The manufacturers of 10 prescription drugs — including Eliquis, Xarelto and Januvia — will take part in the negotiations.
Major drug companies including Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb have committed to participate in Medicare drug price negotiations with the federal government, the Biden administration said Tuesday.
The move is a positive step for people on Medicare, although there are still lawsuits from drug companies fighting the price negotiations. The final prices aren’t expected until next year, and older people won’t see the benefits until 2026.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services named the first 10 prescription drugs subject to price negotiations under the Inflation Reduction Act a little over a month ago.
They include Eliquis and Xarelto, two blood thinners; Januvia, a diabetes drug; and Enbrel, for rheumatoid arthritis. Last year, about 9 million Medicare enrollees spent $3.4 billion out of pocket on the 10 selected drugs, according to the administration.
Under the new law, Medicare for the first time will be able to directly haggle with drugmakers over prices for the costliest medications to drive down the high cost of prescription drugs for older people.
They include Eliquis and Xarelto, two blood thinners; Januvia, a diabetes drug; and Enbrel, for rheumatoid arthritis
Ahh yes, Enbrel. Where one month of the stuff costs SO MUCH at base price that it throws your insurance all the way into “catastrophic coverage”…the sort of thing that typically happens when you get a late stage cancer diagnosis or something else terminal…
…because it costs…
$8,000/mo.
$96,000 per year.
for something that PARTIALLY blocks the immune response that happens when inflammation begins…while also blocking pretty much everything else the immune system does.
Better hope you’ve never had hepatitis b or tuberculosis…
…or are around anything that could cause a fungal infection…or a bacterial infection…or…you know, pretty much anything, because the stuff has a black box warning.
…but hey, it hasn’t been recalled YET so they might as well gouge as hard as possible while they still can…
price goes up
