The Inflation Reduction Act & Movement Disorders
The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) the authority to negotiate drug prices in Medicare, aiming to lower the amount the government pays for prescription drugs. However, these changes may come with unintended consequences, including reduced innovation and decreased patient access.
In January 2025, CMS announced 15 more medications that are up for negotiation, including, for the first time, medications that are important for the movement disorders community:
Cariprazine (Vraylar): a treatment for mental health conditions including bipolar depression and major depressive disorder. Depression is a comorbidity for several movement disorders.
Cariprazine (Vraylar): a treatment for major depressive disorder. Depression is a comorbidity for several movement disorders.
CMS needs to hear why these medications are important options – and why the movement disorders community needs continued access to all appropriate therapies. Specifically, CMS is seeking public comment on unmet medical need and impacts to specific populations.
What you can do:
Submit public comment by March 1, 2025.
How to Submit a Comment:
Click here: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program Public Submission Form
Register with a valid email address
Check your email for access to the submission form
Select the drug for which you are submitting information
Answer the questions
Required Sections
I28: Respondent Information -- Name, organization, email, respondent description, any affiliation with the manufacturer or selected drug
J: Certification of Submission of Section – Certify the submission is truthful and made in good faith
Optional Sections
Answer any relevant questions you wish – you are not required to fill out every question.
Save and submit your response. CMS will not review saved responses unless they are submitted.
Note: Please do not include personally identifiable information (PII). Where possible, please avoid including protected health information (PHI). Please be aware, CMS may publicly share certain information received through this data submission, but any PII/PHI and proprietary information will be removed.
ARE YOU A PATIENT, CAREGIVER OR PATIENT ADVOCACY GROUP?
Questions I36-42 are most appropriate for you. You can answer as many – or as few – questions as you’d like. Please be prepared to answer questions I36-42. CMS wants to hear from you on topics including:
Your experience with the selected drug
Your experience living with the disease treated by the medication, and the impact on your life and well-being
Why the medication is valuable to you
Demographic information
ARE YOU A CLINICIAN?
Questions I43-49 are most appropriate for you. You can answer as many – or as few – questions as you’d like. Please be prepared to answer questions I43-49. CMS wants to hear from you on topics including:
Your area of specialization
Your experience with the selected drug
How it fits into disease treatment
Unmet medical need and how the treatment addresses that
You are able to submit up to 10 tables, charts and/or graphs that support your responses. CMS asks that you include NLM style citations for declarative statements.
ARE YOU A RESEARCHER?
Questions I50-56 are most appropriate for you. You can answer as many – or as few – questions as you’d like. Please be prepared to answer questions I50-56. CMS wants to hear from you on:
Relevant evidence on the patient experiences with the selected drug, along with the condition the drug treats
Impact of the treatment and its alternatives on specific patient populations
Comparative clinical evidence
Key considerations for CMS in evaluating the drug
ARE YOU A CONCERNED PUBLIC INDIVIDUAL?
Questions I57-60 are most appropriate for you. You can answer as many – or as few – questions as you’d like. Please be prepared to answer questions I57-60. CMS wants to hear from you on:
Your experience with the selected drug
Any important information CMS should consider