Executive Vice President & Managing Director, Consulting | Market Access, Pricing, and Commercialization Strategist | Biopharmaceuticals, Orphan Drugs, & Vaccines
One of the many objectives of the Inflation Reduction Act is to lower prescription drug costs and increase access to life-saving medications. But defining access continues to be a challenge. In preparation for drug negotiations with Medicare, today Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services held the first of many listening sessions with patients and patient advocates. The goal being to provide patients with a venue for Medicare to understand patient's daily life dealing with their conditions and their thoughts on the value of therapeutic alternatives. I had the opportunity to listen to today’s opening session with CMS for apixaban/Eliquis, one of the ten drugs selected for negotiation for 2026. Unsurprisingly, one of the key themes from today’s speakers were their issues and concerns over continued access to their medications and the healthcare system in general. Concerns over formulary management becoming more demanding, confusion on financial assistance, issues with preferred pharmacy networks, worries over access in rural communities, and issues with basic enrollment in health plans. I commend the CMS for this first of many sessions to better define the situation at hand. However, we must recognize that these listening sessions are only continuing to bring to light the challenges that patients have accessing healthcare. #marketaccess #patientaccess #inflationreductionact #medicare #formulary
