Healthcare (Prescription Drugs)

This bill (S 2676) sets new rules for health insurance step therapy protocols, which require patients to try lower-cost medications first before covering more expensive options. It directly affects health insurance plans and patients needing specialty medications by limiting step therapy to no more than two drugs in the same category, capping the required trial period at 30 days (or evidence-based guidelines), and requiring insurers to accept doctors' written documentation of treatment failure as proof. The bill also prevents insurers from reapplying step therapy for patients who completed it under prior coverage or for drugs previously approved by the plan. These changes take effect January 1, 2026.

Relates to preserving access to affordable drugs; provides that an agreement resolving or settling, on a final or interim basis, a patent infringement claim, in connection with the sale of a pharmaceutical product, shall be presumed to have anticompetitive effects if a nonreference drug filer receives anything of value from another company asserting patent infringement and if the nonreference drug filer agrees to limit or forego research, development, manufacturing, marketing, or sales of the nonreference drug filer's product for any period of time.

Enacts the "New York affordable drug manufacturing act" to direct the commissioner of health to enter into partnerships to increase competition, lower prices, and address shortages in the market for generic prescription drugs, to reduce the cost of prescription drugs for public and private purchasers, taxpayers, and consumers, and to increase patient access to affordable drugs.