Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, to sell Eliquis with a 40% discount

Bristol Myers Squibb And Pfizer On Thursday, she explained to sell her blockbuster blood thinner, Eliquis, directly to patients with a discount of more than 40%.

The step comes when the Trump administration increases the pressure on the pharmaceutical industry in order to reduce drug prices and threatens to impose imposed pharmaceuticals in the USA extensive tariffs

The new efforts of companies would bypass traditional middlemen, including the managers and insurers of pharmacies, to reduce the monthly costs of the medicine from a list price from around 606 US dollars. From September 8th, insured, sub-insured and self-paid patients cannot acquire the medication directly from the Eliquis 360 support program, which sends their recipes directly to their houses.

However, the reduced price for Eliquis is still more than nine-time, the average monthly costs for the expenses of $ 38, which are paid by patients who are commercially insured. The price as part of the new program is also significantly higher than the price of $ 231 per month, which Medicare has negotiated as part of a determination of the Inflation Reducation Act of the Biden Administration. This negotiated price will come into force next year.

The negotiated price is what Medicare will pay for Eliquis, and does not determine what Medicare patients will pay for the medication now or in the future, said Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer in a joint explanation. They added that the negotiated price does not reflect the essential clinical and economic value of this essential medicine.

More than 90% of the Eliquis recipes in the United States are currently covered by insurance companies. However, Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer said that the new effort aimed to expand access to treatment, reduce the costs for the patient and to ensure transparent pricing for another group of patients.

“This program hands more savings directly to the patients and shows that we continue to concentrate on the identification of innovative solutions that promote the best results for everyone and at the same time prioritize access to care,” said Chris Boerner, CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb.

In a note on Thursday, the analyst of Leerink Partners, David Risinger, said that he believes that the move to Trump's plan for reducing the US medicinal cost costs by linking the prices with the countries paid in other industrialized countries. The president signed an executive order in this plan in May.

According to Risinger, the drug manufacturers already offer the managers of the Pharma Zu -Benefiz Manager high discounts on Eliquis, so that the company does not expect the Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer program to create a “net price”.