White House to name first 10 drugs for Medicare negotiations early

Key Facts

| Joe Raedle/Getty Images The Biden administration is expected to disclose early next week the first 10 prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations, ahead of a White House event Tuesday to celebrate the milestone, four people involved in the plans told POLITICO.
The announcement will mark a major step in a bid to lower drug prices through the first-ever direct negotiations between Medicare and pharmaceutical manufacturers over a set of medicines.
Still, it will take years for the administration to negotiate those lower prices and pass them through to patients, creating a challenge for a White House that must convince voters Biden deserves immediate credit — even as they’ve yet to see concrete savings.
The White House has also enlisted a range of allies to promote the Medicare negotiation program and defend the administration against drug industry attacks following the Tuesday event, one person involved in the plans said, including holding private sessions with outside advocates in recent days to coordinate their messaging strategy.