31 January 2019 - The Trump administration on Thursday proposed bringing transparency to one of the most secretive aspects of drug pricing by ending the widespread practice of rebates to middlemen — an effort to reduce what consumers pay for prescription medicine.

Under draft rules announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, drug manufacturers would be allowed to offer discounted prices directly to consumers but would no longer be able to give rebates to the middlemen, known as pharmacy benefit managers.

The rules, if they become final next year, would apply directly to older Americans who buy medicine under Medicare drug plans and low-income people with Medicaid managed-care plans.

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