Brendan Pearson
Reuters – Boehringer Ingelheim has sued the U.S. government for trying to block a program that would give the Medicare system the power to negotiate lower drug prices, arguing it joins other pharmaceutical companies and corporate groups to curb the development of new drugs. .
In a complaint filed Friday in federal court in New Haven, Connecticut, the privately held German pharmaceutical company said the program gives federal regulators too much power to determine drug prices, violating the U.S. Constitution. said there is.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which oversees the Medicare program for Americans 65 and older, did not respond to a request for comment.
The drug price bargaining program is part of the Inflation Restrictions Act (IRA) signed into law by President Joe Biden.
Americans pay more for prescription drugs than people in any other country, and the program aims to save Medicare $25 billion annually by 2031 by negotiating the prices of the most expensive drugs.
The program has already faced challenges in several courts, including large industry groups and pharmaceutical companies.
HHS plans to begin negotiations next month over 10 high-priced drugs the agency will select, unless blocked by a court. The negotiated price is expected to come into effect in 2026.
The type 2 diabetes drug Jardiance, which Boehringer shares with Eli Lilly, is seen as one of the most likely options in the first round of negotiations.
Other companies that have filed lawsuits over the program include Johnson & Johnson, Merck & Co. and Bristol-Myers Squibb.
(Reporting by Brendan Pearson in New York; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Bill Barclot)
