Biden Administration lowers prices for 64 prescription drugs, including 3 prescribed by cardiologists
Medicare Part B enrollees will pay significantly less for 64 different prescription medications for the next three months, according to a new announcement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). This latest round of price reductions is part of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden Administration’s ongoing policy intended to help seniors and patients with disability in the United States afford prescription medications as their costs continue to rise.
The list of discounted medications—chosen because price increases have outpaced accepted inflation rates—includes cancer drugs, antibiotics, cardiology drugs and others.
More than 750,000 Medicare patients use these drugs each year, according to HHS/CMS. These reduced prices could lower coinsurance amounts Medicare patients are required to pay by as much as $4,593 per day.
“Everyone should be able to afford their medication, and the Inflation Reduction Act continues to deliver on this goal to improve affordability,” CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement. “Discouraging drug companies from price increases above the rate of inflation is a key part of this effort, and CMS continues to implement the law to bring savings to people with Medicare.”
Three of the drugs included in this round of price reductions are used by cardiologists and their care team to treat heart patients on a daily basis:
- Dalteparin, an anticoagulant used to prevent deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Dalteparin is sold by Pfizer under the brand name Fragmin. In 2019, it became the first anticoagulant approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric patients.
- Amiodarone, an antiarrhythmic agent used to treat ventricular fibrillation and hemodynamically unstable ventricular tachycardia. It is sold by Baxter under the brand name Nexterone.
- Intravenous injections of a new formulation of sotalol, a beta-blocker used to treat atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias. The injections are being sold by Altathera Pharmaceuticals under the brand name Sotalol IV.
The full list of newly discounted prescription medications
- Abecma
- Abilify Maintena
- Adcetris
- Akynzeo Capsule
- Atgam
- Aveed
- Beleodaq
- Bicillin C-R / Bicillin L-A
- Blincyto
- Breyanzi
- Briumvi
- Cefepime (B. Braun)
- Cefepime (Baxter)
- Chirhostim
- Cresemba
- Crysvita
- Cuvitru
- Cytogam
- Envarsus Xr
- Evenity
- Fosaprepitant
- Fragmin
- Fyarro
- Gemcitabine (Accord)
- Imlygic
- Ixempra
- Kepivance
- Kimmtrak
- Kinevac
- Krystexxa
- Kymriah
- Kyprolis
- Leukine
- Lupron Depot-Ped
- Meropenem (B. Braun)
- Minocin
- Nexterone (Baxter)
- Nipent
- Nplate
- Nuzyra
- Oncaspar
- Orbactiv
- Padcev
- Panhematin
- Prolia
- Rybrevant
- Rylaze
- Signifor Lar
- Sotalol (Altathera)
- Sylvant
- Tigan
- Tivdak
- Trogarzo
- Vabomere
- Vectibix
- Vivitrol
- Vyepti
- Vyxeos
- Xerava
- Xiaflex
- Yescarta
- Zemdri
- Zerbaxa
- Zoladex
Additional details from HHS/CMS are available here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.