Washington, D.C. - Today, the Biden Administration released the list of 15 drugs for the next round of Medicare price negotiation, including four drugs to treat cancer: Xtandi to treat prostate cancer, Pomalyst to treat multiple myeloma, Ibrance to treat breast cancer, and Calquence to treat blood cancers including Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), Small lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL), and Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). According to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approximately 80,000 people with Medicare Part D coverage used these drugs between November 2023 and October 2024.
The statement below is on behalf of Lisa Lacasse, President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), reacting to the announcement.
“Affordability is a leading barrier to treatment for many cancer patients, and we remain supportive of critical steps to ensure prescription drugs are affordable for cancer patients. It’s important that the new negotiation process ensures that Medicare enrollees benefit directly from the negotiated prices, paying less out of pocket for their prescriptions.
“It is also imperative that policies to increase affordability also prioritize innovation. This balance is vital to ensuring cancer patients have access to the specific treatments that are best suited to them and their diseases. Cancer includes over 200 different diseases, and our understanding of their biology is constantly evolving and advancing. As CMS continues to identify additional drugs to include in price negotiations, we urge them to closely monitor the effects on treatment access and affordability for all cancer patients, especially for individuals who are candidates for new, improved therapies.
“We also urge CMS to continue addressing the issue of affordability while also promoting innovation and cancer breakthroughs -- both are absolutely vital to meeting the needs of cancer patients and ensuring each patient can access the best treatment for their unique disease.”
###
