The Supreme Court heard arguments for Rutledge v. Pharmacy Care Management, a case that could allow states to regulate PBMs to lower drug prices.

‍The Arkansas law requires PBMs to reimburse pharmacies for generic drugs and allows pharmacies to challenge PBM reimbursement rates or refuse to dispense any drugs that they would lose money from due to low PBM reimbursements. Many of the justices focused on how this case is primarily on ERISA preemption, which they historically vote in favor of. To read the full article, click here.

• To read the amicus brief from 45 state attorneys general in support of the suit, click here.

The RAND Corporation published a comparative analysis of insulin prices between the US and 32 OECD countries.

‍The analysis looks at shares of volume and sales for insulin across the US and 32 OECD countries in 2018. The researchers found that in 2018 the manufacturer prices of insulin were between five to ten times greater than that in any of the other OECD countries. While this study focused on manufacturer prices, it was estimated that after any rebates, the US prices would still be approximately four times higher than other countries. To read the full study, click here.

President Trump has announced a full recovery from COVID-19.

‍The President was given an experimental antibody cocktail from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals during his stay at Walter Reed Military Medical Center last week. The treatment, which is now in phase 3 of trials, was one of the first COVID-19 drugs to be funded by the administration in June. As of Sunday (10/10), Trump’s doctor announced the treatment was successful and that Trump is no long a transmission risk. To review the updates of President Trump’s treatment, click here.

CMS released the Medicare Advantage and Part D prescription drug plans’ star ratings for 2021.

‍On a scale of one to five stars, the CMS rating system allows beneficiaries to compare the quality of Medicare policies. CMS announced that beneficiaries will be able to have higher quality Part D plans in 2021. The press release shows that an expected 98% of Part D enrollees will have a plan with 3.5 stars or higher, a significant improvement from the 70% in 2017. To review the entire CMS press release, click here.

Researchers from Washington University, the University of Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt University published their view on state Medicaid drug spending in JAMA.

‍The researchers highlighted the current pressures on the Medicaid budget, noting that there will be added strain on the Medicaid budget in months to come due to the pandemic. They urge policymakers to “consider options for balancing Medicaid financial sustainability, patient access, and reasonable pricing of prescription drugs.” To review the full viewpoint, click here.

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