Pharma Takes Aim at New Legal Foe: State Drug Affordability Boards
Prescription drug affordability boards (PDABs) have been rising in popularity as a way for states to tamp down on soaring drug prices. But a recent lawsuit filed by one drugmaker and public remarks from the industry’s main trade group make it clear that the pharma sector sees such boards — and the price caps some are authorized to set — as a major threat.
In a suit filed on March 22, Amgen Inc. takes aim at Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Review Board, which is the closest to becoming the first state board to set an upper payment limit (UPL) on a drug. The state in late February initiated formal rulemaking to set a UPL for Enbrel (etanercept), Amgen’s rheumatoid arthritis treatment, after determining it was unaffordable.