Pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) have recently emerged as a punching bag with the pharma trade group PhRMA accusing such orgs of driving up drug prices. Now, an alliance of PBMs known as Transparency-Rx has emerged, promising a reform initiative in a digital campaign attempting to put pressure on rival PBMs. This coalition’s efforts could reshape…
The economic impact of pharma giants’ fight with the U.S. government over drug pricing reform
Big Pharma firms Merck and Bristol Myers Squibb are challenging President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act, alleging the law’s plan to lower drug prices infringes on their rights. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce — whose members include drugmakers AbbVie and Eli Lilly — is also aiming to block Medicare from rolling out the program. In 2022,…
Democrats eye sweeping drug-pricing reform to fund infrastructure spending
Democratic lawmakers joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) are preparing drug pricing controls that could help bankroll a planned $3 trillion infrastructure bill they will attempt to pass in the summer. If Democrats add the drug-pricing proposal to their next budget reconciliation bill, they could pass it with a simple majority in both the House…
Unclear path for drug-pricing reform after Dem sweep
With Democrats having gained control of the Senate and the presidency, some form of drug-pricing reform is likely. But with the raging COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing threats to the Affordable Care Act, Democrats are more likely to focus on those issues in the near term, according to Barrett Thornhill, a partner at the public affairs…