By Luke Zarzecki
The Colorado Prescription Drug Affordability Board voted Friday (Oct. 3) to set an upper payment limit (UPL) on Amgen’s Enbrel that will take effect on Jan. 1, 2027, becoming the first state in the nation to implement a UPL. It could lead to another lawsuit from the drug manufacturer. …
Tiffany Westrich-Robertson, The Ensuring Access through Collaborative Health (EACH) and Patient Inclusion Council (PIC) Coalition founder and a person living with an autoimmune condition, raised concern over the move and called for additional policies from Colorado’s legislators.
“We are disappointed that the Colorado PDAB disregarded the concerns of patients and adopted an unproven policy that is unlikely to lower patient out-of-pocket costs and may create new barriers to care,” she said in a statement to IHP. “This decision fails to address real, patient-identified barriers to prescription affordability and adds complexity to a system already stacked against patients.”
“Colorado legislators must enact immediate safeguards that protect patients from increased utilization management by insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which threaten timely access to needed medications,” she continued. “Legislators nationwide must reject risky experiments and instead pursue patient-centered reforms that address the real drivers of unaffordability.”