For the first time, Medicare can begin negotiating some drug prices due to a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, if the provision stands up in court.
The law allows the government to start with 10 of the highest-cost drugs and add more over time.
The drugs are:
Eliquis
Jardiance
Xarelto
Januvia
Farxiga
Entresto
Enbrel
Imbruvica
Stelara
Fiasp; Fiasp FlexTouch; Fiasp PenFill; NovoLog; NovoLog FlexPen; NovoLog PenFill
Congresswoman Susan Wild, who voted to pass the law, says drug prices are the top concern she hears about.
"What I was hearing from people was that they were rationing their medication to last longer or they weren't taking it at all," Wild said.
Sandy Niebell of Lehigh Township is one of those who stand to benefit.
"I've been on Eliquis for four months. My first prescription was for 90 days and it was $700," Niebell said. "I have Humana for prescription coverage for Medicare. The second prescription they dropped the price to $288."
Due to an allergic reaction, her doctor tried to switch to her Xarelto, but the price is over $3,000, she says.
"We as seniors, we have enough to worry about and the doctor should not have to listen to me whine about the cost every time he sees me," Niebell said.
8 pharmaceutical companies have so far filed a lawsuit to block the law, saying it's unconstitutional and steals their intellectual property by imposing excessive fines if they don't accept the new pricing.
In a statement to 69 News, Republican Congressman Dan Meuser said he agrees that Americans pay too much for medication, but said "The largest purchaser in the world, the American government, should be able to negotiate directly with pharmaceutical companies on behalf of taxpayers. Unfortunately, Democrats stipulated in the IRA that if pharmaceutical companies failed to negotiate the price of a specific drug, they would be penalized up to 95% of the cost of that product. That is not a negotiation; that is a forcible control of the price."
"This was implemented as a result of the Inflation Reduction Act which was legislated, passed through the House, passed through the Senate, signed into law by the president, it all followed due course," Wild said. She has concerns the lawsuits will further delay lowering prices, but thinks ultimately the law will stand.
Other countries do negotiate their drug prices with these companies, as does the Department of Veterans Affairs and Medicaid.
It the law does stand up in court, the new prices would take effect in 2026.
