Big Pharma Fails To Block Medicare Negotiations
Washington, D.C. – A district court in Ohio today denied a motion by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, an industry trade group, seeking to halt Medicare’s new Drug Price Negotiation Program. The Chamber filed a lawsuit against the Department of Health and Human Services in August and had requested a ruling before Oct. 1 – the deadline for manufacturers of the 10 drugs selected for the first round of negotiations to decide whether to participate in the negotiation process.
In response, Peter Maybarduk, director of the Access to Medicines program at Public Citizen, released the following statement.
“This is the first major blow to Big Pharma in its legal battles to block the drug price negotiation provisions under the Inflation Reduction Act.
“The Chamber’s lawsuit lacks merit; the court made the right decision not to grant the injunction, which would have caused needless patient suffering and treatment rationing.
“Now, drug companies should agree to participate in the negotiation program in good faith. The program is an important first step in ending the exorbitant prices charged to Medicare enrollees.
“It’s time for Big Pharma to drop their lawsuits and drop their prices.”