Medicines aren’t priced in a vacuum. Pricing decisions are based on numerous meetings and tough negotiations between manufacturers and payers over a long period of time – often years before the FDA approves a product. In fact, many product programs are stopped or altered well before Phase III trials depending on these conversations.
So, when you hear about a new medicine and payers are complaining about the price, it’s (at best) disingenuous, but they get away with it. Why? Because manufacturers are uncomfortable calling out the insurance companies and PBMs with whom they must do business. The reverse is untrue in the extreme. And “disingenuous” is a polite way to say something else.
A new study from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics puts some hard numbers behind the debate. And it’s about time.
As the report’s executive summary reports:
Price levels for pharmaceuticals in the U.S. market are often reported to the public based on list prices, and therefore do not reflect the series of adjustments that occur throughout the healthcare system and ultimately determine who pays what for medicines.
The purpose of this healthcare brief is to draw specific attention to previously published research from the IMS Institute which highlights not only the visible aspects of price increases, but also the less visible off-invoice discounts, rebates, coupons, and other price concessions to payers that often substantially offset these changes in list price. By bringing context and perspective to the complex interplay of factors that determine the level of price changes for branded medicines we hope to better inform discussions of the issues.
… Our analysis shows that branded pharmaceuticals raised invoice prices on average 13.5% in 2014, but on a net basis, after all of the concessions are adjusted for, the increase was 5.5%. This level of net price increases is notable for being the lowest of the past five years and has occurred even as invoice price increases have accelerated.
It’s time for everyone to debate the facts.
The complete report can be found here. It’s an important read at an important time.
