News Briefs: Senators Urge Trump to Continue Medicare Drug Price Negotiations
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Jan 23, 2025
Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) wrote a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to not pause the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program that is part of the Inflation Reduction Act. The letter, sent Jan. 21, noted news reports that suggested drug manufacturers will ask Trump to pause negotiations, the latest round of which includes the popular weight loss/diabetes drugs Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide). “You once said that ‘[d]eals are my art form. Other people paint beautifully or write poetry. I like making deals, preferably big deals.’ You should use those skills to cut drug prices and flat out reject any request to end negotiations from giant pharmaceutical makers that have spent decades putting profits over patients,” the senators wrote to Trump.
The Dept. of Justice (DOJ) has sued Walgreens Boots Alliance, alleging the pharmacy chain illegally dispensed millions of opioid prescriptions and contributed to the opioid epidemic. The DOJ claims Walgreens, since August 2012, has filled opioid prescriptions that lacked legitimate purpose, were invalid or were not prescribed during normal professional practice — “clear red flags,” according to the complaint. Walgreens then sought reimbursement from Medicaid, Medicare and other federal programs in violation of the False Claims Act, the DOJ alleged. In December 2024, the DOJ filed a similar lawsuit against CVS.
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