15 May 2019 - A website launched by pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly earlier this year leads with a daunting statement about the price of its diabetes drug Trulicity: “Drug prices can be confusing,” it says. 

That’s for sure, and thanks to a new mandate from the Trump administration, consumers could find themselves even more confused.

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on May 8 that it will require drug makers to include “list prices” in television ads for all medicines covered by Medicare or Medicaid that cost $35 or more for a one-month supply or for a full course. (Since private insurers and employer-run plans typically cover these drugs, too, the rule is likely to affect most prescription medications touted on TV.)

Patient advocacy groups have endorsed the rule, believing that TV drug ads often lead people to high-priced medications. According to a recent New York Times story, the heavily advertised Humira drug for rheumatoid arthritis has an average retail price of about $5,700 a month, for instance.

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