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The blockbuster diabetes and weight-loss drug semaglutide (Ozempic, Rybelsus, Wegovy) along with therapies for asthma, cancers, and various other conditions were among the 15 drugs the Biden administration selected for the next round of Medicare price negotiation.

"These 15 drugs, together with the 10 drugs that Medicare already negotiated, represent about a third of Medicare Part D spending on prescription drugs, which means the lower prices my Inflation Reduction Act is delivering will put money back in seniors' pockets across the country," President Biden said in a press release.

Price negotiation will help the many seniors who are struggling to pay for their medications, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said during a call with reporters on Thursday evening.

"Some folks have to cut their pills in half or skip a dose in their prescription so that they can make their prescription last longer until they can afford to buy the next batch of drugs," he said. "It is not the way to do business, and any doctor would tell you that's not the way to stay healthy."

The 15 new drugs eligible for price negotiation -- along with the common Medicare-covered conditions they treat (and recent 1-year Medicare costs associated with them) -- are as follows:

• Semaglutide: type 2 diabetes, obesity/overweight, and cardiovascular disease ($14.4 billion)
• Fluticasone furoate, umeclidinium, and vilanterol (Trelegy Ellipta): chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma ($5.1 billion)
• Enzalutamide (Xtandi): prostate cancer ($3.2 billion)
• Pomalidomide (Pomalyst): multiple myeloma, Kaposi sarcoma ($2.1 billion)
• Palbociclib (Ibrance): breast cancer ($2 billion)
• Nintedanib (Ofev): idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis ($2 billion)
• Linaclotide (Linzess): irritable bowel syndrome with constipation, chronic idiopathic constipation ($1.9 billion)
• Acalabrutinib (Calquence): chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma ($1.6 billion)
• Deutetrabenazine (Austedo, Austedo XR): tardive dyskinesia, chorea in Huntington's disease ($1.5 billion)
• Budesonide, glycopyrrolate, and formoterol fumarate (Breo Ellipta): asthma, COPD ($1.4 billion)
• Linagliptin (Tradjenta): type 2 diabetes ($1.1 billion)
• Rifaximin (Xifaxan): hepatic encephalopathy recurrence, irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea ($1.1 billion)
• Cariprazine (Vraylar): schizophrenia, bipolar I disorder, major depressive disorder ($1.1 billion)
• Sitagliptin, metformin (Janumet, Janumet XR): type 2 diabetes ($1.1 billion)
• Apremilast (Otezla): oral ulcers in Behçet's disease, plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis ($1 billion)

The price negotiation program was passed by Congress in 2022 as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The measure lowers prescription drug costs for seniors by empowering Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs.

The first round of price negotiations cut the price of 10 of the most commonly used medications in Medicare -- drugs for treating diabetes, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer -- by 40% to 80%, said health officials. The negotiated prices for the first 10 drugs were announced in August and go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026. Those lower prices will save Medicare beneficiaries an estimated $1.5 billion, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said during the press call on Thursday.

"In addition, Medicare negotiations will help states and the federal government achieve savings in Medicaid," she said.

For this second round of eligible drugs, in keeping with the rules of the IRA, negotiations with the manufacturers are slated to take place in 2025 with negotiated prices taking effect in 2027, according to an HHS press release.

During the period used to gauge a drug's eligibility for the next round of the program -- Nov. 1, 2023 to Oct. 31, 2024 -- around 5.3 million Medicare Part D enrollees used the 15 drugs, which represent approximately $41 billion in total gross covered prescription drug costs in the Part D program, or 14% of costs over that period.

Together with the total gross covered prescription drug costs of the 10 drugs from the first round of negotiations -- totaling about $60 billion over the same period -- these drugs account for 36% of total gross covered prescription drug costs in the Medicare Part D program from Nov. 1, 2023 through Oct. 31, 2024, noted an HHS press release.

The next step in the price negotiation process is the signing of negotiation agreements by drug companies. The selected companies will have until February 28 to decide whether to participate in the program.

During the third round of price negotiations, CMS will select up to 15 more drugs, including drugs covered by Medicare Part B and Part D, and up to 20 additional drugs for each of the following rounds, as stated in the IRA, according to an HHS press release.

Drug price negotiation is just one of the many provisions in the IRA that save seniors money, Domestic Policy Council Director Neera Tanden said during Thursday's press call. "President Biden also delivered $35 insulin, as of January 1, a $2,000 cap on total drug spending that will deliver more than $7 billion in savings this year, free vaccines in Medicare used by more than 10 million people, and changes that hold drug companies accountable when they increase prices faster than inflation," Tanden added.

Becerra pointed out that the $2,000 out-of-pocket cap is a "huge deal" especially for seniors with cancer, renal disease, or those who have suffered a stroke. "Their expenses are out the roof, and know[ing] that they won't have to spend more than $2,000 out of pocket means they're probably done paying out-of-pocket [costs] within the first couple of months of a year," he said.

An HHS press release noted that "[i]n negotiating with participating manufacturers, CMS will consider the selected drug's clinical benefit, the extent to which it addresses unmet medical needs, and its impact on specific populations, including people who rely on Medicare, among other considerations, such as costs associated with research and development as well as production and distribution for selected drugs."

Asked during a press call on Friday whether the incoming Trump administration might pause or modify the schedule of the drug price negotiation program, CMS Chief of Staff Erin Richardson said the agency will begin the negotiation process for the 15 selected drugs, adding, "I can't speak to what a future administration were to do, but if they were to make changes in the future, it would require additional program guidance, potential rulemaking, and potentially new information collection requests."

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) celebrated the administration's decision to announce the second round of drugs for price negotiation.

"Today's announcement is welcome news, and a timely reminder of which party is working to bring down costs for American seniors and families, especially for drugs that help them conquer cancer, heart disease, obesity, and more. It is now up to Donald Trump to follow through on these negotiations and prove he's on the side of American seniors and families, not Big Pharma," said Wyden in a statement.

AARP Executive Vice President and Chief Advocacy and Engagement Officer Nancy LeaMond also applauded the administration's latest efforts to help seniors access critical medications. "For too long, big drug companies have padded their profits by setting outrageous prices at the expense of American lives, forcing seniors to skip prescriptions they can't afford," she said in a statement. "The first round of Medicare drug price negotiation made it clear that this process will reduce the prices of these important products and create billions of dollars in savings for Medicare and its beneficiaries."

Stephen J. Ubl, the president and CEO of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), was not surprisingly displeased by the announcement and slammed the Biden administration's actions.

"In rushing out this list in their final days, the Biden administration once again fails to address the true challenges facing seniors and Medicare," Ubl said in a .

He argued that more than half of the drugs selected for price negotiation were targeted because of the IRA's "pill penalty," which allows the government to "set the price" of medicines produced in pill-form earlier than other drugs. "The pill penalty sends a clear message to innovators to stop developing these medicines even though they may be the most effective, convenient, and lowest cost option for patients," Ubl said.

On Wednesday, Teva Pharmaceuticals . At least 10 other drugmakers and lobbyists have filed similar lawsuits.

Joyce Frieden, 番茄社区app's Washington Editor, contributed to this story.

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