[from AMA Advocacy Update]

The AMA expressed strong concern to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in an Oct. 26 letter about the sharp rise in insulin prices among manufacturers. The AMA urged the agency to monitor insulin pricing and assess whether anti-competitive actions were driving higher insulin prices.

The AMA asked that the FTC recommend enforcement action against manufacturers that were engaged in anti-competitive practices to the U.S. Department of Justice. In the letter, the AMA cited lawsuits filed in 2017 against insulin manufacturers on behalf of patients that noted there were "rapid and lockstep price increases of more than 150 percent."  

In addition,Modern Healthcare (11/1, Luthi, Subscription Publication) reports that Reps. Tom Reed (R-NY) and Diane DeGette (D-CO) are asking Congress “to limit patent extensions which have allowed insulin manufacturers to stop new generics from entering the market” in order to address rising insulin costs. According to their analysis, “Experts predict that follow-on insulins could cost 20 to 40 percent less than their brand name equivalents, creating savings for patients.” The article says other proposed changes include a proposal for “PBMs and health plans to disclose how many rebates they receive and pass along,” as well as “banning the ‘pay-for-delay’ practice in which the expired patent-holding brand drug maker pays a generic manufacturer not to produce the off-patent drug.”