National Pharmaceutical Council

Today in NPC This Week: Part D changes, FDA panel broadens peptide access, generic drug tariffs, and more. 💡 New NPC research finds that Medicare Part D plans are more likely than commercial plans to restrict drug coverage in competitive classes following implementation of the IRA. The study suggests that, on average, 4.5M Medicare beneficiaries lost insurance coverage to previously covered branded medicines across 16 competitive classes. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/egTwGTaf Want to get NPC This Week in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ekY9Dxzr

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) introduced major changes to Part D benefit design, including a cap on patient out-of-pocket costs and increased catastrophic phase liability for plans and manufacturers. NPC took a closer look at changes in coverage as one of the potential early impacts of the IRA Part D redesign.  We identified 59 brand-name drugs in 16 competitive drug classes across Medicare standalone prescription drug plans (PDPs) and Medicare Advantage Prescription Drug (MA-PD) plans and compared coverage to that within commercial plans from 2024 - 2026.  We found coverage fell across Medicare plans, with the steepest drops in standalone Part D plans at 11.8%. Commercial coverage remained stable, with a non-statistically significant numeric decrease of 1.1% over the two years. What does this research mean for Medicare beneficiaries?   Across standalone Part D and MA-PD plans, the findings suggest that 4.5 million beneficiaries lost insurance coverage to an average branded medicine studied.  You can read the findings at the link in the comments. 

New research published in Health Affairs Scholar shows that since the Inflation Reduction Act's Part D redesign took effect, Medicare drug plans have been more likely than commercial plans to restrict coverage. Average beneficiary coverage fell 11.8% in standalone Part D plans and 5.9% in Medicare Advantage. Commercial coverage remained stable, down 1.1% but not statistically significant. Read more from Jon Campbell, Julie Patterson, and Hanke Zheng, PhD at the link in the comments. 

Today in NPC This Week: Medicaid payments on hold, China's expanded footprint, the unintended impact of price caps, and more. Want to get NPC This Week in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ekY9Dxzr

Missed our webinar on the U.S. medicines market? The session is now available on demand. Explore key trends shaping the landscape in 2025, including innovative therapies, vaccination trends, patient costs, access challenges, net spending, and the policy outlook for the next five years. https://bit.ly/4xkGOke

Today in NPC This Week: Risks of UPL implementation, new HRSA data on 340B covered entity 2025 drug purchases, and more. 💡 Check out three new research publications from NPC in this week's issue! Learn about the potential consequences to patients, providers, and pharmacies from upper payment limit (UPL) implementation, disparities linked to community pharmacy access, and why cost-effectiveness analyses (CEAs) should incorporate changes in pricing over time to better reflect market realities. Want to get NPC This Week in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ekY9Dxzr

Don’t miss tomorrow’s conversation! NPC President and CEO John O'Brien will join Luke Greenwalt, Michael Kleinrock, and Jamie Pritchett of IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science, along with Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Amanda Frost of Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA) for a discussion on the U.S. prescription medicine landscape. Register for the webinar at the link in the comments. 👇

A new commentary published in AJMC - The American Journal of Managed Care warns of the potential consequences to patients, providers, and pharmacies from upper payment limit (UPL) implementation by state prescription drug affordability boards (#PDABs). State policymakers and leaders should be aware of the potential risks of government price regulation attempts without clear or known benefits for patients. Read more at the link in the comments.

New research published today in Health Affairs finds that greater pharmacy access is associated with higher and more even use of prescription drugs. The research found that even a 1% increase in the share of a state’s population living within 10 minutes of a pharmacy is associated with a measurable narrowing of the gap. With pharmacies closing at a rapid pace over the last few years, and 138 counties lacking a single community pharmacy, the communities that can least afford to lose access are often the first to feel it. Read more at the link in the comments.

Today in NPC This Week: 340B reform efforts continue, PDAB UPL blocked, Medicare GLP-1 Bridge goes live, and more. 📅 On July 15,  NPC President and CEO John O'Brien will participate in an IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science webinar on "Evolving Use and Spending on Medicines in the U.S.: Navigating Patient Access Barriers and Cost Pressures" alongside Michael Kleinrock and Jamie Pritchett of the IQVIA Institute, Stacie Dusetzina of Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Amanda Frost of the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association (PCMA), and Luke Greenwalt of IQVIA. Register to attend here: https://lnkd.in/eauEiNQG Want to get NPC This Week in your inbox? Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/ekY9Dxzr