Comments on Request for Information, “Commonsense Policy Options to Lower Drug Prices for Patients”

The commenters respond to a broad set of policy proposals aimed at improving prescription drug affordability. Among their recommendations, they encourage Congress to let Medicare to negotiate drug prices closer to launch and expand the pool of eligible drugs, address barriers that delay biosimilar uptake, require that patient cost-sharing be based on a drug’s net rather than list price, and establish an independent health technology assessment (HTA) entity to determine whether a drug’s price reflects its clinical benefit.