Call it the Make Drug Prices High Again executive order. 

Among many executive orders signed Monday by incoming President Donald Trump was an order reversing an initiative signed by former President Joe Biden directing Medicare and Medicaid agencies to test models that could both lower prescription drug prices and make cell and gene therapy treatments more accessible to Medicaid recipients. 

Alabama was among numerous states that opted into the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model, which was accepting applications for the program through February. 

Cell and gene therapies have shown great promise in treating a number of diseases and have proven to be particularly effective in treating a number of types of cancer and sickle cell. However, the therapies are expensive and were thus unavailable to most Medicaid recipients prior to the implementation of the pilot program. The program created multi-state purchasing agreements that made the treatments more affordable for states, thus allowing Medicaid recipients – most of whom are children and/or live well below the poverty line – access to the life-saving treatments. 

Additionally, Trump’s reversal of Biden’s order ended two […]