The federal government announced the list of the top ten drugs subject to price negotiation under the Medicare program. The intent is to lower the price of these drugs for U.S. citizens. . According to a White House statement, the ten drugs selected for price negotiation totaled $3.4 billion in spending for older Americans who needed them. . The statement includes the list of drugs chosen. Over the next four years, the Medicare program will negotiate prices for a total of 60 drugs as part of the next phase of the program. From there, 20 additional drugs will be negotiated each year. . . The list includes several medicines to treat diabetes such as Jardiance, Januvia, Farxiga and several different copyrighted insulin injections that have identical active ingredients, such as Fiasp and NovoLog. . The other drugs the Biden administration put on the list are Enbrel and Stelara, which are used primarily for arthritis and psoriasis, as well as Eliquis, Xarelto, Entresto and Imbruvica, which are used to treat heart and blood problems. . According to the White House, negotiating Medicare drug prices will reduce individual expenses for seniors and save American taxpayers money. Negotiations for the first group of selected medicines will begin in 2023, and the agreed prices will go into effect in 2026. . According to Reuters, the new prices on this list will be announced on September 1, 2024, unless a court tries to block it.
