Trump prescription medication plan drawing skepticism

President Trump’s new proposal to lower drug prices, introduced last week, could turn out to be more like a drop in the bucket than a tidal wave of financial relief, according to some experts.

“Hold onto your wallet and ask a lot of questions,” said Dr. Alan Sager, a professor at Boston University’s School of Public Health. He said Trump’s plan, which targets doctor-administered drug prices through Medicare Part B, only touches a “tiny fraction” of total drug spending.

Sager said we should be “skeptical” about the plan, adding: “I think the president's approach is more political than it is practical and that's not shocking.” Sager said the solution to reducing high drug prices would be a push to incentivize research that would bring forth innovative and affordable medicine.

Ross Thompson, Vice President and Chief Pharmacy Officer at Tufts Medical Center said the public should be wary that the plan does not encompass a direct decrease in drug pricing but in reimbursement.

“In the public eye this probably sounds like a great idea without realizing the implications if the market does not immediately respond,” said Thompson. He said if the pharmaceutical industry cut back on direct-to-consumer advertising and marketing, it could be effective in lowering drug prices.

Part of the proposal includes adopting an international pricing index for reimbursement that is based off the cost of certain drugs in other countries. This would lower the cost here in the United States, which can drop out-of-pocket expenses for patients. However Rachel Sachs, an associate professor of law at the Washington University School of Law in Missouri, said our foreign neighbors may be reluctant to lend a hand.

“This proposal is in some sense free-riding on the efforts of other countries who have made hard decisions about drug pricing and reimbursement,” said Sachs. “Why would other countries let us do that?”

Sachs said she expects interest groups to come out and fight the proposal, including the pharmaceutical industry, oncology and physicians groups, and patient groups. Sager echoed this sentiment, saying drug companies will “fight it to the death” in fear the plan could set a precedent for the future, causing the companies to lose money.

“We oppose changes to Medicare that threaten patient access to innovative, lifesaving medicines, and are disappointed the administration put the needs of patients aside with these proposals,” Stephen J. Ubl, president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said in a statement.

Daniel Best, the Trump administration's top drug pricing czar died Thursday at 49, exactly one week after the proposal was announced. The Department of Human and Health Services has not released information on the cause of his death.

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