Drugmakers face uphill battle in Medicare negotiation suits

A federal judge last week dealt the first major blow to plaintiffs challenging the Biden administration’s Medicare drug price negotiations, declining to temporarily halt implementation of the program and questioning a leading argument in the case.

Judge Michael Newman, a Trump-appointed judge in Ohio’s Southern District, denied a request for a preliminary injunction by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, holding that the business group showed “neither a strong likelihood of success” in its case nor proof that Medicare negotiations would cause immediate and irreparable harm.