Under COMAR 14.01.05.04D(1), the Board, through staff, is convening two informational hearings to receive input, information, and opinions from the public and stakeholders to assist the Board in developing policy to address the affordability challenges created by the use of Ozempic and Trulicity.
Informational Hearings:
December 16, 2025 December 16, 2025
1:00 p.m. 6:00 p.m.
Virtual Hearing via Zoom Virtual Hearing via Zoom
Registration to Attend/Observe Hearing
A person may register to attend/observe any or all of the scheduled hearings. However, a person may only register to speak at a single hearing to allow other interested persons an opportunity to speak.
Any person wishing to attend the December 16, 2025 1:00 p.m. hearing may register here.
Any person wishing to attend the December 16, 2025 6:00 p.m. hearing may register here.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with information about joining the hearing.
Registration to Provide Testimony
A person who wishes to provide input, information and opinions by testifying at the hearing shall register here (by google form), by close of business Wednesday, December 10, 2025. The person shall provide their name, address, email, phone number, employer or professional organization (if speaking on an organization’s behalf), identify the hearing at which they wish to speak, and the topics listed below or any other topic that the person wishes to address.
Hearing Mechanics
A specified time limit for testimony has not been set. However, depending on the number of speakers, a reasonable time limit for testimony may be established.
An individual with a disability should contact the Board as soon as possible regarding the need for any accommodation.The Board provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities with reasonable advance notice.
Call for Testimony and Information
These informational hearings are scheduled to receive input, information, and opinions from the public and stakeholders to help the Board identify and develop policies to address the affordability challenges created by the use of Ozempic and Trulicity.
The circumstance under which the prescription drug (Ozempic) has led to affordability challenges include:
The circumstances under which the prescription drug product (Trulicity) has led to affordability challenges include:
total gross spending for Trulicity for state and local governments exceeds 2.27% of gross prescription drug spend for state and local governments (public session); and
the percent change in WAC over certain periods is substantially larger than the percentage change in inflation (rate of increase in inflation) (closed session)
The Board has identified the following questions, topics or matters about which the Board would like to receive information in the informational hearings.
Although these are mostly technical topics, the Board welcomes all public input to help the Board understand these affordability challenges and identify policies to help make prescription drugs affordable.
Explanatory Definitions
“Driver” means a factor that causes a particular phenomenon to happen or develop.
Topic One - Patient Experience
Please describe your experience accessing and paying for Ozempic and/or Trulicity.
Have you used any programs or tools to help you afford the drug, such as a patient assistance program, discount program, savings programs, or coupon programs? If so, please describe your experience.
What policies do you think could help you access and afford Ozempic and/or Trulicity?
Topic Two - Clinician Experience
What are the key factors you consider in prescribing Ozempic and/or Trulicity for your patients?
What do you do when your patient tells you that they cannot afford their drug?
What policies could help your patients access and afford Ozempic and/or Trulicity?
Topic Three - Drivers and Policies to Address Drivers
What driver(s) caused or contributed to each circumstance? Please explain how that driver works and how it contributed to the circumstance.
What information demonstrates or supports the existence of this driver?.
What policies could address this driver?
Topic Four- Wholesale Acquisition Cost (WAC) Increases
How do minimum rebate guarantees under PBM contracts impact the WAC?
How does the WAC, and potential increases in the WAC, impact PBM-manufacturer negotiations?
How much do production costs increase over time and what percentage of the WAC increases are attributable to production costs?
What other costs would explain the higher rates of increase in the WAC set by the drug companies?
Could the increase in demand for these products explain or justify the WAC increase?
Does emerging clinical information about the product justify the WAC increase?
Topic Five - Exploring Some Identified Policy Options
How might WAC inflation penalties (charges for manufacturers for increasing WAC faster than inflation) disincentivize WAC increases?
What changes to PBM contracts would discourage WAC increases?
How might a UPL change the incentives for WAC increases?
How would the application of a UPL to the drug impact the formulary placement of the drug?
NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR WRITTEN COMMENTS IN LIEU OF VERBAL TESTIMONY AT THE INFORMATIONAL HEARINGS SCHEDULED FOR December 16, 2025
Members of the public have sought to submit written testimony in lieu of oral testimony for the Informational Hearing. Under the regulations, the informational hearing allows interested persons to provide verbal testimony and submit relevant exhibits in support of the testimony. COMAR 14.01.01.06. It does not provide for the submission of written testimony as part of the informational hearing.
To provide an avenue for written testimony in lieu of verbal testimony, the Board hereby requests, under COMAR 14.01.01.05B(4), public written comment, in lieu of verbal testimony, on the five topics and questions identified in the Notice of Informational Hearing published on December 1, 2025
Written comments submitted in lieu of verbal testimony must be submitted to [email protected] by Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 12:00 PM ET.
Please utilize the subject line: “Informational Hearing Written Testimony (Drug Name)”
A PDF Version of this notice can be found 
here.
