Podcast — Drug Pricing: How Are Payers Responding to the IRA?
Podcast: IP(DC): Drug Prices, Political Pressures & Patents
On December 10, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule, which, if finalized as proposed, has potentially significant implications for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and Medicare...more
On December 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a Proposed Rule for revisions to the regulations governing the Medicare Advantage (MA) program, Medicare Prescription Benefit (Part D),...more
There are important new rules this year relating to prescription drug coverage which may be relevant to your Medicare plan beginning January 1, 2025. The “Open Enrollment” period this year during which eligible individuals...more
On August 15, 2024, CMS announced the results of the first round of the negotiated prices between CMS and participating drug manufacturers for the 10 selected drugs under the Inflation Reduction Act’s (IRA) Medicare Drug...more
Below is Alston & Bird’s Health Care Week in Review, which provides a synopsis of the latest news in health care regulations, notices, and guidance; federal legislation and congressional committee action; reports, studies,...more
The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia recently dismissed an appeal by the Pharmaceutical Coalition for Patient Access (“PCPA”) that challenged a negative opinion issued by the U.S. Department...more
House Energy and Commerce Committee Holds Hearing on Healthcare Costs. The hearing included discussion on what factors are causing cost increases for individuals, for the healthcare sector, and for federal health programs...more
Last week, McDermott+Consulting launched an election 2024 resource page, where you can find a 2024 health policy outlook and other insights into the November election. While regulations aren’t necessarily top-of-mind when...more
In 2024, Medicare will, for the first time, have authority under the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022 to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. On August 29, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid...more
On August 29, 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the ten (10) Medicare Part D drugs selected for the first round of negotiations of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program (Program)—a few...more
On August 15, 2023, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit issued an opinion in Pharmaceutical Care Management Association v. Glen Mulready, in his official capacity as Insurance Commissioner of Oklahoma, Oklahoma...more
CMS recently proposed several important changes for the Medicare Advantage ("MA") program that relate to payment, benefit design, and new actions to combat the opioid crisis. These changes, among others, were proposed in...more
CMS has slowly but surely been providing additional guidance to Medicare Plans (Medicare Advantage and Part D plans) regarding steps they can and should take to address the opioid epidemic as it relates to their...more
On November 15, 2017, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a draft guidance entitled, Assessing User Fees Under the Biosimilar User Fee Amendments of 2017. The Biosimilar User Fee Amendments of 2017 (BsUFA II)...more
Elections for Speaker of the House and Potential Changes at Ways and Means Committee - Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) announced Tuesday (Oct. 20) that he will run for the House Speaker position if the major House Republican...more
You probably heard about the recent price hike for a drug critical to AIDS patients when the manufacturer sold it to an evil hedge fund manager who promptly marked it up 5,000%. This prompted Los Angeles Times columnist...more
On September 10-11, 2015, MedPAC held a meeting to discuss several issues related to the Medicare program, including (1) improving the Open Payments program, which makes public the payments from drug and device manufacturers...more
On August 12, 2015, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) posted Advisory Opinion No. 15-11, finding that a program to supply a limited amount of free cancer drugs to federal health...more
This Week: Bipartisan Senate Letter Questions HHS and CMS on Details of State ACA Waivers...OMB Is Reviewing Final Medicaid-Covered Outpatient Drug Rule...Delaware Forgoes Transition to State-Based Exchange....more
Last month, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a comprehensive report and data brief detailing its concerns about the ability of Medicare Part D sponsors – as...more
The update to the Fiscal Year 2015 Annual Work Plan includes new initiatives that may affect pharmaceutical companies and Medicare Part D payors and pharmacies. Annually, the Department of Health and Human Services...more
In a highly anticipated and scrutinized decision, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new public data set on April 30, 2015, that includes detailed data regarding the prescribing patterns of...more
On March 6, 2015, FDA released a statement announcing its issuance of the first biosimilar license to Zarxio. In the same month, CMS issued a number of guidance documents addressing reimbursement for biosimilars under the...more
Biosimilars Are Generally Treated as Single Source Drugs - On March 30, 2015, in the wake of the first biosimilar product licensed by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...more
On March 30, 2015, CMS released guidance addressing Medicare and Medicaid coverage for biosimilar drug products. The Medicare/Medicaid coverage guidance comes on the heels of the FDA’s landmark approval of a biosimilar...more