Merck to tie price increases to inflation

Merck & Co. Inc. (NYSE:MRK) followed Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Novartis AG (NYSE:NVS; SIX:NOVN) in publicly responding to President Donald Trump's demands for voluntary price reductions. Merck said it will not increase the average net price of its products by more than inflation.

The pharma also vowed to lower the wholesale acquisition cost (WAC) of HCV drug Zepatier grazoprevir/elbasvir by 60% and to decrease prices for five additional drugs by 10%. The pharma recorded no U.S. sales in 1Q18 of Zepatier, which has a WAC of $18,200 for 28 once-daily tablets. Treatment with Zepatier ranges from 12-16 weeks...