All manufacturers of the first 10 prescription drugs selected for Medicare price negotiations agreed to participate by the October 1 deadline. However, the court battle and war of words over the policy are expected to continue before negotiated prices take effect in 2026.

Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said this is the first step in making several of the costliest drugs more affordable. "We look forward to engaging with the drug manufacturers of the selected drugs that have decided to participate in the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program," she said. "Our goal is to ensure access to innovative treatments and therapies for people that need them, when they need them. Medicare will negotiate in good faith consistent with the requirements of the law on behalf of people with Medicare."

The 10 drugs and their manufacturers are:

• Eliquis, a blood thinner (Bristol Myers Squibb/Pfizer)
• Xarelto, a blood thinner (Johnson & Johnson)
• Januvia, a diabetes drug (Merck)
• Jardiance, a diabetes drug (Boehringer Ingelheim/Eli Lily)
• Enbrel, a rheumatoid arthritis drug (Amgen)
• Imbruvica, a drug for blood cancers (AbbVie/J&J)
• Farxiga, a drug for diabetes, heart failure and chronic kidney disease (AstraZeneca)
• Entresto, a heart failure drug (Novartis)
• Stelara, a drug for psoriasis and Crohn's disease (J&J)
• NovoLog, for diabetes (Novo Nordisk)

Even with the participation, however, the process still could be complicated by lawsuits from drugmakers and sharp criticism from Republicans. President Joe Biden noted in a video that the drug manufacturers' agreeing to participate followed a court decision allowing Medicare price negotiation plans to move forward.