Trump CMS faces bipartisan pushback over Medicare proposal tied to Biden-era drug pricing law

A bipartisan group of over 50 lawmakers has urged the Trump administration to withdraw a proposed Medicare policy tied to the Biden-era drug price negotiation program. They argue the fixed-dose combination policy could discourage the development of improved cancer treatments by subjecting newer versions of drugs to price negotiations shortly after FDA approval. Lawmakers believe this would reduce incentives for drugmakers to innovate and could harm patient access to advanced therapies, while CMS states the policy aims to prevent drugmakers from delaying negotiated prices through minor drug alterations.

• Over 50 bipartisan lawmakers have urged the Trump administration not to finalize a proposed Medicare policy.
• The proposed policy is tied to the Biden-era Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program established by the Inflation Reduction Act.
• Lawmakers argue the ‘fixed-dose combination policy’ could discourage the development of improved cancer treatments.
• They contend it would subject newer drug versions to Medicare price negotiations sooner after FDA approval, reducing incentives for innovation.
• CMS aims to prevent drugmakers from avoiding or delaying negotiated prices by making minor changes to existing drugs.
• Lawmakers believe advancements like faster cancer immunotherapies could be less likely to reach patients if the policy is finalized.
• They also argue CMS actuaries haven’t shown the policy would produce meaningful savings for taxpayers.
• The lawmakers call for the withdrawal of the fixed-dose combination proposal to expand access to lifesaving care and reward medical progress.