Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY, “BMS”) today announced an agreement with the U.S. government to provide Eliquis® (apixaban), an oral anticoagulant relied upon by millions of Americans daily, for free to the Medicaid program and to donate more than seven tons of Eliquis active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) to ensure American supply chain resilience. The agreement is aligned with BMS’s ongoing commitment to advancing cardiovascular health, improving patient outcomes and collaborating with policymakers on solutions that lower costs for American patients and the healthcare system without jeopardizing future innovation.
“We are taking direct action to improve the lives of millions of Americans, ensuring our nation’s most vulnerable have access to this critical medicine at no cost,” said Christopher Boerner, Ph.D., Board Chair and CEO of Bristol Myers Squibb. “Today’s agreement builds on BMS’s efforts to improve affordability, increase transparency and continue to invest in America, where we have an over 165-year history of discovering and developing life-changing medicines.”
Eliquis is the most widely prescribed oral blood thinner with more than 15 million Americans having been prescribed the medicine since it was first launched. It is an important treatment option for patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib), not caused by a heart valve problem, who rely on the medicine to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots, as well to treat blood clots in the legs or lungs and reduce the risk of them recurring in patients with deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. For every 100,000 patients treated, Eliquis has resulted in an estimated $3 billion in total healthcare cost savings and avoidance, such as hospitalization and extended rehabilitation needs.
Additional Agreement Details
As part of the agreement, BMS will address the Administration’s four priority areas:
- Make Eliquis available to Medicaid for free starting on January 1, 2026, lowering costs for patients and the healthcare system.
- Contribute a historic donation of more than seven tons of Eliquis API to fill the U.S. Strategic Active Ingredient Reserve at no cost to the U.S. government or taxpayers.
- Launch new medicines with a more balanced pricing approach across developed nations.
- Enable direct-to-patient access for cash-paying patients to Sotyktu® (deucravacitinib), Zeposia® (ozanimod), Reyataz® (atazanavir), Baraclude® (entecavir), and Orencia® SC (abatacept), making these important medicines available at discounts approximately 80% off current list prices.
The specific terms of the agreement remain confidential.
In addition, as part of the commitment BMS made earlier this year to invest $40 billion in the United States over the next five years, the company will continue to expand domestic production across the United States in support of additional onshoring of BMS medicines.
BMS will receive three years of tariff relief and will not be subject to future pricing mandates.
Eliquis is promoted by the Bristol Myers Squibb-Pfizer Alliance.
U.S. Indications and Important Safety Information
Indications
ELIQUIS is a prescription medicine used in adults to reduce the risk of stroke and blood clots in people who have atrial fibrillation, a type of irregular heartbeat, not caused by a heart valve problem.
ELIQUIS is a prescription medicine used in adults to help prevent a blood clot in the veins of your legs (deep vein thrombosis- DVT) and lungs (pulmonary embolism-PE) of people who have just had hip or knee replacement surgery.
ELIQUIS is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat blood clots in the veins of your legs (deep vein thrombosis-DVT) or lungs (pulmonary embolism-PE), and to reduce the risk of them occurring again after receiving treatment for blood clots.
ELIQUIS is a prescription medicine used in children from birth and older to treat blood clots in the veins of legs and lungs (venous thromboembolism) after at least 5 days of initial anticoagulant treatment, and to reduce the risk of them happening again. ELIQUIS was not studied and is not recommended in children weighing less than 5.7 pounds (2.6 kg).
Important Safety Information
ELIQUIS may cause serious side effects, including:
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Increased risk of blood clots if you stop taking ELIQUIS. ELIQUIS lowers your chance of having a stroke by helping to prevent clots from forming. Do not stop taking ELIQUIS without talking to the healthcare provider who prescribed it for you. Stopping ELIQUIS increases your risk of having a stroke.
ELIQUIS may need to be stopped prior to surgery or a medical or dental procedure. Your healthcare provider will tell you when you should stop taking ELIQUIS and when you may start taking it again. If you have to stop taking ELIQUIS, your healthcare provider may prescribe another medicine to help prevent a blood clot from forming.
- ELIQUIS can cause bleeding, which can be serious, and may lead to death. This is because ELIQUIS is a blood thinner medicine that reduces blood clotting.
You may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take ELIQUIS and take other medicines that increase your risk of bleeding, such as aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (called NSAIDs), warfarin, heparin, clopidogrel, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and other medicines to help prevent or treat blood clots.
Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you or your child take, including any over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
While taking ELIQUIS, you may bruise more easily and it may take longer than usual for any bleeding to stop.
Call your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you or your child have any of these signs or symptoms of bleeding when taking ELIQUIS:
- unexpected bleeding or bruising, or bleeding that lasts a long time, such as unusual bleeding from the gums, nose bleeds that happen often, or menstrual or vaginal bleeding that is heavier than normal
- bleeding that is severe or you cannot control
- red, pink, or brown urine; red or black stools (looks like tar)
- coughing up or vomiting blood or vomit that looks like “coffee grounds”
- unexpected pain, swelling, or joint pain
- headaches, or feeling dizzy or weak
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Spinal or epidural blood clots (hematoma). People who take ELIQUIS, and have medicine injected into their spinal and epidural area, or have a spinal puncture have a risk of forming a blood clot that can cause long-term or permanent loss of the ability to move (paralysis). Your risk of developing a spinal or epidural blood clot is higher if:
- a thin tube called an epidural catheter is placed in your back to give you certain medicine
- you take NSAIDs or a medicine to prevent blood from clotting
- you have a history of difficult or repeated epidural or spinal punctures
- you have a history of problems with your spine or have had surgery on your spine
If you take ELIQUIS and receive spinal anesthesia or have a spinal puncture, your healthcare provider should watch you closely for symptoms of spinal or epidural blood clots or bleeding. Tell your healthcare provider or get medical help right away if you have back pain, tingling, numbness, or muscle weakness, especially in your legs and feet, or loss of control of the bowels or bladder (incontinence).
- ELIQUIS is not for use in people with artificial heart valves.
- ELIQUIS is not for use in people with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS), especially with positive triple antibody testing.
Do not take ELIQUIS if you or your child currently have certain types of abnormal bleeding or have had a severe allergic reaction to ELIQUIS or any of the ingredients.
Before taking ELIQUIS, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you or your child have or ever had bleeding problems, have kidney or liver problems, or have antiphospholipid syndrome. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, or plan to become pregnant or breastfeed. Taking ELIQUIS during pregnancy may increase the risk of bleeding in you or in your unborn baby. Do not breastfeed during treatment with ELIQUIS. Females who are able to become pregnant: talk with your healthcare provider about pregnancy planning, and your risk of severe uterine bleeding if you are treated with ELIQUIS.
Take ELIQUIS exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider. Take ELIQUIS twice every day, and do not change your dose or stop taking it unless your healthcare provider tells you to. If you or your child misses a dose of ELIQUIS, take it as soon as you remember on the same day, and do not take 2 doses at the same time to make up for a missed dose. Do not stop taking ELIQUIS without first talking with your healthcare provider. Do not run out of ELIQUIS. Refill your prescription before you run out. When leaving the hospital following hip or knee replacement, be sure that you will have ELIQUIS available to avoid missing any doses.
For children who take ELIQUIS, see the detailed Instructions for Use on how to prepare and give a dose of ELIQUIS. Always give ELIQUIS exactly as your child’s healthcare provider or pharmacist has told you. Do not change your child’s dose without talking with the healthcare provider. If a child vomits or spits up within 30 minutes after taking ELIQUIS, repeat the dose. If a child vomits or spits up more than 30 minutes after taking ELIQUIS, do not repeat the dose. Contact the healthcare provider if your child repeatedly vomits or spits up after taking ELIQUIS.
The most common side effect of ELIQUIS in adults was bleeding.
The most common side effects of ELIQUIS in children include headache, vomiting, and heavy menstrual bleeding.
Please see U.S. Full Prescribing Information, including Boxed WARNINGS and Medication Guide.
Baraclude U.S. Indications and Important Safety Information
Please see U.S. full prescribing information including Boxed WARNINGS and Patient Information for Baraclude.
About Bristol Myers Squibb: Transforming Patients' Lives Through Science
At Bristol Myers Squibb, our mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. We are pursuing bold science to define what's possible for the future of medicine and the patients we serve. For more information, visit us at BMS.com and follow us on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.
Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding, among other things, BMS’s agreement with the U.S. government and each party’s commitments therein. All statements that are not statements of historical facts are, or may be deemed to be, forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and projections about our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives and involve inherent risks, assumptions and uncertainties, including internal or external factors that could delay, divert or change any of them in the next several years, that are difficult to predict, may be beyond our control and could cause our future financial results, goals, plans and objectives to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied by, the statements. These risks, assumptions, uncertainties and other factors include, among others, that the expected benefits of, and opportunities related to, the agreement with the U.S. government may not be realized by Bristol Myers Squibb. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements in this press release should be evaluated together with the many risks and uncertainties that affect Bristol Myers Squibb’s business and market, particularly those identified in the cautionary statement and risk factors discussion in Bristol Myers Squibb’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, as updated by our subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made only as of the date of this document and except as otherwise required by applicable law, Bristol Myers Squibb undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, changed circumstances or otherwise.
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