Meanwhile, Senate to consider subpoenas to force pharma CEOs testify on prices.
Pharmaceutical companies hiked the price of 775 drugs this year so far, including Ozempic and Mounjaro — exceeding the rate of inflation::Meanwhile, Senate to consider subpoenas to force pharma CEOs testify on prices.
Pharmaceutical companies have raised the list prices of 775 brand-name drugs so far this year, with a median increase of 4.5 percent, exceeding the rate of inflation, according to an analysis conducted for the Wall Street Journal.
High-profile drugs Ozempic (made by Novo Nordisk) and Mounjaro (Eli Lilly), both used for Type II diabetes and weight loss, were among those that saw price increases.
The asthma medication Xolair (Novartis) and the Shingles vaccine Shingrix (GlaxoSmithKline) saw price increases above 7.5 percent, the Wall Street Journal noted.
And a provision in 2021's American Rescue Plan Act now forces drugmakers to pay Medicaid large rebates if their drug price increases outpace inflation.
On Thursday, Stat reported that Senate health committee chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) took steps to subpoena pharmaceutical CEOs regarding a Congressional investigation on high drug prices.
"You have opted not for the most effective way of securing information relevant to the Committee’s important work on drug prices, but for a broad-ranging public spectacle, with witnesses you can question on pending litigation you disagree with," Merck wrote to Sanders.
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So how much of this is because pharma companies have to cap prices of some drugs because of the Inflation Reduction Act, but they still want to keep the revenue looking good for shareholders?
I read through this article and the articles it linked to and wasn’t able to find a list of price increases, or even just the worst ones. The 4.5% increase is the most I saw and that’s barely more than inflation. The Reuters article they cited said that price increases during the pandemic were below inflation, so this kinda averages it out.
The Reuters article had this tidbit:
Truist analyst Robyn Karnauskas said in a note that Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab planned to lower the prices of its Humalog and Humulin insulins by 75.8% and 70% respectively on Dec. 30, and to raise the price of its popular diabetes drug Mounjaro by 4.5% on Jan. 1. These changes were not included in 3 Axis' data.
I’ll take a 4.5% price increase alongside a 70-75% price cut any day of the week. And I say that partly because much (most?) of the demand for Mounjaro is because it can be used off-label for weight loss and not for it as a drug to treat diabetes. I’m not saying weight loss drugs should be unaffordable, but it does seem reasonable to treat off-label weight loss drugs as a luxury.