Drug Prices

The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, for which AHA is a founding member, launched a petition and digital ad urging drug companies to suspend their “traditional” summer price hikes, which last year averaged 13%, saying the industry is thriving while Americans are struggling financially.

The AHA urged the Department of Health and Human Services and the Health Resources and Services Administration to provide flexibility in the administration of the 340B Drug Pricing Program to better enable these hospitals to serve their communities during the COVID-19 national emergency.

List prices for branded pharmaceutical products in the United States increased 159% between 2007 and 2018, an average of 9.1% per year, according to a study reported in JAMA.

Four drugs used in hospitals for years increased their prices between 525% and 1,644% after receiving formal approval through the Food and Drug Administration’s Unapproved Drug Initiative, according to an analysis released by Vizient. 

The Food and Drug Administration approved the first generic albuterol sulfate inhaler to treat and prevent bronchospasms in patients with asthma or reversible obstructive airway disease.

The Food and Drug Administration released the first phase of its searchable Purple Book database, which includes all FDA-approved biosimilar and interchangeable products.

The House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee held a hearing on proposals to lower drug prices and promote new cures. 

The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing launched an ad campaign calling for Congress to pass bipartisan legislation to “hold Big Pharma accountable.”

With rising prices for insulin and the costs of many other diabetes-related drugs taking their toll on patients, CVS Health recently announced that its pharmacy benefits management unit CVS Caremark is launching a program to enable employers and payers to offer these medications at no out-of-pocket…

Tom Nickels, AHA executive vice president, responds to a PhRMA-funded study that attempts to deflect blame for a growing crisis of their own making – the skyrocketing costs of drugs.