“{P}olicymakers and payers appear unwilling to undertake significant cost controls on medication pricing. Indeed the controversy over the $84,000 price tag for Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) has largely faded, suggesting a certain resiliency in our system’s ability to absorb costs.”
”We believe that resiliency is about to be challenged in a manner unlike we have seen in the past….in pharmaceuticals. A number of pharmaceutical manufacturers are developing a new class of medication to manage high cholesterol — the PCSK9 (proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9) enzyme inhibitors.
”While this class of medications will no doubt lead to substantial clinical improvements in some patients, those improvements will be costly….The PCSK9 inhibitors will be specialty medications and likely priced as such.The PCSK9 inhibitors will be specialty medications and likely priced as such.”
“Given the number of people potentially eligible for treatment with the PCSK9 inhibitors will number in the millions, the potential overall expenditures by payers are huge.”
