The Inflation Reduction Act Leads Towards Increased Advocacy for MS: Bari Talente, JD

WATCH TIME: 4 minutes

“Now, there's a role for anyone who wants to get involved and advocate for better health care. I think, we look at it across the spectrum of how do we help people individually, and often that will be through our MS navigator services.”

The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a $740 billion bill for climate and health care, was passed on August 16, 2022, after more than a year of negotiation.¹ One of the main focuses of the passed legislation is to reduce over $100 billion each year in Medicare to 65 million patients with Medicare. A recent analysis study on the IRA showed that there will be a reduction of price in only a few products; although, this reduction may be negligible if generics and biosimilars are involved.¹

Based on the analysis, it was concluded that generics and biosimilars will be encouraged by product companies to help with reducing the price for patients. Overall, the IRA has restrictions that attempt to prevent brand companies who might take advantage of the involvement of generics and biosimilars.¹ Since the passing of the bill, Bari Talente, JD, notes that there has been celebration for patients all over in the United States who may benefit from the reduction in prescription medications and health insurance.

Organizations such as The National MS Society, continue to spread awareness and advocacy for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as work with clinicians to empower them with treating their patients. Recently in an interview with NeurologyLive®, Talente spoke about the goals that still need to be addressed and the current trends seen in the United States for patients with MS after the passing of the IRA. Talente, executive vice principal, advocacy and healthcare access of The National MS Society, also discussed how the community of neurologists can get involved and advocate for their patients with the condition.

REFERENCES
1. Niazi SK. The Inflation Reduction Act: A boon for the generic and biosimilar industry. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2022;47(11):1738-1751. doi:10.1111/jcpt.13783