Supreme Court turns away challenges to drug price talks

State of play: Justices, without comment, declined to take up petitions from six drugmakers.

• The industry and its allies over nearly three years have repeatedly failed to convince lower courts to halt the negotiations, which were authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act.
• The petitions at the high court were from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol Myers Squibb, Janssen, Novartis and Novo Nordisk and raised multiple legal arguments with the process.

The other side: Drug industry trade group PhRMA, which has brought its own lawsuit, continues to believe the program is unconstitutional, spokesperson Sarah Ryan said in a statement.

Yes, but: Separate litigation challenging the program is still pending in several lower courts, meaning the issue could return to the Supreme Court in the future.

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in January announced 15 additional drugs for the third round of price talks, including for the first time drugs covered under Medicare Part B.