Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb is very serious about changing the trajectory of US drug prices and costs. He is perhaps uniquely positioned for this as a physician, an economist, and an industry insider who has a thorough understanding of the complex industry business model and a strong appreciation of scientific innovation.
While the administration recently floated the idea of Medicare using international reference pricing for drug purchasing, Gottlieb earlier this year put forth more far-reaching ideas to lower US prescription drug costs and address the higher price of drugs here as opposed to abroad. Under his leadership, the FDA is proposing drug importation to stimulate price competition among biologics and certain small molecule generics. This is a significant development that could change decades-old federal policy, and it is predictably generating industry pushback.
