Michael Storer perhaps flew under the radar as a stage race and Grand Tour rider in 2025,but the quietly-spoken Australian won a stage at Paris-Nice,the GC at the Tour of the Alps,was tenth in a crash-striken Giro d’Italia, twice went close to a stage victory in the Tour de France and then ended the 2025 season with third at Il Lombardia.
Storer scored 2,083 points during the last year, more than any other rider at Tudor, helping the Swiss team secure automatic invitations to all the 2026 WorldTour races.
He is 28 and perhaps near his peak, after turning professional at just 20 with Team Sunweb. He then had a spell at Groupama-FDJ before becoming one of Tudor’s first significant signings in 2024 alongside Matteo Trentin.
“I can’t see why there isn’t more to come,” Storer said quietly of 2026, his inner ambitions louder than his voice.
“My main goal is to keep progressing as a cyclist and try to work on all the aspects of my performance.If I make those improvements, I’ll already be happy, regardless of what the results sheets say. At the same time, it’d be great to win a big race.”
Tudor wisely extended Storer’s contract during the winter until 2028,and he will lead the team in this year’s Giro and then probably again target stages at the Tour de france.
“It’s a team where I feel like I really belong,” he said of the Swiss ProTeam owned and managed b“`html
The Inflation Reduction act and Prescription Drug Pricing
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The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), signed into law on August 16, 2022, allows Medicare to negotiate the prices of certain prescription drugs, aiming to lower healthcare costs for seniors and taxpayers. This marks a significant shift in U.S. policy, as previously Medicare was prohibited from directly negotiating drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.
How Medicare Drug Price Negotiation works
The IRA implements a phased approach to drug price negotiation. Beginning in 2026, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will select drugs for negotiation based on several factors, including high Medicare spending, lack of generic or biosimilar competition, and having been on the market for a certain period. Negotiations will occur annually, with the negotiated prices taking effect the following year.
Initially, ten drugs will be selected for negotiation in 2026, increasing to 15 drugs in 2027, 20 drugs in 2028, and 25 drugs in 2029. Drugs eligible for negotiation must be single-source brand-name drugs without generic or biosimilar competition. CMS Fact Sheet provides detailed facts on the negotiation process.
Drugs Eligible for Negotiation
The first 10 drugs selected for Medicare price negotiation were announced on September 29, 2023. CMS Press Release details these selections. These drugs treat conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, and blood clots. They include:
- Eliquis (apixaban) – blood thinner
- Xarelto (rivaroxaban) – blood thinner
- Entresto (sacubitril/valsartan) – heart failure
- Farxiga (dapagliflozin) - diabetes and heart failure
- Fiasp/NovoLog (insulin aspart) – diabetes
- Januvia (sitagliptin) – diabetes
- Stelara (ustekinumab) – autoimmune conditions
- Imbruvica (ibrutinib) – blood cancers
- Revlimid (lenalidomide) – blood cancers
- Jardiance (empagliflozin) – diabetes and heart failure
These drugs accounted for $50.5 billion in Medicare Part D gross drug costs in 2022, representing nearly 30% of total Part D gross drug costs. CMS Fact Sheet
Impact on Patients and the Healthcare System
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that the IRA will reduce federal deficits by $264 billion over ten years, largely due to the savings from drug price negotiation. CBO Report.The CBO also projects that the IRA will lower out-of-pocket drug costs for Medicare beneficiaries. However, the pharmaceutical industry argues that the law will stifle innovation and reduce investment in new drug development.
Such as,the negotiated price for Eliquis is expected to be substantially lower than its current list price,potentially saving Medicare beneficiaries hundreds of dollars annually. The exact savings will depend on the final negotiated prices, which will be announced by CMS in the coming months. KFF Health Care Costs provides ongoing analysis of the IRA’s impact.
Legal Challenges
The IRA has faced legal challenges from the pharmaceutical industry, arguing that the drug price negotiation provisions are unconstitutional.Several lawsuits have been filed, alleging that the law violates the Fifth Amendment’s Takings Clause and the Fourteenth Amendment’s due Process Clause.On January 17, 2024, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio dismissed a lawsuit brought by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) challenging the constitutionality of the IRA’s
