Helping Patients Understand the Price of Their Medicines
On May 10, 2019, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced a new rule that will require direct-to-consumer television advertisements for certain pharmaceuticals and biologics to state the list price of the medicine being advertised. On June 14, 2019, Amgen, along with Merck, Lilly, and the Association of National Advertisers, filed suit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the rule from taking effect on July 9, 2019.
Our Perspective:
Amgen agrees with the Administration that patients need clear and relevant information to understand what they can expect to pay for their medicines. In fact, we have already taken proactive steps in our direct-to-consumer (DTC) television advertising and related product websites to enhance pricing transparency (these can be viewed by visiting www.Amgen.com, including links to the list price for all of our products advertised on television).
What Amgen doesn’t agree with is a government-prescribed approach as required in the new DTC rule. Not only does the rule raise serious freedom of speech concerns, it mandates an approach that fails to account for differences among insurance, treatments, and patients themselves, by requiring disclosure of list price. Most importantly, it does not answer the fundamental question patients are asking: “What will I have to pay for my medicine?”
It is Amgen’s mission to serve patients and providing transparent information on the price of our medicines is an important part of that commitment.
Information about the price of Amgen medicines supported by DTC television advertising can be found on each medicine’s website:
