Azar Takes Credit For Stopping Brands From Gaming Medicaid, But CMS Notice Merely Informs States Of Existing Law

HHS Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday (Aug. 9) touted a CMS notice on Medicaid rebates as an example of the administration stopping brand drug companies from cheating Medicaid out of money, but the notice merely informs states of changes that Congress made in February. Speaking at a State Healthcare Innovation event, Azar described a tactic that brands have used to lower the rebates they pay state Medicaid programs by making minor changes to drugs, such as creating extended-release versions of...