The high prices — and popularity — of Ozempic and similar weight-loss and diabetes drugs may soon make them a priority for Medicare drug price negotiations. Listed prices for a one-month supply of the drugs range from $936 To $1,349According to Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker,
Inflation Reduction Act President Biden The agreement, signed in 2022, paves the way for the federal program to negotiate prices directly with drugmakers for the first time. But for now, the high price of Ozempic, Trulicity and other drugs in a class known as GLP-1 agonists has left them in a quandary. Out of reach For many low-income patients.
Novo NordiskOzempic and Wegovi could be eligible for negotiations as early as 2025, he said. Juliet CubanskyTrulicity, said Dr. Lilly, deputy program director on Medicare policy at KFF, could launch next year.
Medicare spending $5.7 billion For three popular GLP-1 drugs in 2022, $57 million In 2018, according to Research by KFF”Exorbitantly high prices could bankrupt Medicare, Medicaid and our entire health care system,” the senator said. bernie sanders (I-VT), who presides over the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and PensionsIt is written in A letter to Novo Nordisk In April.
As benefits for these drugs increase, this cost will continue to skyrocket. Medicare cannot cover weight-loss drugs alone, but the program does cover them when prescribed to treat diabetes. Wegovy, a version of Ozempic, is also approved to treat heart disease, and the compound has shown promising results in treating kidney disease.
These are the medicines Possible alternatives to Medicare bargainingAccording to Congressional Budget Office,
But how low will prices go?
Cubansky said we’ll know whether Medicare is a good deal maker in September, when negotiated prices for the first 10 drugs selected for the process are published.
While the negotiations would initially only help Medicare beneficiaries, other patients could also benefit once prices become public and drugmakers begin to feel the pressure. what happened After the Inflation Reduction Act set insulin prices for Medicare enrollees $35 One month.
Another wild card? The winner of the November election. Biden has been promoting Medicare drug price negotiations during his campaign.
Trump talked a lot about lowering drug prices in his first term, but he ultimately backed away from allowing Medicare to negotiate. It’s unclear whether Trump will take on drugmakers — or his own party — in his second term.
Congressional Republicans voted against the IRA, and some even introduced proposals to repeal it.
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