Research Roundup: Negotiation Strategies for Antiretroviral Drug Purchasers in the United States

Antiretroviral drugs continue to be inaccessible and unaffordable for many low-income individuals, and despite the government's leverage through Medicaid and other programs, new strategies are needed for price negotiation with manufacturers. This report looks at several options, including improved price transparency and switching people dually eligible for Medicare Part D and Medicaid to the latter program, which pays less for these antiretroviral drugs. The authors also propose pooling individual states and groups to increase their drug purchasing power. With "greater consolidation of public programs and increased demand for drugs through universal coverage," they note, "public programs might be in a better position to negotiate drug prices" in the future (RAND, Linnemayr et al, 6/29).

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