Originally published in The Rheumatologist
Concerns about how the Trump administration’s ideas to lower drug prices could reduce patient access to medicines led the ACR to speak out on many different fronts.
On June 25, at a briefing hosted by the ACR and the National Psoriasis Foundation (NPF), a packed room of Congressional staffers and reporters learned from rheumatologists and patients about the challenges involved when patients transition to Medicare. The briefing also addressed how the treatment of chronic conditions, such as arthritis, is being negatively impacted by current drug pricing that could worsen if proposed price changes are enacted, explains Angus Worthing, MD, FACR, FACP, chair of the ACR’s Government Affairs Committee.
Drug Pricing & Treatment Access
“The ways the U.S. drug pricing and drug distribution systems affect our patients are quite complex, and I think we were able to raise awareness on Capitol Hill about how to distinguish between the kinds of reforms that can improve our patients’ access to medicines and those that can worsen access,” Dr. Worthing says.
