Big pharmaceutical companies have agreed to limit out-of-pocket costs for some asthma patients to $35 per month. While the move will provide some relief to patients, it doesn’t fully address the larger problem of high drug costs. Patient Kenny Mendez said an asthma attack is “like breathing through a straw.” “You’re in pain, you can’t breathe properly,” Mendez said. “If you don’t take your medicine, you end up in the hospital, in the emergency room, or you could die.” “They often don’t take their medicine or skimp,” Mendez said of patients who can’t afford it. “They might turn to rescue medications instead of maintenance medications,” he added. As of June, pharmaceutical companies Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca are limiting out-of-pocket costs for inhalers to $35 per month for the uninsured and privately insured. GSK plans to do the same by the end of the year. “Americans will not continue to pay the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” Sen. Bernie Sanders declared in March in response to reports that pharmaceutical companies had capped prices under pressure from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which he chairs. “Big Pharma can charge Americans significantly higher prices and inflate their profits,” President Joe Biden said at a White House event in April, criticizing the practices pharmaceutical companies use to limit access to their products. “You may have to pay a lot more up front at the beginning of the year,” KFF’s Cynthia Cox warned of the limitations of price caps and the larger problem of the high cost of prescription drugs. “Even if you spend the same amount on prescription drugs at the end of the year, people are still exposed to the underlying cost of the drugs,” Cox explained of the problem of high-deductible health insurance. “The drug pricing system is complex and all stakeholders need to be at the table,” Mendez said. “$35 a month is just the beginning,” Mendez added, suggesting that more needs to be done to address the high cost of asthma medications. The Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission is challenging more than 100 patents in court for inhalers and other drug delivery devices, potentially allowing the production of generic versions and lowering costs for patients.
Big pharmaceutical companies have agreed to limit out-of-pocket costs for some asthma patients to $35 a month, a move that will provide some relief to patients but doesn’t fully address the larger problem of rising drug costs.
Patient Kenny Mendez said an asthma attack is like “breathing through a straw.”
“You’re in labor and you can’t breathe properly,” Mendez said. “If you don’t take your medicine, you could end up in the hospital, in the emergency room, or even die.”
“Often they don’t take their medicine or they skimp on it,” Mendez said of patients who can’t afford their medication.
“Patients may prioritise rescue medications over maintenance medications,” he added.
As of June, drug makers Boehringer Ingelheim and AstraZeneca are capping out-of-pocket costs for inhalers to $35 a month for uninsured and privately insured people, with GSK due to do the same by the end of the year.
“Americans are not going to continue paying the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” Sen. Bernie Sanders declared in March, responding to reports that drug companies had imposed price caps under pressure from the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which he chairs.
“Big Pharma is able to charge Americans significantly higher prices and inflate their profits,” President Joe Biden said at a White House event in April, criticizing practices drug companies use to limit access to their products.
“They may have to pay a big upfront payment at the beginning of the year,” KFF’s Cynthia Cox warned about the limitations of price caps and the larger problem of rising prescription drug costs.
“People are more likely to be exposed to the underlying cost of their drugs, even if they spend the same amount on prescription drugs at the end of the year,” Cox said, explaining the problem with high-deductible health insurance plans.
“Drug pricing systems are complex and require all stakeholders to come to the table,” Mendes said.
“$35 a month is just the beginning,” Mendes added, noting that more needs to be done to address the high cost of asthma medications.
The Biden administration’s Federal Trade Commission is challenging more than 100 patents in court for inhalers and other drug delivery devices, which could allow generic versions to be made and lower costs for patients.
