The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in May that it will require drugmakers to include “list prices” in television ads for all medicines covered by Medicare or Medicaid that cost $35 or more for a one-month supply or for a full course. (Since private insurers and employer-run plans typically cover these drugs, too, the rule is likely to affect most prescription medications touted on TV.)
Patient advocacy groups have endorsed the rule, believing that TV drug ads often lead people to high-price medications. According to a recent New York Times story, the heavily advertised Humira drug for rheumatoid arthritis has an average retail price of about $5,700 a month, for instance.
