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Utah Life Sciences News & Events

BioUtah Joins Patient Groups Opposing MFN

December 23, 2020

BioUtah joined numerous patient advocates and healthcare providers in sending a letter to U.S. House and Senate leaders in opposition to the Trump administration’s Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) drug pricing rule. The letter, organized by The Part B Access for Seniors and Physicians (ASP) Coalition, stated that the MFN model for Medicare Part B drugs will “lead to irreparable harm for the most vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries” and called upon Congress to act immediately to delay implementation of this “risky, ill-conceived, and misdirected model”.

The ASP Coalition is an alliance of patient and provider groups dedicated to preserving patient access to the lifesaving therapies covered by Medicare Part B.

BioUtah also signed onto a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar opposing MFN. The letter, led by the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PICP), noted that the rule would “import discriminatory standards for policymaking used in MFN nations, and lead directly to lack of access to needed treatments for many Americans.” PIPC brings the voices of patients and people with disabilities to the discussion of how to advance patient-centered principles throughout an evolving healthcare system.

BioUtah continues to oppose drug pricing policies, such as MFN, that could impede innovation in new life-changing medicines.

On November 20, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released an interim final rule creating the seven-year MFN model on a nationwide, mandatory basis, set to begin on January 1, 2021.  CMS has posted a “Medicare Learning Network” Fact Sheet regarding the MFN Model.