FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Doctors for America
PO Box: 21161
2300 18th St NW Lbby
Washington, DC 20009-9996
January 24, 2025
Doctors for America’s FDA Task Force Condemns Trump Executive Orders on Drug Pricing
Washington, D.C.: Doctors for America’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Task Force is deeply disappointed by President Trump’s ‘Day One’ decision to rescind a Biden administration policy aimed at lowering prescription drug costs.
The executive order signed by President Trump this week repeals a previous executive order issued by President Biden directing the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) to create three payment models aimed at reducing prescription drug costs for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. These novel payment models were working toward ensuring patients more affordable access to effective medications and aligning their costs with therapeutic value. The models included:
- setting a flat $2 co-pay for Medicare beneficiaries for certain prescription drugs for common chronic conditions such as heart disease and diabetes.
- improving Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to cell and gene therapies while also collecting important information about the long-term outcomes of these treatments on patients; and
- limiting Medicare reimbursement for drugs approved by FDA under the accelerated approval pathway until their clinical benefit is confirmed.
The DFA FDA Task Force is extremely concerned and disheartened that President Trump chose to spend his first day in office scaling back initiatives aimed at lowering the cost of drugs for patients. As physicians, we’ve witnessed firsthand the devastating impact soaring drug prices have on patients and families. These financial impacts are only made worse by uncertainty shouldered by patients and their doctors of not knowing whether these costly treatments are truly and meaningfully effective. President Trump should put patients over politics and reinstate these models that were working towards addressing urgently-needed drug pricing solutions. Further, if President Trump does not want to implement Biden-era programs, we urge him to swiftly announce his own plan to lower prescription drug prices.
For press inquiries and to speak more on this issue with members of the Doctors for America FDA Task Force please contact Alli Everton with Continuum Health Group ([email protected]).
# # #
About Doctors for America:
Doctors for America mobilizes doctors and medical students to be leaders in putting patients over politics to improve the health of our patients, communities, and nation. We are 27,000 physicians and medical students in all 50 states, representing all areas of specialization. Our impact areas focus on access to affordable care, community health and prevention, and health justice and equity. DFA focuses solely on what is best for our patients, not on the business side of medicine, and does not accept any funding from pharmaceutical or medical device companies; which uniquely positions DFA as the organization that puts patients over politics and patients over profits. Find out more at doctorsforamerica.org and on X @drsforamerica.