Medicare Generic Drug List

(Reuters) – The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a preliminary list of 101 generic drugs available for no more than $2 for a month's supply for Medicare enrollees.

The initial list includes common prescriptions such as penicillin, metformin, lithium, and albuterol asthma inhalers, as well as drugs for high cholesterol and high blood pressure among other chronic conditions.

CMS intends to include many drugs used for common conditions and will periodically update the list once finalized. Liz Fowler, CMS deputy administrator and director of the Innovation Center, stated this in a release.

The agency, seeking feedback after the pilot launch, said the program could start as early as January 2027. The initiative aims to assess if a simplified approach to offering low-cost generic drugs can enhance medication adherence, according to CMS.

Generic drugs on this sample list will not require prior authorization or quantity limits.

Axios first reported the release of the sample list earlier on Wednesday.

The Medicare health program is a federal health insurance initiative for millions of Americans aged 65 and older and the disabled. It spends billions annually on medications for over 67 million enrollees. Recently, it introduced new maximum prices for the first 10 high-cost prescription medicines negotiated under the Biden Administration's Inflation Reduction Act.