In a recent move, Astellas Pharma challenges IRA, a step that sees them join other pharmaceutical heavyweights in a lawsuit against the federal government. The bone of contention is the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a law primarily designed to drive down prescription drug prices, a proposition that no Republican supported.
Astellas, along with the other pharma companies, takes issue with the IRA’s plan to let Medicare negotiate prices on their top-selling drugs. They argue this will not only be financially burdensome but also stifle new drug development and breach their constitutional rights.
Constitutional violations: Astellas Pharma challenges IRAAstellas Pharma, in its public statement last week, outlined three ways in which it believes the new Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program is in violation of the Constitution. The key concern is that it’s essentially theft or a “taking of property” by forcing companies to offer lower price…