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On October 10, the White House held a press event in the Oval Office to announce a new agreement with AstraZeneca, the second pharmaceutical manufacturer to publicly respond to the White House's four-point pricing demand, including for drug companies to offer most-favored-nation (MFN) pricing and direct-to-consumer (DTC) purchase options.1 Under the new agreement, AstraZeneca committed to MFN pricing for all products in Medicaid and for all new drug launches, and to offer DTC sales at a discount through the administration's new TrumpRx initiative. The company also announced $50 billion in U.S. research and development and manufacturing investment by 2030, including a new facility in Charlottesville, Virginia, projected to create 3,600 jobs.
This announcement follows the September 30 agreement with Pfizer, stemming from President Trump's May executive order (EO) and July 31 letter directing pharmaceutical manufacturers to bring American drug prices in line with MFN pricing.2 Despite the White House's momentum in striking agreements with Pfizer and AstraZeneca, several questions remain regarding the Administration's broader approach to MFN policies, including how the White House will determine MFN pricing. The White House generally described the pricing as "the lowest paid by other developed nations," which was clarified to be the net (not list) price. It remains unclear how the government will obtain that information given that it is often not publicly available, and whether the release of that information in effectuating the pricing arrangements could implicate international agreements.
Separately, on October 6, Amgen announced the launch of a new DTC program, AmgenNow. The program will offer Amgen's cholesterol drug Repatha at a monthly price of $239, nearly 60 percent lower than the current U.S. list price. In the announcement, Amgen touts the new DTC price as the lowest among the economically developed G-7 countries and available to all U.S. patients. In line with the Administration's goals, patients who are prescribed Repatha, including those on Medicare or Medicaid, will have access to the DTC price via AmgenNow. The company also plans to make AmgenNow accessible via TrumpRx, a website announced in conjunction with Pfizer's agreement with the White House to make drugs available directly to patients at lower prices than currently available.
Footnotes
1. For more on Pfizer's White House agreement, Manatt in Health subscribers can see the October 6 edition of Insights this Week.
2. For more on the May EO, Manatt in Health subscribers can see the May 19 edition of Insights this Week. For more on the letter to pharmaceutical manufacturers, Manatt in Health subscribers can see the August 4 edition of Insights this Week.
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