EndPoints notes that the Most Favored Nation Executive Order has led some large pharmaceutical firms to make two changes: (i) start charging Europeans the same price as the US, and (ii) start selling more products direct to consumer (a.k.a. ‘pharm to table‘)
AbbVie, Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim each joined their peers in making price-related concessions tied to the president’s push for “most favored nation” pricing. All three were among the companies that received letters from Trump in late July, demanding they do more to lower prices by Sept. 29 after he was dissatisfied with the initial pace of progress following his executive order in May.
AbbVie said it will launch its ovarian cancer drug Elahere in the UK at the same list price as in the US, a week after Bristol Myers Squibb announced a similar plan for its schizophrenia drug Cobenfy. AbbVie said it’s in talks with the UK’s drug pricing body and that the value assigned to the drug will “determine the ability to launch in the U.K.”
Many companies are also starting to sell discounted drugs directly to consumers.
Novartis announced a new direct-to-consumer platform to sell its immunology biologic Cosentyx at a 55% discount off the list price for patients paying with cash, a price that “reflects the average savings that insurers and pharmacy benefit managers receive.”
Boehringer also announced a new DTC platform, Boehringer Ingelheim Access, that it says will ultimately include its entire respiratory and diabetes portfolio and offer “significantly reduced prices to expand access and affordability.” The first available product will be its COPD and asthma inhaler Spiriva Respimat, which includes an out-of-pocket cost option priced at $35 per month for eligible patients.
Beginning in 2026, industry trade group PhRMA will launch a one-stop shop where patients can access member companies’ DTC platforms, the group said Monday. The website will also include a “Medicine Assistance Tool,” where people can search for companies’ patient assistance programs for certain medications.
Although these prices are “discounted”, they likely are similar to the drug’s net price (i.e., price after rebates paid to PBMs and the government, and other discounts). Additionally, patients may pay more out-of-pocket since these products will not be covered by insurance. Still, they do reduce transaction costs and provide an additional option for patient access, particularly among the uninsured.
