ISSUE:

Will Europe’s pharmaceutical policy and HTA stakeholders respond to US Medicare drug price negotiation or simply ignore it? What impact will price negotiation have on future EU pharmaceutical policy, healthcare systems, and affordability?

OVERVIEW:

The implementation of the US Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program has been met with great expectation and uncertainty around its potential consequences even beyond the US. With a renewed focus on access, affordability, and availability of innovative medicines under the EU Pharmaceutical Legislation, there is potential for misinterpretation of the consequences of drug price negotiation in the US, particularly in the political space. This issues panel will discuss and debate consequences of the US Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program for health care systems, policy makers, HTA bodies, and manufacturers in the EU. As moderator, Dr. Sullivan will provide a very brief overview of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, introduce the speakers and guide the panelists through the debate. Dr. Hernandez will present data on the final Maximum Fair Prices (MFPs) for the first 10 drugs selected for negotiation. She will further compare these negotiated prices to US list and net prices after rebates, to contextualize the savings achieved by negotiation. Dr. Hebborn will discuss the consequences of the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program from an EU perspective in relation to key trends in the EU, including the ongoing EU Pharmaceutical Legislation review, the EU HTA regulation, and national cost containment policies. Finally, Dr. Grueger will compare the MFP’s to EU prices and will discuss current strategic choices being made by the pharmaceutical industry in response to both US and EU pharmaceutical policy, including portfolio optimization, launch sequencing, indication planning and pricing. The moderator will then open the floor to audience questions and discussion.