Trump Administration Wants Drug Makers To Include Price In TV Ads

(CNN) — Vowing to put American patients first, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar on Monday blasted the pharmaceutical industry for not doing enough to bring down drug prices and announced what he called “historic action”: a proposal requiring drug manufacturers to include the list price of any drug paid for by Medicare or Medicaid in television ads. “We will not wait for an industry with so many conflicting and perverse incentives to reform itself,” Azar said at the National Academy of Medicine’s annual forum. “Patients deserve to know what a given drug could cost when they’re being told about the benefits and risks it may have. They deserve to know if the drug company has pushed their prices to abusive levels. And they deserve to know this every time they see a drug advertised to them on TV.” Azar’s comments come on the heels of President Donald Trump signing two pieces of legislation last week aimed at informing consumers about the lowest-cost drug option at the pharmacy. The latest proposal, Azar said, would “give you the right to know your drug’s price when you see it advertised on TV.” “For too long, drug pricing has been like no other market,” Azar said. “Prices are completely opaque, and the industry actually makes a point of claiming that their list prices are often meaningless.” Azar shot back that list prices were, indeed, meaningful for consumers ...
Source: WBZ-TV - Breaking News, Weather and Sports for Boston, Worcester and New Hampshire - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Consumer Health News Local TV Prescription Drugs Source Type: news