May 23, 2019
Big Pharma is most afraid of Trump's drug pricing plan
Photo: Mark Wilson/Getty Images
The pharmaceutical industry is very worried about the Trump administration's plans to cut drug costs, according to a PwC survey of industry executives.
The bottom line: The industry is most worried about the administration's plan to tie Medicare payments for certain drugs to the prices other countries pay.
By the numbers: Roughly 19% of the executives PwC surveyed said the international pricing proposal is the "most concerning" idea on the table.
- That was followed by drug reimportation (16%), changes to the drug rebate system (16%) and mandates for value-based pricing (15%).
Between the lines: The industry can breathe easy on reimportation. It's always politically popular, but resistance from the FDA consistently stops it from actually happening.
- International pricing and changes to the rebate system, however — 2 of the top 4 ideas industry fears most — are both working their way through the regulatory process.
Go deeper: Inside the complicated politics of Trump's rebate rule