Deficit commission eyes Medicare drug rebates

For all the promise of tweaking the healthcare reform law in pharma-friendly ways, there's now a counterweight to those very plans.

Drugmakers may have been heartened by the Republican takeover in the House. But for all the promise of tweaking the healthcare reform law in pharma-friendly ways, there's now a counterweight to those very plans: the report from President Obama's bipartisan deficit-cutting commission.

As Pharmalot points out, among the commission's recommendations are two that drugmakers are decidedly against. One, bigger drug-price rebates in Medicare Part D, a provision that the industry successfully fought during the healthcare reform debate. Two, strengthening the Independent Payment Advisory Board, the Medicare cost-control body that pharma would like to sweep out completely.

Of course, the commission's recommendations are just that, and it seems that everyone has issues with some of the proposals. If Congress and the White House actually go ahead and consider the commission's ideas seriously, expect a big battle among party types and special interests. And PhRMA will be right in