The Role of Advance Purchasing Commitments in Government Drug Price Negotiations: Lessons From the COVID-19 Response.

Among the various approaches to address rising prescription drug costs, one option is to allow the federal government to negotiate prices directly with drug manufacturers. Debates over the appropriate negotiating approach have occurred on several dimensions,1 including the number of drugs eligible for negotiation, the levers that would be implemented to obtain lower prices, the incentives necessary to ensure that all parties negotiate in good faith, and what specific populations should have access to the negotiated price. In 2019, the US House of Representatives passed the most recent proposal to allow the federal government to negotiate prices-H.R.3, The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act-reflecting policy decisions on many of these issues.2 (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 28, 2021: e1-e6. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306109).