Sen. Bill Nelson is the primary sponsor of legislation to impose rebates on Medicare Part D. But when he held a hearing on the program in his Aging Committee, something surprising happened: everyone wanted to talk about adherence instead.
Congressional witnesses are carefully coached on how to answer hostile questions. One trick is to start by thanking the Congressman or Senator for the question: it keeps a civil, cordial tone—and buys a bit of time to think of how to frame a response that focuses on the witness’ agenda, rather than the questioner’s.
But when Pharmaceutical Research & Manufacturers of America SVP Richard Smith thanked Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) for her first question...
While the adoption of most favored nation drug pricing in the US stands to affect Japanese biopharma firms now heavily reliant on this market, it might also present an opportunity for pricing and policy reforms at home.
The state's Prescription Drug Affordability Board, the oldest of a growing list of the boards, chose six drugs for affordability reviews and has the authority to set a ceiling on the amount state and local government payers would reimburse for them.
The US Medicare Payment Advisory Commission worries that Medicare prescription drug market trends may cause the stand-alone plan portion of the program to “wither away,” which could take the traditional fee-for-service side of Medicare with it.
