State Drug Pricing Boards Tee Up New Front in Pharma Legal Fight

A wave of state boards aiming to set limits on what health plans pay for prescription drugs is likely to trigger lawsuits from drugmakers, policy analysts and lobbying groups say, as the industry also fights government price-setting policy at the federal level.

The Michigan Senate voted Oct. 4 to pass a package of bills (SB 483, 484, and 485) that would create an independent board to evaluate the impact of prescription drug costs on patients in the state, and to establish upper payment limits on some of the most expensive products. The legislation, if enacted, would make ...