Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
TV Pitches for Prescription Drugs Will Have to Include Price
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 6 years ago on
May 9, 2019

Share

WASHINGTON — TV pitches for prescription drugs will soon include the price, giving consumers more information upfront as they make medication choices at a time when new drugs can carry anxiety-inducing prices.

Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said Wednesday the Trump administration has finalized regulations requiring drug companies to disclose list prices of medications costing more than $35 for a month’s supply.

“What I say to the companies is if you think the cost of your drug will scare people from buying your drugs, then lower your prices,” Azar said. “Transparency for American patients is here.”

In a tweet, President Donald Trump celebrated the announcement, saying: “Historic transparency for American patients is here. If drug companies are ashamed of those prices_lower them!”

Changes to Commercials Expected Later This Year

Drug companies responded that adding prices to their commercials could unintentionally harm patients.

“We are concerned that the administration’s rule requiring list prices in direct-to-consumer television advertising could be confusing for patients and may discourage them from seeking needed medical care,” said the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the main trade group.

But one major firm — Johnson & Johnson, based in New Brunswick, New Jersey — has already started disclosing the cost of its blood thinner Xarelto in TV advertising. And polls indicate many patients are not taking their medications as prescribed because of cost.

Drug pricing details are expected to appear in text toward the end of commercials, when potential side effects are disclosed. TV viewers should notice the change later this year, perhaps as early as the summer.

Government Hoping to Pressure Drugmakers to Lower Prices

The government is hoping that patients armed with prices will start discussing affordability with their doctors, and gradually that will put pressure on drugmakers to keep costs of brand-name drugs in check.

Pricing disclosure was part of a multilevel blueprint President Donald Trump announced last year to try to lower prescription drug costs .

Democrats say it still won’t force drugmakers to lower what they charge, and they want Medicare to negotiate on behalf of consumers.

Leigh Purvis, a pharma expert with AARP’s research division, said disclosure will help dispel a “cloak of darkness” around prices and encourage more informed discussions between patients and their doctors. But she cautioned against expecting too much.

“The overall idea of reducing drug prices is something for which there is no silver bullet,” said Purvis. “This is just one step, one tool in what will have to be a very big arsenal.”

Drug Companies Complain of Free Speech Infringement

Other ideas from the Trump administration include regulations affecting Medicare and legislative proposals in Congress. With the cost of medicines a top concern for voters, Trump and lawmakers of both major political parties want accomplishments they can point to before the 2020 elections.

Drugmakers also complained that the price reveal will infringe on their First Amendment free speech rights by forcing them to disclose prices. It’s unclear if that will prompt a court challenge, but Azar points out that the government has for decades required carmakers to post their sticker prices on vehicles.

“Prices of automobiles are vastly less important to your health and affordability than drugs,” he said.

According to the latest government figures, the 10 most commonly advertised drugs have prices ranging from $488 to $16,938 per month or for a usual course of therapy.

The disclosure requirement will not apply to print or radio ads for the foreseeable future. It encompasses all brand name drugs covered by Medicare and Medicaid, which is nearly all.

Enforcement Relies on Drug Companies Suing Each Other

In a twist, enforcement of the rule will rely on drug companies suing each other over violations under a longstanding federal law that governs unfair trade practices.

“There are very large legal practices built on pharma companies suing each other,” Azar said, calling it a “quite effective mechanism.”

Most people count on lower-cost generic drugs to manage their health problems, but the advent of highly effective and extremely expensive medications for once-fatal or intractable diseases has put consumers on edge. Some genetic and cellular-based treatments can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, straining on the budgets of insurers and government programs.

A recent poll from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found that 1 in 3 Americans said they haven’t taken medications as prescribed because of costs. People who take four or more medications, those who spend $100 a month or more on meds, patients in fair to poor health and middle-aged adults are more likely to report affordability problems.

Although most patients do not pay the full list prices that will be included in ads, experts say those are still important. Patient copays are often based on list prices. And many people who have high-deductible insurance plans pay list prices because their insurance doesn’t start covering until patients spend several thousand dollars of their own money.

In other economically advanced countries, governments negotiate drug prices to keep medications more affordable for patients. But the U.S. has held back from government-set prices.

Azar, who is leading Trump’s efforts on prescription drugs, is a former drug company executive. He held senior posts with Indianapolis-based insulin maker Eli Lilly and Co. after an earlier stint in government service during the George W. Bush administration.

The regulations will take effect 60 days after they’re published in the Federal Register.

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Ban on Semiautomatic Rifles

DON'T MISS

1 Officer Killed, 1 Wounded and Another Man Dead in Los Angeles County Shooting

DON'T MISS

RFK Jr. Says Autism ‘Destroys’ Families. Here’s What Those Families Want You to Know

DON'T MISS

California Plan to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

DON'T MISS

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

DON'T MISS

Man Attacks Colorado Crowd With Firebombs, 8 People Injured

DON'T MISS

US Construction Spending Falls in April on Weakness in Single-Family Housing Projects

DON'T MISS

Wall Street Opens Lower After Trump’s Steel Tariff Threat

DON'T MISS

Smoke Shops, City Hall Will Meet in Courtroom Showdown

DON'T MISS

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

1 in 4 US Children Have Parents With Substance Use Disorder, Study Finds

UP NEXT

Dozens Sickened in Expanding Salmonella Outbreak Linked to Recalled Cucumbers

UP NEXT

Speaker Johnson Raises Campaign Money in Fresno

UP NEXT

Business Insider Cuts 21% of Workforce, Memo Shows

UP NEXT

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

UP NEXT

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

UP NEXT

Trump Pardons Tax Cheat After Mother Attends $1 Million Dinner

UP NEXT

NPR Sues Trump Administration Over Executive Order to Cut Funding

UP NEXT

Justice Department Reaches Deal to Allow Boeing to Avoid Prosecution Over 737 Max Crashes

UP NEXT

Low-Income Compton Students Get $225M State-of-the-Art High School Campus

California Plan to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

35 minutes ago

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

41 minutes ago

Man Attacks Colorado Crowd With Firebombs, 8 People Injured

45 minutes ago

US Construction Spending Falls in April on Weakness in Single-Family Housing Projects

1 hour ago

Wall Street Opens Lower After Trump’s Steel Tariff Threat

1 hour ago

Smoke Shops, City Hall Will Meet in Courtroom Showdown

1 hour ago

American Doctors Are Moving to Canada To Escape the Trump Administration

1 hour ago

Townsizing? Land Snorkeling? A User’s Guide to the Latest Travel Lingo

1 day ago

Trump Trade War Has Already Had Huge Effect on California Ports

1 day ago

Cambodian American Chefs Are Finding Success and Raising Their Culture’s Profile. On Their Terms

1 day ago

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Ban on Semiautomatic Rifles

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court announced Monday that it would not hear a major Second Amendment challenge to a Maryland law banning semiauto...

7 minutes ago

A ticket reading "sold" hangs from an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in Pasadena, Md., Jan. 14, 2013. The Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not hear a major Second Amendment challenge to a Maryland law banning semiautomatic rifles like the AR-15. As is the court’s practice, its brief order gave no reasons. (Steve Ruark/The New York Times)
7 minutes ago

Supreme Court Turns Down Challenge to Ban on Semiautomatic Rifles

L.A. County Sheriff Robert Luna addresses the media in Castaic, Calif, Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023. (AP File)
28 minutes ago

1 Officer Killed, 1 Wounded and Another Man Dead in Los Angeles County Shooting

Eileen Lamb, from left, who was diagnosed with autism as an adult, watches over her children, Charlie Lamb and Jude, right, who also have autism, and daughter Billie, Monday, May 12, 2025, in Austin, Texas. (AP/Eric Gay)
31 minutes ago

RFK Jr. Says Autism ‘Destroys’ Families. Here’s What Those Families Want You to Know

35 minutes ago

California Plan to Ban Most Plants Within 5 Feet of Homes for Wildfire Safety

In this photo released by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Russian and Ukrainian delegations attend talks at the Ciragan Palace in Istanbul, Turkey, Monday, June 2, 2025. (Ukrainian Ministry of Defense via AP)
41 minutes ago

Ukraine and Russia End Their Latest Round of Direct Peace Talks in Istanbul

Law enforcement officers detain a suspect, after an attack that injured multiple people, in Boulder, Colorado, U.S. June 1, 2025, in this picture obtained from social media. X/@OpusObscuraX/via REUTERS
45 minutes ago

Man Attacks Colorado Crowd With Firebombs, 8 People Injured

Construction workers use wood and lumber to build residential homes in Irvine, California, U.S., March 28, 2025. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
1 hour ago

US Construction Spending Falls in April on Weakness in Single-Family Housing Projects

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York City, U.S., May 30, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo
1 hour ago

Wall Street Opens Lower After Trump’s Steel Tariff Threat

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend