President Trump is scheduled to deliver a major speech on tackling high drug prices May 11, according to lobbyists familiar with the decision.
The details of the speech have not been announced, but top administration officials have been criticizing the system used between insurers and drug makers to negotiate rebates. Neither the White House nor the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the new date for the speech.
The speech was scheduled for April 26 but was postponed after Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar was hospitalized with a stomach infection.
The Trump administration has proposed several policies aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs for seniors for generics and others.
Azar and Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb have bashed the system that insurers and drug middlemen use to negotiate for discounts from drug makers.
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They have said the system is rigged because the groups don’t share enough of the discounts with consumers.
Gottlieb said during a speech Thursday that the administration could use an anti-kickback law to rein in drug prices. Currently the rebate agreements are shielded from violating the kickback law, but Gottlieb said the administration could re-examine that policy.
• Writers Joe Williams and Kimberly Leonard contributed to this report.
