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Pfizer
Inc.
increased catalog prices by more than 40 of his prescription drugs this week, marking a second series of increases this year despite a growing public control.
Increases apply to widely used drugs, including Xalkori lung cancer treatment, Norvasc blood pressure pills and Lyrica pain capsules, according to drug price data from
relx
Elsevier, PLC information company. Many saw current prices rise 9.4% and double digit percentages for the year as a whole.
The movements, announced for the first time by the Financial Times, separate Pfizer from several rivals who are committed to raising prices Indeed, Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world by sales, stated that she was selling her products at a reduced price and that she was not selling her products. t responsible for what patients have to bear in copay fees or other fees.
"The list price remains unchanged for most of our medicines, and we are changing prices for about 10% of our drugs, including some cases where we are lowering the price," the company said in a statement.
Other pharmaceutical companies have raised drug prices this month, according to wholesalers The acquisition cost data come from Elsevier's Gold Standard Drug Database, although the most of them are small drug manufacturers.
Sanofi
SA
increased the price of the treatment of eczema Dupixent Friday by 3%, and the explanation of this change reflects the sensitivity of the industry to questions about even small price increases
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Inc.,
Sanofi's partner, Dupixent, said in a statement that the price rise was lower than medical inflation, while noting that his partner was making final pricing decisions and asking questions about the increase. of French society
. said the increase was Dupixent's first "since its launch last March, and that it's the only increase planned for 2018."
A series of drug price increases in June or July is a standard practice, but less and less common. and usually attracts little attention. The last round of Pfizer comes after the president
Donald Trump,
in May, he was expecting some large pharmaceutical companies to make "massive" price cuts.
Price increases help drug manufacturers achieve their financial growth goals, especially when key products lose sales to less expensive generic versions. Yet, many companies have pledged in recent years to make only one increase per year and nothing more than 10% after the price rises for anti-allergic EpiPen and other drugs spurred by doctors, hospitals and hospitals. Patients and congressional hearings
dampened the rise in catalog prices of brand-name drugs as a whole. "Inflation levels below 6.0% are here to stay," Raymond James analysis
Elliot Wilbur
wrote in a note to investors Monday. Pharmaceutical companies say that they do not benefit much from the increases, because they offer discounts and rebates on the list price to win contracts with intermediaries who manage drug benefits for drug plans. and determine which drugs to repay.
Yet for many patients, costs have continued to rise, and the trend has remained a political problem in Washington. In May, the Trump administration issued a plan to combat high drug prices.
Pfizer Chief Executive
Ian Read
has been one of the most virulent industry leaders who have withstood criticism, noting that spending in the United States on drugs and other drugs. prescription were relatively stable as a percentage of overall health care expenditures
. Read also blamed the Medicare plans for increasing reimbursable expenses for patients by increasing copais and deductibles.
"This is not the price of drugs. It's the affordability of the drugs that is problematic, "said Mr. Read in May at an event organized by the Politico News Agency in Washington, DC
. Chantix smoking cessation pills On July 1, the price of a bottle of 56 tablets increased by 7% to $ 429, after a 9.4% increase in January, according to the database on Elsevier drug prices
.Great competitors in the United States, including the pill of male impotence Viagra, whose price has risen significantly in recent years.The list price for a month of Viagra's supply increased by 9.4% to $ 2,211 on July 1, after a similar price increase on January 1.
-Joseph Walker contributed to this article.
Writing to Jonathan D. Rockoff to [email protected]
Appeared in the print edition of July 3 2018 under the heading "Pfizer increases the price of drugs again".
