New Data: Rebates are Unrelated to Drugmakers’ Pricing Strategies
Click here to see the new research.
"This study further confirms that drugmakers set and raise prices unrelated to the rebates they negotiate with PBMs. Drug companies keep raising prices even when rebates go down," said PCMA President and CEO
The Visante study highlights top-selling Medicare Part D brand-name drugs with steady price increases and no change in rebate levels over a five-year period from 2012 to 2017. In addition, the study analyzes a number of Medicare Part B drugs, which have no PBM rebates, and large price increases.
Key findings include:
- Among the top-selling brands in Medicare Part D, there is no correlation between growing prices set by drugmakers and the change in rebate levels that they negotiate with PBMs.
- Rebates may go up or down, but manufacturer prices only go up.
- Prices on drugs with smaller rebates increased during the 2012–2017 period.
- A large number of prescription drugs with "extraordinary" price increases are in Medicare Part B, where PBM tools are not used.
According to a recent study by
In addition, new data released by the
The Visante research builds on a growing body of evidence from third-parties showing price concessions are not correlated to pricing strategies.
- A recent Medicare report by HHS
Office of Inspector General (OIG) found that the number of brand-name drugs with rebates dropped from 72 percent to 61 percent. - A separate Visante analysis shows no correlation between increasing prices set by drugmakers and rebates.
Manufacturers have chosen to negotiate price concessions with PBMs using rebates, which are paid months after a drug has been dispensed and are used by payers to reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs for patients.
PBMs are hired by America's largest, most sophisticated, health purchasers to reduce costs by, among other things, promoting generics and negotiating rebates and price concessions on brand-name drugs. Typically, PBMs pass along more than 90 percent of these savings to plans, which use them to cut premiums, out-of-pocket costs and other expenses. Many health plans and large employers require PBMs to pass through 100 percent of rebates. All rebates in Medicare Part D must be used to enhance benefits, or to reduce beneficiary cost sharing or premiums.
PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). PBMs administer prescription drug plans for more than 266 million Americans who have health insurance from a variety of sponsors including: commercial health plans, self-insured employer plans, union plans, Medicare Part D plans, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), state government employee plans, Medicaid plans, and others.
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