A Colorado board voted unanimously Friday to consider setting a maximum price for a drug to treat autoimmune diseases, launching the state into uncharted territory and setting up a possible showdown with the drug’s manufacturer.
Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board voted that the injectable drug Enbrel is unaffordable to patients in the state. The medication can cost patients and their insurance companies more than $46,000 a year.
The board also considered Genvoya, a combination pill for HIV, but determined that medication was affordable because of patient assistance programs.
The vote allows the board to consider setting a maximum price for Enbrel in Colorado when it meets again next week, which would be the first time any state took that step with any prescription drug. The level at which the drug’s price might be capped was not discussed at Friday’s meeting.
Enbrel is approved for multiple diseases where the immune system attacks body tissues, including four types of arthritis and the most common form of the skin condition psoriasis.
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