What We’re Reading: Proposed 2025 Medicare Payments; Philips Machines–Related Deaths; Contaminated Copycat Eye Drops

CMS Releases Proposed 2025 MA, Medicare Part D Payment Updates

CMS released the proposed 2025 Advance Notice for the Medicare Advantage (MA) and Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Programs that would update the programs’ payment policies. As proposed, government payments to MA plans are expected to increase by 3.70% on average, or over $16 billion, from 2024 to 2025. CMS is also improving the Medicare Part D drug benefit structure, which will result in lower drug costs for millions of Americans with Medicare through the concurrent release of the Draft 2025 Part D Redesign Program Instructions; because of the Inflation Reduction Act, annual out-of-pocket costs will be capped at $2000 for people with Medicare Part D in 2025. To help make medications more affordable, the Biden administration also sent offers today to drug companies that make 10 widely prescribed drugs for older Americans, including Eliqius, Jardiance, and Januvia. According to USA Today, Biden administration officials explained that these initial offers will start a dialogue with drug manufacturers over the spring and summer months; final prices for the first batch of drugs will be made public on September 1, and the negotiated prices will take effect in January 2026.

FDA Reports 561 Deaths Related to Philips Machines Since 2021

The FDA announced Wednesday that there have been 561 deaths related to the use of Philips’ recalled ventilators and machines for treating obstructive sleep apnea since 2021, according to Reuters. More specifically, in 2023, the FDA received more than 7000 medical device reports between July and September, including 111 reports of death related to the use of these machines. Consequently, Philips announced earlier this week that it would not sell new devices in the US to treat sleep apnea in the coming years as it works to comply with a settlement with the FDA; the company explained that it had reached a consent decree that spells out the improvements it needs to make at its Respironics plants in the US. This agreement followed the recall of millions of ventilators and breathing devices in 2021 because of concerns that foam used to reduce noise from the devices could degrade and become toxic, carrying potential cancer risks.

FDA Warns of Contaminated Copycat Eye Drops

The FDA warned the public against copycat eye drops due to infection risk, according to CBS News. The FDA explained on Wednesday that these eye drops, namely South Moon, Rebright, and FivFivGo, are offered in packaging that could easily be mistaken for Bausch + Lomb’s Limify eye drops, an over-the-counter product approved for redness relief. These copycat products claim to address conditions, such as glaucoma, treated with prescription drugs or surgery, but the agency has received reports related to these eye drops, including eye irritation, quality concerns, and infection. Consequently, the FDA tested South Moon and Rebright eye drop samples, and it found the former to be tainted with burkholderia cepacian complex, a group of bacteria that could cause an antibiotic-resistant infection. It also found that the 2 eye drops lacked brimonidine tartrate, the active ingredient in Limify. Conversely, the FDA could not obtain FivFivGo samples, and it advised against using Rebright eye drops despite not finding contamination. Overall, the FDA advised eye drop users to only buy products from reputable retailers, like state-licensed pharmacies.