Gilead, AbbVie Asked by U.S. for Hepatitis C Pricing Options
- Treatment course for liver disease carries $80,000 list price
- U.S. Medicaid program reminds states of drug-coverage rules
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Drugmakers including Gilead Sciences Inc. and AbbVie Inc. were contacted by the U.S. government’s Medicaid agency to discuss options for how to pay for hepatitis C cures whose costs have eaten into state budgets.
The companies, along with Johnson & Johnson and Merck & Co., were asked in letters from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to provide information on arrangements they make with health insurers to link payments to the outcomes of their treatments. Such arrangements may affect the prices that drugmakers are required to offer under the Medicaid program, the agency said Thursday.