On December 28, 2020, the District Court for the Northern District of California granted a motion for a preliminary injunction enjoining the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services from implementing the Most Favored Nation Rule (the “Rule”, summarized in our December 23 post) until the notice and comment procedures required by the federal Administrative Procedures Act (“APA”) are completed. The opinion, penned by Judge Chhabria, largely adopts the reasoning of the District Court for the District of Maryland, which granted a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the Rule last week. Judge Chhabria notes that the plaintiffs are “virtually certain” to prevail on their claim that the government violated the APA, and concludes that vacating the Rule in its entirety pending completion of the notice and comment period is the only appropriate path, as enjoining its enforcement as to the plaintiffs only runs contrary to the underlying purposes of the Rule itself. We will continue to monitor pending suits and other developments related to the Rule’s implementation.
Monthly Archives: December 2020
On December 23, 2020, The District Court for the District of Maryland granted a temporary restraining order temporarily ceasing the implementation of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) Most Favored Nations Rule (the “Rule”) for fourteen (14) days. The Rule, published on November 27, seeks to lower the amount paid for 50 high-cost Medicare Part B drugs to the lowest price that drug manufacturers receive in similar countries. The Rule was set to take effect on January 1, 2021. Several suits have been filed challenging the Rule’s validity and CMS’ authority in issuing the Rule, particularly since the Rule was issued without the usual notice and comment procedures. In granting the TRO, the Court found that the plaintiffs demonstrated a likelihood of success on the merits of their claim under the Administrative Procedures Act, which requires an agency to publish a general notice of proposed rulemaking in the Federal Register and allow stakeholders to comment. We will continue to monitor developments on this case and the other pending cases closely.