The department said the drugs are relied upon by millions to treat conditions including asthma, cancer and diabetes.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said on Jan. 17 that it has selected the next 15 drugs to undergo Medicare drug price negotiations with pharmaceutical companies, as the federal government seeks to lower soaring medical costs for Americans.
The drugs are relied upon by millions of seniors across the country to treat an array of conditions such as asthma, cancer, and diabetes, and accounted for roughly $41 billion in total gross covered prescription drug costs under Medicare Part D between Nov. 1, 2023, and Oct. 31, 2024, HHS said.
They include popular drugs Ozempic and Wegovy, which are used for diabetes and weight loss, as well as cancer medications Ibrance and Xtandi.
According to HHS, negotiations with participating drug companies will take place in 2025, with any negotiated prices going into effect for people with Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage in 2027.
Negotiations will be led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
The latest negotiations are made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law in 2022, which gave Medicare the power to negotiate prescription drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
Medicare covers around 66 million people across the nation.
“Last year we proved that negotiating for lower drug prices works,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “Now we plan to build on that record by negotiating for lower prices for 15 additional important drugs for seniors.”
Becerra said HHS will “continue negotiating in the best interest of people with Medicare to have access to innovative, life-saving treatments at lower costs.”
The drugs up for negotiation are:
- Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy: Used for weight loss and to treat Type 2 diabetes.
- Trelegy Ellipta: An asthma treatment.
- Xtandi: Used for prostate cancer.
- Pomalyst: A chemotherapy drug used for Kaposi’s sarcoma and multiple myeloma.
- Ibrance: A breast cancer drug.
- Ofev: Used for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
- Linzess: Used to treat chronic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome with constipation.
- Calquence: A cancer drug used in the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and mantle cell lymphoma.
- Austedo, Austedo XR: Used for Huntington’s disease and tardive dyskinesia.
- Breo Ellipta: A chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma drug.
- Tradjenta: Used to treat Type 2 diabetes.
- Xifaxan: Used for diarrhea and irritable bowel syndrome.
- Vraylar: An antipsychotic drug used to treat bipolar I disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia.
- Janumet, Janumet XR: Diabetes drugs.
- Otezla: Used for oral ulcers in Behçet’s disease, plaque psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis.
