Government Payers

Keytruda, Opdivo SubQ Conversions Cloud Near-Term Medicare Negotiation Savings Forecasts

Keytruda, Opdivo SubQ Conversions Cloud Near-Term Medicare Negotiation Savings Forecasts

 
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A growing number of future Part B candidates for Medicare price negotiation may avoid price controls in the program with injectable versions.

PBM Reform Legislation: PhRMA ‘Laser Focused’ On Passage This Year

PBM Reform Legislation: PhRMA ‘Laser Focused’ On Passage This Year

 
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But the prospects for attaching the legislation to a federal spending package in December will be dependent on the outcome of the upcoming elections.

For Generic Manufactures, New Medicare Drug Pricing Demo Is a Dud

For Generic Manufactures, New Medicare Drug Pricing Demo Is a Dud

 

The proposed CMS innovation center's $2 drug list model will not address the barriers to newer generics getting on Part D formularies and plans may have little incentive to participate in the demo, an industry group said. 

Perspectives From The Front Lines: Navigating The First Round Of Medicare Price Negotiation

Perspectives From The Front Lines: Navigating The First Round Of Medicare Price Negotiation

 
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Policy experts and consultants recount their experiences shepherding manufacturers through the first round of Medicare price negotiations during a recent webinar.


Prior Authorization Reform: 2025 Could Be A Year Of Changes

Prior Authorization Reform: 2025 Could Be A Year Of Changes

 
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Prior authorization reforms could emerge as an important under-the-radar area of drug policy next year. An upcoming Medicare proposed rule, the extraordinary uptake of weight loss therapies, and the launch of the overhauled Part D benefit design will all drive attention to the issue.

340B Rebate Dispute: HRSA Threat To Bar J&J From Medicare Part B, Medicaid ‘Unprecedented’

340B Rebate Dispute: HRSA Threat To Bar J&J From Medicare Part B, Medicaid ‘Unprecedented’

 
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HRSA threatens nuclear option and Johnson & Johnson suspends its 340B rebate model. But the company also ‘reserves all of its legal rights with respect to this matter.’

England Plans New Model For Use Of Lilly’s Mounjaro In Weight Loss

England Plans New Model For Use Of Lilly’s Mounjaro In Weight Loss

 
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NHS England says it is proposing a “realistic but challenging uptake trajectory” that will make “this clinically and cost-effective drug” available to as many patients as possible without overwhelming health care providers.

US Medicare Cost For Part D Redesign Could Far Exceed Earlier Projections, CBO Says

US Medicare Cost For Part D Redesign Could Far Exceed Earlier Projections, CBO Says

 
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Instead of $5bn in 2025, the redesign could cost the federal government two to four times that amount, the Congressional Budget Office told Republican lawmakers. And the Part D premium stabilization demonstration will cost an additional $7bn, the office projected.


Patient/CMS Roundtables For Medicare-Negotiated Drugs Will Be Interactive, But Not Public Next Time

Patient/CMS Roundtables For Medicare-Negotiated Drugs Will Be Interactive, But Not Public Next Time

 
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The final Medicare price negotiation guidance for the next cycle includes improvements from last year’s patient listening sessions.

CMS Should 'Clarify' Part B Inflation Rebates Don't Apply In Medicare Advantage, Pharma Says

CMS Should 'Clarify' Part B Inflation Rebates Don't Apply In Medicare Advantage, Pharma Says

 
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Manufacturers ‘strongly object’ to the possibility floated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that it could extend price inflation rebates to Part B drugs furnished to enrollees in Medicare Advantage plans in addition to those covered by fee-for-service Medicare.

French Industry Calls For Reduction In Rebates, Proposes Savings Plan

French Industry Calls For Reduction In Rebates, Proposes Savings Plan

 
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The French pharma industry body Leem says that the scale of its contribution to health insurance cost savings is undermining the industry’s financial sustainability.

CMS Withdraws Medicaid Cell, Gene Therapy Price ‘Verification’ Survey Plan

CMS Withdraws Medicaid Cell, Gene Therapy Price ‘Verification’ Survey Plan

 
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The move is positive for manufacturers and follows the agency’s decision to drop another contentious proposal that would have ‘stacked’ drug discounts when calculating Medicaid best prices.


Pfizer Hints at Curbing Assistance In Part D Next Year In Notice Asking Patients To Enroll In M3P

Pfizer Hints at Curbing Assistance In Part D Next Year In Notice Asking Patients To Enroll In M3P

 
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New terms for Medicare Part D beneficiaries interested in enrolling in Pfizer’s oncology patient assistance program in 2025 involve attestations that assistance is still needed after enrolling in the new M3P program and that they have not yet met the $2,000 out-of-pocket spending cap.

Would National US HTA/Price Negotiation Process Slow Drug Access? Maybe Not

Would National US HTA/Price Negotiation Process Slow Drug Access? Maybe Not

 
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Research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine finds the US time from a drug’s approval to reimbursement is not the swiftest, compared to countries in Europe.

US Medicare To Offer Guidance On Real World Evidence To Support Coverage

US Medicare To Offer Guidance On Real World Evidence To Support Coverage

 
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The US Medicare agency is encouraging use of observational trials to fulfill Coverage With Evidence Development requirements, but details will await an upcoming guidance on “fit for purpose” studies.

Accelerated Approvals In Medicare: CED Guidance Notes Ongoing Concern With Surrogate Endpoints

Accelerated Approvals In Medicare: CED Guidance Notes Ongoing Concern With Surrogate Endpoints

 
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Medicare coverage with evidence development final guidance includes few substantive changes from the proposed version despite biopharma stakeholder concerns.


PBMs and Vertical Integration: CBO Adds To Growing Concerns About Negative Impacts

PBMs and Vertical Integration: CBO Adds To Growing Concerns About Negative Impacts

 

Congressional Budget Office responses to questions from US lawmakers on pharmacy benefit managers could add to the momentum for PBM reforms to go further than the current leading proposals.

Pink Sheet Podcast: What We Learned From The First Batch Of Medicare Negotiated Drug Prices

Pink Sheet Podcast: What We Learned From The First Batch Of Medicare Negotiated Drug Prices

 

Pink Sheet reporter and editors discuss the take-aways from the landmark first Medicare negotiated drug prices and what additional information remains outstanding.

A Better Deal: Medicare Discounts Surpass Estimated PBM-Negotiated Rebates

A Better Deal: Medicare Discounts Surpass Estimated PBM-Negotiated Rebates

 
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But the amount of savings realized when the Medicare negotiated prices go into effect in 2026 remains the subject of debate.

Round 1 Of US Drug Price Negotiations Suggests Medicare Can Beat Original Part D System

Round 1 Of US Drug Price Negotiations Suggests Medicare Can Beat Original Part D System

 

CBO estimated Medicare would get 50% net price reductions under the IRA, but CMS actually garnered 22%. The CBO analysis could not account for some of the particulars of the negotiations, but some health policy experts stressed any net gain over private Part D plan negotiation is a win.