. 29. Cummings tells STAT that the probe […]
PhRMA: Report Shows How IPI Model Would Negatively Impact Access
PhRMA says a new report released by IHS Markit backs a belief by some groups that the international pricing index for Medicare Part B drugs proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services would negatively impact patient access. "One of the most common concerns is that patients in the United […]
Cummings: Current Rate of Price Increases ‘Unsustainable’
U.S. House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings says research and development by major pharmaceutical companies has paved the way for "groundbreaking medications," but called the current rate of price increases "unsustainable," according to an Associated Press report. Cummings, a Democrat, […]
