Company: ARTL
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001640334-25-000335
Chunk: 28

Company: ARTELO BIOSCIENCES, INC.
Filing Date: 2025-03-03
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 1
Chunk 28
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 the state of Florida to import certain prescription drugs from Canada for a period of two years to help reduce drug costs, provided that Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration meets the requirements set forth by the FDA. Other states may follow Florida. Furthermore, there has been increased interest by third party payors and governmental authorities in reference to pricing systems and publication of discounts and list prices. The implementation of cost containment measures or other healthcare reforms may prevent us from being able to generate revenue, attain profitability or commercialize our product candidates.

The IRA became law in August 2022. The IRA includes new provisions related to health care, and prescription drug pricing in particular, which is expected to have far-reaching, long-term, and adverse effects on the pharmaceutical and biotech industry and its stakeholders. The prescription drug pricing provisions have already altered and terminated some pharmaceutical drug research and development strategies and going forward may impact patent litigation and market entry opportunities for competitor drugs.

Before the IRA became law, the Social Security Act prohibited the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from negotiating with drug manufacturers. The IRA now enables the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) within HHS to negotiate a “maximum fair price” (MFP) for selected high-expenditure, single-source drugs annually. The price setting provisions of the IRA may also discourage further development of drugs that have already been approved to treat one rare disease.

A single-source small molecule drug generally qualifies for selection if at least seven years have passed since the date of approval from the FDA and there are no generic alternatives commercially available. Drug manufacturers are provided approximately 24 months advance notice for negotiation with CMS prior to the implementation of the negotiated price therefore the pharmaceutical companies are afforded at least nine years before they are required sell their product under Medicare Part B and Part D, as applicable, at the CMS-negotiated price. Pharmaceutical products covered by private insurance or paid for in cash by patients are not subject to the CMS price-negotiated MFP.

The small-molecule drug development pipeline has been impacted as many large and small pharmaceutical and biotech companies have already shifted their strategies to accommodate slightly more favorable treatment of biologics. Under the IRA, biologics are afforded more time on the market before becoming eligible for price-reduction negotiations. Specifically, compared to a small-molecules, biologics now have an extra four years to recoup investments before being subjected to CMS-negotiated MFP. Consequently, investors may view biotech more favorably than small-molecule drug innovation.

Because federal funding