Federal judge blocks Trump rule to require drug prices in TV ads

A federal judge blocked a Trump administration rule requiring pharma companies to disclose the list prices of drugs in TV ads, just hours before it was to take effect. The ruling is sure to be a blow to the Trump administration: As its first major drug pricing policy, it would have required companies to disclose the price of any drug that cost more than $35 a month. But Merck, Amgen, and Eli Lilly, joined by the Association of National Advertisers, sued to keep the rule from going into effect, claiming it violated their First Amendment rights. And although the judge yesterday didn’t rule on that issue, he did agree with the companies’ concerns about HHS overstepping its authority in requiring such disclosures. The administration could now choose to appeal the ruling or get more explicit authorization from Congress for such pricing disclosures.