Would CMS’s Drug Price Transparency Requirement Really Lower Prices?

On October 15, the Trump Administration’s Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule that, if finalized, would require prescription drug makers to include prescription drug price information in broadcast advertising. The Administration stated that it believes including the prices in ads—an idea first introduced in the president’s “Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices” in May—would help consumers make better choices and, ultimately, save money for the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Would the proposed rule, if enacted, have the impact that the Administration anticipates—or are proponents wrong to believe that transparency is the solution to the drug pricing dilemma? Manatt Health reveals the answer in a new podcast exploring what the proposal is, what it could mean for life sciences companies and their customers, and what effects, if any, it would have on the market. Click here to listen free. Click here to download a free summary of the proposed rule.

The podcast gives you the answers to the critical questions the proposed rule raises:

  • Would the new requirement really bring down the cost of drugs—and if so, by how much?
  • Will the proposed rule be implemented—and why?
  • Why is the drug industry opposed to it?
  • Why is the Trump Administration advancing the proposed rule?
  • Will Congress become involved—and how might that change if the midterms result in the Democrats taking the House and/or Senate?
  • How does this possible federal action relate to recent state efforts to make drug pricing more transparent?
  • If the proposal were implemented, would there be companies or products that would be more impacted than others?