Mark McClellan

Wednesday Lunch: Walking the Drug-Pricing Tightrope

Dan Diamond, Dan Leonard, Seema Verma, Matt Iles, Mark McClellan

Moderated by Dan Diamond, the Milken Institute's Future of Health Summit panel "Walking the Drug Pricing Tightrope" featured Seema Verma, Matt Iles, and Mark McClellan debating the tension between innovation and affordability amidst record-breaking drug costs. While the group reached consensus on shifting to value-based payment models to address unsustainable spending in Part B and high-cost curative therapies, they diverged on whether government negotiation or private sector competition offers the most effective solution for lowering prices without stifling future research. With Nancy Pelosi absent, the panelists emphasized that any viable legislative path must satisfy strict bipartisanship requirements to avoid jeopardizing patient access or long-term drug development pipelines.