Bristol Myers Squibb And Pfizer Thursday, they will start to sell their successful lighting, Elilish, directly to patients with a discount of more than 40%.
This decision comes as the Trump administration increases pressure on the pharmaceutical industry to reduce the prices of medicines and threatens to impose radical rates on pharmaceuticals imported into the United States
The new effort of companies would bypass traditional intermediaries, including pharmacy services and insurers, to reduce the monthly cost of the drug at a list of around $ 606 to $ 346. From September 8, unhealthy, under-assured and self-payed patients will be able to buy the medication directly from the 360 ELIAL support program, which will send their prescriptions directly to their homes.
But the reduced price of Elilisis is even more than nine times the average monthly cost of $ 38 paid by commercially insured patients. The price under the new program is also significantly higher than the price of $ 231 per month that Medicare has negotiated under a provision of the law on the reduction of inflation of the Biden administration. This negotiated price should take effect next year.
The negotiated price is what Medicare will pay for ELISH and does not define what Medicare patients will pay for the medication now or in the future, Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer said in a joint statement. They added that the negotiated price does not reflect “the substantial clinical and economic value of this essential medicine”.
In the United States, more than 90% of ELIS prescriptions in the United States are currently covered by insurance. But Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer have said that the new effort aims to extend access to treatment, reduce the patients’ costs for the patient and provide transparent prices for a different group of patients.
“This program transmits more savings directly to patients and demonstrates our continuous objective on the identification of innovative solutions which promote the best results for each individual while prioritizing access to care,” said Chris Boerner, CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb.
In a note on Thursday, Leerink Partners’ analyst David Risisser said that he thought that the decision came in response to Trump’s plan to reduce the costs of American drugs by linking prices to those paid in other developed countries. The president signed a decree on this plan in May.
Risinger said that drug manufacturers are already offering great discounts on pharmacy services, so that the company does not expect the program to create a “net wind” for Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer.