Welcome to the Week in Review.

New Analysis: Pharma Hikes HIV Drug Prices While Pushing Bill to Lock In Higher Prices for Years

P4AD’s new analysis exposes a troubling pattern: pharmaceutical companies are raising prices on lifesaving HIV medications year after year, while simultaneously pushing to undermine reforms that would lower them for some patients. In the first week of January alone, major drug companies increased prices on 12 HIV drugs, nine of which were hiked above the rate of inflation. Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry continues to lobby for the EPIC Act, which would delay small-molecule drugs — roughly 90% of drugs on the market, and the majority of HIV treatments — from becoming eligible for Medicare negotiation by four additional years. More than one in four of the roughly 1.2 million Americans living with HIV rely on Medicare for their health coverage, meaning EPIC would significantly harm many American seniors. Drugmakers are trying to line their pockets twice, and if Congress lets them, it’s patients living with HIV who will pay the price. You can read the full analysis at the link here. — [P4AD, HIV.gov]

Claims that TrumpRx Offers World’s Lowest Prescription Prices Fall Flat

New reporting from the New York Times compared TrumpRx prices to those in high income countries like Germany and Japan, and found that while the platform may have “modestly narrowed” the gap between U.S. and foreign prices for some drugs, they aren’t the world’s “lowest” prices like the Administration claimed. This is particularly noticeable for drugs included on the platform that don’t have generic alternatives, including the hormone treatment Ngenla, which costs $2,700 more each month on TrumpRx versus Germany’s price of just $11.50. TrumpRx may help some consumers — particularly those on certain GLP-1 or IVF drugs — but lasting affordability will require enforceable reforms that directly address drugmakers’ pricing power. — [New York Times]

GSK Exploits Medicaid Loophole, Raising Costs for

A new report released this week from Senator Hassan (D-NH) found that GSK discontinued two versions of its popular child asthma inhaler, Flovent, and directed customers instead to an authorized generic to sidestep Medicaid rebate obligations tied to price hikes after the American Rescue Plan Act removed the rebate cap. The result: out-of-pocket costs rose 27% for those patients, and 18% of children experienced a worsening of day-to-day symptoms. A JAMA analysis estimated the new inhaler’s net price was four times higher than the discontinued versions. Because the generic alternative is owned by the brand manufacturer, it does not create real competition. Instead, it’s designed to preserve profits and avoid rebate obligations. Big Pharma will find any loophole to skirt even well-intentioned policies, typically at patients’ expense, and clear enforcement mechanisms must be designed with that in mind. — [STAT News, Sen. Hassan, Washington Post]

In Case You Missed It

Last Friday, CMS announced that all drugmakers with products selected for the third round of Medicare negotiations have agreed to participate. Nearly 1.8 million Medicare recipients rely on these 15 drugs, constituting about 6% of all Medicare prescription drug expenditures. Participation by all selected drugmakers follows the trend set by the first and second rounds of negotiations, once again an important indicator that the program continues to be successfully implemented. — [Inside Health Policy]

Patient Advocate Spotlight: Lynn Crisci

Condition: IBS, Lyme disease, as well as PTSD and injuries from the Boston Marathon bombing
Drug: Creon, Motegrity, and others (~$50,000 per year total) 
Background: Former professional musician, actress, radio host, and Boston Marathon bombing survivor living in Boston, Massachusetts

In Her Words: “I strongly believe that affordable health care should not be a privilege but a right… No one should have to forgo or wait out their health conditions because of pricing and the lack of accessibility and availability. Everyone is one step away from an accident or illness, and people are simply fooling themselves if they believe this can’t happen to them.”

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