Drug Prices

The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Health and Human Services Feb. 14 requested comments for 60 days on market concentration and contracting practices among group purchasing organizations and drug wholesalers to understand their potential impact on pricing and generic drug shortages.
CVS Health plans to launch its CVS CostVantage and CVS Caremark TrueCost programs in 2025. CostVantage will define the drug cost and related reimbursement with contracted PBMs and payers, CVS noted in a statement.
The Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Justice, and Federal Trade Commission Dec. 7 announced several new actions to promote competition in health care and support lower prescription drug costs.
The companies that make the first 10 Medicare Part D drugs selected to participate in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program have agreed to participate in the program’s price negotiations, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced.
The Food and Drug Administration will accept comments through Nov. 17 on draft guidance for labeling proposed biosimilar and interchangeable biosimilar products.
The Department of Health and Human Services announced the first list of Medicare Part D drugs subject to price negotiations, a tenet of the Inflation Reduction Act designed to reduce health care costs.
A new plan will transition Blue Shield of California’s drug supply management from CVS Health’s PBM to five companies — a move the payer believes will save its 4.8 million members as much as $500 million a year in drug costs or about 10% to 15% of what it spends on drugs annually.