CMS Releases List of New Drugs Subject to Inflation Rebates

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a list of 34 prescription drugs that will be subject to inflation rebates in Medicare Part B. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) requires rebates on prescription drugs and biologics whose prices rise higher than inflation. This is the third group of products that CMS has indicated will be affected by these rebates. (See list below.)

CMS officials said some people with Medicare may save between $1 and $618 per average dose beginning Oct. 1, 2023, depending on their individual coverage, CMS officials said in a press release.

Before the IRA, Medicare had no authority to limit price increases, although the Medicaid system has a rebate program for drug prices that rise faster than inflation. According to an analysis by KFF, half of all drugs covered by Medicare had list price increases above inflation between 2019 and 2020. The CBO has estimated that rebates will lead to a net savings of $56.3 billion and high federal revenue.

Included in the third set of products for Medicare inflation rebates are:

• Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin: Hodgkin lymphoma and large cell lymphoma; Seagen
• Aggrastat (tirofibian): blood thinner; Medicure
• Akynzeo (netupitant/palonosetron): chemotherapy induced nausea; Helsinn
• Atgam (immune globulin): aplastic anemia; Pfizer
• Bicillin CR (penicillin G benzathine, penicillin G procaine): infections; Pfizer 
• Billicin L-A (penicillin G benzathine); infections; Pfizer
• Blincyto (blinatumomab): acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Amgen
• Chirhostim (hormone): diagnosis of pancreatic dysfunction and cancer; Chirhoclin
• Cresemba (isavuconazole): antifungal; Astellas
• Crysvita (burosumab): X-linked hypophosphatemia; Kyowa Kirin
• Fragmin (dalteparin): blood thinner; Pfizer
• Humira (adalimumab): arthritis; AbbVie
• Hypertet (tetanus immune globulin): prevention of tetanus; Grifols
• Imlygic (talimogene laherparepvec): melanoma; Amgen
• Infugem (gemcitabine): ovarian cancer; Sun Pharma
• Leukine (sargramostim): bone marrow stimulant; Partner Therapeutics
• Lupron Depot-Ped (leuprorelin): endometriosis, prostate cancer; AbbVie
• Minocin (minocycline): infections; Torrent Pharmaceuticals
• Nipent (pentostatin): leukemia; Pfizer
• Nplate (romiplostim): bone marrow stimulant; Amgen
• Oncaspar (pegaspargase): acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Servier
• Padcev (enfortumab vedotin): bladder cancer; Astellas and Seagen
• Panhematin (hemin): porphyria: Recordati Rare Diseases
• Pemetrexed: chemotherapy
• Romidepsin: T-cell lymphoma
• Rybrevant (amivantamab): non-small cell lung cancer; Janssen Oncology
• Signiflor LAR (pasireotide): Cushing’s disease and acromegly; Recordati Rare Diseases
• Sotalol: arrhythmias
• Sylvant (siltuximab): Castleman’s disease; Recordati Rare Diseases
• Synribo (omacetaxine mepesuccinate): chronic myeloid leukemia; Teva
• Vabomere (meropenem and vaborbactam): urinary tract infections and hospital acquired pneumonia; Melinta
• Vectibix (panitumumab): colorectal cancer; Amgen
• Xiaflex (collagenase clostridium histolyticum): Peyronie’s disease and Dupuytren’s contracture; Endo
• Zemdri (plazomicin): urinary tract infections; Cipla Therapeutics