As the national debate over drug pricing ramps up, Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) find themselves squarely in the spotlight. PhRMA, which has also criticized hospitals for marking up drug prices by as much as 500%, launched a seven-figure ad campaign targeting proposals in Congress to lower drug prices. PhRMA, which counts companies such as Pfizer,…

Former President Trump’s plan to peg the price of some drugs to those paid in other developed nations was always controversial. Not long after Trump unveiled an executive order supporting the idea on Sept. 13, 2020, organizations, including PhRMA and Regeneron, filed lawsuits to block the rule. Several courts agreed that the policy, which CMS codified…

A federal judge in Maryland has temporarily blocked a Trump executive order that tied Medicare reimbursement for several drugs to lower rates in other countries. The executive order was facing a flurry of lawsuits.  U.S. District Judge Catherine C. Blake sided with the plaintiffs’ argument that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) did not…

Almost immediately after President Trump indicated he planned on tying Medicare reimbursement for dozens of drugs to lower rates in other countries, it seemed certain that legal action was inevitable.   Now, Trump’s executive orders related to drug pricing are attracting a growing number of lawsuits. Earlier this month, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA),…

President Trump recently unveiled his latest initiative to standardize drug pricing, tying government drug payments to lower prices abroad. Trump also signaled his intent to eliminate pharmaceutical industry middlemen — pharmacy-benefit managers — who are “ripping off Medicare patients with high prescription prices,” he said. The policies, the president claimed, are the “the biggest ever…