BioCentury
ARTICLE | Politics & Policy

Azar vows to lower list prices

January 9, 2018 10:25 PM UTC

HHS Secretary nominee Alex Azar Tuesday rejected government negotiation of Medicare Part D drug prices and signaled his support for reforming the way Part B reimburses for infused and injected drugs. Speaking at a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing, Azar said lowering drug prices will be his top priority.

“All drug prices are too high in this country,” Azar said. He made it clear, however, that his focus is on list prices and the profits of pharmacy benefit managers and other actors in the supply chain, not the net returns to drug companies. He argued that rebates and discounts effectively constrain net prices. ...