The Biden administration says Medicare recipients will save about $1.5 billion on out-of-pocket costs for medications to treat diabetes, heart disease, types of arthritis and other ailments under new prices negotiated with drug companies that will take effect in 2026.
Quick Read
- The Biden administration announced that Medicare recipients will save about $1.5 billion on out-of-pocket costs for medications to treat diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and blood cancers under new prices negotiated with drug companies, effective in 2026.
- Price reductions include a 79% decrease for Januvia (diabetes), 68% for Farxiga (diabetes, heart failure, chronic kidney disease), and 67% for Enbrel (rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis).
- The new negotiated prices will significantly lower the cost of other essential drugs like Jardiance, Stelara, Xarelto, and Eliquis, benefiting millions of Medicare recipients.
- The savings represent the reduction before any discounts or rebates and reflect the efforts to make critical medications more affordable for older Americans.
- The new prices and savings range from $113 for Januvia to $9,319 for Imbruvica, marking a major shift in Medicare’s approach to prescription drug costs.
The Associated Press has the story:
Drugs to treat diabetes, heart disease & blood cancers among those affected by price negotiations
Newslooks- (AP)
The Biden administration says Medicare recipients will save about $1.5 billion on out-of-pocket costs for medications to treat diabetes, heart disease, types of arthritis and other ailments under new prices negotiated with drug companies that will take effect in 2026.
The savings range from 79% for Januvia, used to manage diabetes, to 38% for Imbruvica, which is used to treat blood cancers. That is the medication’s cost before any discounts or rebates are applied, but not what the price people actually pay when filling their prescriptions.
A look at the drugs and the negotiated prices.
Januvia
Manufacturer: Merck Sharp Dohme
Conditions: Diabetes
Negotiated price: $113 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 79%
Fiasp; Fiasp FlexTouch; Fiasp PenFill; NovoLog; NovoLog FlexPen; NovoLog PenFill:
Manufacturer: Novo Norodisk
Conditions: Diabetes
Negotiated price: $119 for a 30- day supply
Reduction: 76%
Farxiga
Manufacturer: AstraZeneca AB.
Conditions: Diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease
Negotiated price: $178.50 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 68%
Enbrel
Manufacturer: Immunex Corp.
Conditions: Rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis
Negotiated price: $2,355 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 67%
Jardiance
Manufacturer: Boehringer Ingelheim
Conditions: Diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease
Negotiated price: $197 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 66%
Stelara
Manufacturer: Janssen Biotech Inc.
Conditions: Psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis
Negotiated price: $4,695 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 66%
Xarelto
Manufacturer: Janssen Pharms
Conditions: Prevention and treatment of blood clots. Reduction of risk for patients with coronary or peripheral artery disease
Negotiated price: $197 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 62%
Eliquis
Manufacturer: Bristol Myers Squibb
Conditions: Prevention and treatment of blood clots
Negotiated price: $231 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 56%
Entresto
Manufacturer: Novartis Pharms Corp
Conditions: Heart failure
Negotiated price: $295 for a 30-day supply
Reduction: 53%
Imbruvica
Manufacturer: Pharmacyclics LLC
Conditions: Blood cancers
Negotiated price: $9,319 for a 30-day supply
Savings: 38%
