Klobuchar Statement on Announcement of 15 More Prescription Drugs Subject to Medicare Negotiations to Lower Prices

U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) released the following statement on today’s announcement of the additional fifteen of drugs selected for Medicare negotiation. Negotiating prescription drug prices on behalf of Americans was made possible through provisions in a 2022 law based on Klobuchar’s legislation to lift the nearly 20-year ban that stopped Medicare from being able to negotiate lower drug prices for seniors. These 15 drugs combined with the ten drugs announced in 2024, constitute 36 percent of all spending, or $41 billion dollars, in Medicare Part D.

“For too long, big drug companies have put their profits ahead of the well-being of Americans who need life-sustaining medications. That is why I worked for years to end the big drug companies’ sweetheart deal that artificially raised prices at the expense of our seniors. Today, we take another historic step toward lowering the price of some of the most widely-used, costly medications with the announcement of even more drugs that will be subject to Medicare negotiations. The incoming administration must continue these efforts and fully implement this law so millions of Americans can benefit from these life changing savings.”  

The additional fifteen prescription drugs selected for Medicare drug price negotiation  are:

• Ozempic; Rybelsus; Wegovy, which are used to treat Type 2 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes and obesity/overweight; obesity/overweight and cardiovascular disease, and was taken by 2.3 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a gross cost of $14.4 billion to the Part D program;
• Xtandi, which treats prostate cancer and was taken by 35,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $3.2 billion to the Part D program;
• Trelegy Ellipta, which treats asthma; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and was taken by 1.3 million Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $5.2 billion to the Part D program.
• Pomalyst, which treats Kaposi sarcoma and multiple myeloma and was taken by 14,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $2.1 billion to the Part D program;
• Ibrance, which treats breast cancer, and was taken by 16,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $2 billion to the Part D program;
• Ofev, which treats idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and was taken by 24,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $2 billion to the Part D program;
• Linzess, which treats chronic idiopathic constipation, irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, and was taken by 627,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $2 billion to the Part D program;
• Calquence, which treats chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, and mantle cell lymphoma and was taken by 15,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1.6 billion to the Part D program;
• Austedo; Austedo XR, which treats chorea in Huntington’s disease and tardive dyskinesia, and was taken by 26,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1.5 billion to the Part D program;
• Breo Ellipta, which treats asthma and COPD, and was taken by 634,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1.4 billion to the Part D program;
• Tradjenta, which treats Type 2 diabetes, and was taken by 278,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1.2 billion to the Part D program;
• Xifaxan, which treats Hepatic encephalopathy, irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea, and was taken by 104,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1.1 billion;
• Vraylar, which treats bipolar 1 disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia, and was taken by 104,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year;
• Janumet; Janumet XR, which treats Type 2 diabetes, and was taken by 31,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1 billion to Part D;
• And Otezla, which treats oral ulcers in Behcet’s Disease, plaque psoriasis, and psoriatic arthritis, and was taken by 31,000 Medicare Part D beneficiaries last year at a cost of $1 billion.

In addition, this month, the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap went into effect for Medicare Part D beneficiaries, alleviating significant financial burden allowing seniors to access essential treatments to manage their health more effectively without the stress of high costs and ensure they no longer have to choose between their health and basic daily needs.

Last August, the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) announced the lower negotiated prices that consumers will start to pay in 2026 for the first ten drugs subject to negotiation: Eliquis, Xarelto, Januvia, Jardiance, Stelara, Imbruvica, Farxiga, Entresto, Enbrel, and NovoLog and Fiasp insulins. Medicare beneficiaries will save between 38 and 79 percent off the list prices of the first ten drugs starting next year (2026). The lower prices will save 9 million Americans $1.5 billion in out-of-pocket drug costs in 2026 alone.

Klobuchar has long led efforts to lower drug prices.

The Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act, Klobuchar’s bill to end the ban on Medicare negotiating lower prescription drug prices for Medicare’s 51 million seniors and help lower drug prices for all Americans was signed into law in August 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.

In April 2023, Klobuchar, Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), and 28 of their colleagues introduced the Strengthening Medicare and Reducing Taxpayer (SMART) Prices Act that would expand the number of prescription drugs that HHS could negotiate lower prices for, and would increase the amount of savings Medicare could negotiate.

Last Congress, two of Klobuchar and Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) bipartisan bills to promote competition and reduce drug prices – the Preserving Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act and the Stop STALLING Act – passed the Senate Judiciary Committee by voice vote.

The Preserving Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act would limit anticompetitive “pay-for-delay” deals that prevent or delay the introduction of affordable follow-on versions of branded pharmaceuticals.

The Stop Significant and Time-wasting Abuse Limiting Legitimate Innovation of New Generics  (STALLING) Act would deter pharmaceutical companies from filing sham petitions with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in order to interfere with the approval of generic and biosimilar medicines that compete with their own brand products, a tactic that delays patient access to affordable medications.