Sovaldi’s Immediate Impact on Medicare Part D Spending Unclear

by admin | August 6, 2014 9:27 am

August 6, 2014— Sovaldi and other expensive new hepatitis C drugs will increase federal Medicare Part D spending by $2.9 billion to $5.8 billion in 2015 and raise Part D premiums by as much as 8.6 percent, pharmacy benefit management companies warn in a new report.[ms-protect-content id=”2799″]

The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association released the report[1] on July 29. It based its projections on the assumption that the 15 to 30 percent of the Medicare Part D population estimated to be infected with hepatitis C will receive treatment in 2015.

Days after the PCMA study came out, however, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued a news release[2] saying it expects Part D premiums will increase by only $1 in 2015, to an estimated $32 per month. Drug manufacturers pointed to CMS’s data as a riposte to those who warn that Sovaldi and other new high-priced drugs could bankrupt the U.S. health care system.

Sovaldi has been making waves since its approval by the Food and Drug Administration in December 2013. With a price tag of $1,000 per pill and $84,000 for the typical 12-week treatment, Sovaldi is one of the most expensive drugs to come on the U.S. market. The controversy surrounding the drug has drawn scrutiny from Capitol Hill[3] as Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) recently asked for detailed information on the drug’s pricing.[/ms-protect-content]

Source URL: https://340bemployed.org/sovaldis-immediate-impact-on-medicare-part-d-spending-unclear/

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