Eugene residents and doctors react to deal that will lower drug prices | News

EUGENE, Oregon – Last year, the federal government negotiated with pharmaceutical companies to lower prices on 10 select drugs. Local doctors say it's a step in the right direction.

The lower drug prices will take effect in 2026. The drugs selected include diabetes medications and blood thinners, among others. Doctors like Dr. Patrick Luedtke, chief health officer for Lane County Health & Human Services, said this could reduce drug costs for people by hundreds or thousands of dollars each month. He also said this is new territory – in the past, the federal government has not had the power to negotiate lower prices.

“For years, the federal government was prohibited from negotiating drug prices. And the law that was passed in 2022, the Inflation Reduction Act, gave the federal government the ability to do that,” he said.

He added that this shouldn't be too big a change for pharmacies. They will have to adjust their price list and fill out some new paperwork. They have two years to do this.

However, it can have a big impact on customers. Eugene woman Lori Miller said one of her friends has diabetes and they often struggle with the disease because of the high prices, often making them hesitant to take the medication.

“Nobody should have to choose money over their health. We all pay into Medicare, we work, I think we're entitled to it. People should be able to get medicine they can afford now, and they shouldn't have to make that decision and risk their health,” she said.

Miller would also not mind if the list of medications were expanded in the future.

“For example, I have allergies, so I would like to see – I know they can't do this for every drug on the market, but they should expand the list to include the drugs that people over 65 take most often and negotiate prices for those,” she said.

One big exception was asthma medication. Geoff Koerner, another Eugene resident, remembered how expensive his medications were before he got Medicare.

“I know if you had to pay out of pocket, it would have cost about $600 or $700 for a month's supply. And I think even if there are government subsidies, some of those pockets are being filled,” he said.

Julio Mora Rodriguez joined the KEZI 9 News team as a news reporter in October 2022. If you have story ideas, you can email Julio at [email protected].