Klobuchar Statement on Newly Released Prices for 15 Additional Prescription Drugs Subject to Medicare Negotiations

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), who led the Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act to end the nearly 20-year ban on Medicare negotiating lower prescription drug prices for consumers, released the following statement on today's announcement of the negotiated prices for the second round of medications under the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program.

"For too long, pharmaceutical giants have put their profits ahead of the well-being of Americans who rely on life-sustaining medications. That is why I worked for years to end big drug companies' sweetheart deal that artificially raised prices at the expense of our seniors and taxpayers. Today's announcement is thanks to our historic law, passed by Democrats in Congress in 2022, that finally allows Medicare to negotiate lower prices for some of the most widely-used, costly medications. Across the country, this will save 5 million seniors hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year, and save American taxpayers tens of billions of dollars. We need to build on this progress by passing my bill to lower drug prices for more prescription drugs - for seniors and all Americans."

This second round of drugs selected for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program will have the following discounts off the 2024 list price, starting in 2027:

• 71% lower for Ozempic, Rybelsus, and Wegovy, which treat Type 2 diabetes and overweight/obesity with cardiovascular disease, and were taken by 2.3 million Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 48% lower for Xtandi, which treats prostate cancer and was taken by 35,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 73% lower for Trelegy Ellipta, which treats asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and was taken by 1.3 million Medicare Part D enrollees last year.

• 60% lower for Pomalyst, which treats blood and bone cancers and was taken by 14,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 50% lower for Ibrance, which treats breast cancer and was taken by 16,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 50% lower Ofev, which treats lung disease including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was taken by 24,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 75% lower for Linzess, which treats certain GI disorders and was taken by 627,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 40% lower for Calquence, which treats certain blood cancers including leukemia and lymphomas, and was taken by 15,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 38% lower for Austedo and Austedo XR which treat movement disorders like chorea in Huntington's disease, and were taken by 26,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year.

• 83% lower for Breo Ellipta, which treats asthma and COPD and was taken by 634,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 84% lower for Tradjenta, which treats Type 2 diabetes and was taken by 278,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 63% lower for Xifaxan, which treats certain gastrointestinal (GI) disorders and was taken by 104,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 44% lower for Vraylar which treats Bipolar I, Major Depressive Disorder, and Schizophrenia, and was taken by 116,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• 85% for Janumet which treats Type 2 diabetes and was taken by 243,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year;

• And 65% for Otezla which treats chronic inflammation such as plaque psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, and was taken by 31,000 Medicare Part D enrollees last year.

Klobuchar has long led efforts to lower drug prices. The Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act, Klobuchar's bill to end the ban on Medicare negotiating lower prescription drug prices for Medicare's 51 million seniors and help lower drug prices for all Americans was signed into law in August 2022.

In May, Klobuchar, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), and 25 of their colleagues re-introduced the Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act, which would expand the number of prescription drugs that HHS could negotiate lower prices for and increase the amount of savings Medicare could negotiate.

Klobuchar also led the fight against big pharma's lawsuits attempting to dismantle Medicare negotiations. In 2023 and 2024, Klobuchar and her Senate colleagues filed an amicus brief in Merck & Co. v. Becerra in the District Court for the District of Columbia, in Boehringer Ingelheim v. United States Department of Health and Human Services in the District Court for the District of Connecticut, and in urging the federal court to uphold the constitutionality of Congress allowing Medicare to negotiate lower drug prices for consumers. In cases so far, pharmaceutical companies have lost lawsuits against the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program 16 times.

In April, two of Klobuchar and Senator Chuck Grassley's (R-IA) bipartisan bills to promote competition and reduce drug prices - the Preserving Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act and the Stop STALLING Act - passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by voice vote. Together these bills would save taxpayers $1.9 billion over 10 years.

The Preserving Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act would limit anticompetitive "pay-for-delay" deals that prevent or delay the introduction of affordable follow-on versions of branded pharmaceuticals.

The Stop Significant and Time-wasting Abuse Limiting Legitimate Innovation of New Generics (STALLING) Act would deter pharmaceutical companies from filing sham petitions with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to interfere with the approval of generic and biosimilar medicines that compete with their own brand products, a tactic that delays patient access to affordable medications.

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