Republican health strategist Joel White said the lawsuit from Merck comes as no surprise considering various transparency and input issues raised by drug makers, lawmakers, patient groups and other stakeholders. White also noted the score from the Congressional Budget Office for the IRA said drug price negotiation will raise drug prices in the short term and take funding away from research and development in the long term.
“The IRA should be repealed, and Congress should enact policies to reduce drug costs without harming patients. The current process should be replaced with a more transparent one, giving all stakeholders input and removing the veil of secrecy about what the government is doing by, for, and on behalf of its people,” White told Inside Drug Pricing.