State Drug Pricing Boards Forge Ahead With Eyes on Amgen Suit

State affordability boards seeking to limit what health plans pay for prescription drugs are confident they will withstand legal challenges as Colorado battles what’s expected to be the first in a long line of pharmaceutical industry lawsuits.

The Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board is facing a lawsuit from Amgen Inc. over the five-member panel’s February vote to pursue an upper payment limit, or UPL, for the autoimmune treatment Enbrel after members determined the injectable drug is “unaffordable” for Colorado patients. The Colorado board could soon face additional litigation after a vote Friday designating Johnson & Johnson‘s Stelara as unaffordable. ...