Eliquis and Jardiance Among First Drugs Picked for Medicare Price Negotiations

The Biden administration on Tuesday unveiled a long-awaited list of the first 10 medicines that will be subject to price negotiations with Medicare, kicking off a landmark program that is expected to reduce the government’s drug spending but is being fought by the pharmaceutical industry in court.

The medications — which treat diabetes, cancer and other disorders — are taken by millions of older Americans and cost Medicare billions of dollars annually. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services selected the drugs through a process that prioritized ones that account for the highest Medicare spending, have been on the market for years and do not yet face competition from rivals. Additional medications will be selected for price negotiations in the coming years.

Drugs Selected for Price Negotiations

1. Eliquis, for preventing strokes and blood clots, from Bristol Myers Squibb and Pfizer

2. Jardiance, for diabetes and heart failure, from Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly

3. Xarelto, for preventing strokes and blood clots, from Johnson & Johnson

4. Januvia, for diabetes, from Merck

5. Farxiga, for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease, from AstraZeneca

6. Entresto, for heart failure, from Novartis

7. Enbrel, for arthritis and other autoimmune conditions, from Amgen

8. Imbruvica, for blood cancers, from AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson

9. Stelara, for Crohn’s disease, from Johnson & Johnson

10. Fiasp and NovoLog insulin products, for diabetes, from Novo Nordisk