How much will Medicare's drug price cuts ultimately save people at the pharmacy?

How much will Medicare’s price cuts on 10 of the most expensive medications , including diabetes, heart and arthritis drugs, ultimately save older adults at the pharmacy counter? And when will they get the savings? It's a major milestone in the Biden administration’s push to reduce the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs in the U.S. But there's a lot to still work out, including the burning question: Will older adults see the savings at all if drugmakers succeed in having the negotiations blocked by the courts? “Lower prescription drug prices are hugely popular among the public , but the future is uncertain,” said Lawrence Gostin, director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University.

“The pharmaceutical industry and its allies have filed an avalanche of litigation against the price negotiations." So far, courts have summarily rejected the legal challenges . Who benefits from lower prices? More than 65 million people in the U.

S. are enrolled in Medicare. Most people won't see direct savings until the prices go into effect in 2026.

The Biden administration said Thursday that it negotiated price cuts of between 38% and 79% for each of the 10 drugs that cost the program the most money. This includes Eliquis, a popular blood thinner from Bristol Myers Squibb, which carried a list price of $521 for a 30-day supply in 2023; Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug from Amgen, with a 2023 list price of $7,106; and NovoLog, a diabet.