Democrats seek details on Trump drug pricing deals

Committees request deal transparency

To probe the most-favored nation drug pricing agreements, the newly elected Democratic committee chairs from major panels have moved forward with a fresh action. These deals connect drugmaker costs with Trump administration plans that made European governments pay more. Earlier this year, leaders of the Senate Finance Committee top Democrats and members from the House Energy and Commerce, Ways and Means, plus the Education and Labor committees asked for these details. Their goal is for businesses to reveal specifics on agreements made to align Medicaid drug costs with those found in comparable nations.

European drug launches drop sharply

Last year, the Trump administration devised a strategy to fight soaring drug costs by changing how payments are made abroad. Currently, medication costs stay elevated in the U.S., while new pharmaceuticals are scarce in Europe. The Wall Street Journal reports that fewer new drug launches occur under this specific policy framework. According to recent findings by market-research company GlobalData, new drug launches in European nations have fallen by 27 percent during the past 17 months.

Approvals steady despite price hikes

Drug approvals in Europe have held steady over that same time period according to the latest available data. Democrats expect these pricing agreements to be a top health care oversight priority once they take the majority in January. The investigation aims to understand how these international comparisons influence domestic Medicaid spending and patient access to medication.