AstraZeneca CEO Warns US Pricing Rules Will Delay New Drugs

US legislation requiring price negotiation for top-selling medicines will delay the launch of new drugs, warned AstraZeneca Plc Chief Executive Officer Pascal Soriot.

The law, which empowers the US government to negotiate prices with drugmakers on the most expensive prescription drugs as soon as nine years after they hit the market, will slow access to life-saving treatments for patients, Soriot said in an interview broadcast by Reuters.

“Companies will delay the longshot new product in late line indications,” Soriot said, referring to the process whereby promising medications win initial approvals to benefit patients with late-stage disease -- before enough ...