WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected appeals from pharmaceutical companies that object to negotiating Medicare drug prices with the federal government.

The justices did not comment in leaving in place rulings from the federal appeals court in Philadelphia that dismissed the drug manufacturers' claims.

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The negotiation program was created as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which capped years of debate over whether the federal government should be allowed to haggle directly with pharmaceutical companies over the prices of drugs in Medicare.

The law required the government to negotiate prices for certain high-cost drugs in the federal insurance program for older adults on an annual basis, with the first deals going into effect in 2026.