Last night, Senators Durbin and Grassley filed an amendment to the Labor-HHS appropriations bill that would provide funding to enable the Department of Health and Human Services to require disclosure of drug pricing information in direct-to-consumer advertising for prescription drugs, as proposed  in the Trump Administration’s Blueprint to Lower Drug Prices.

CSRxP has long supported increased transparency in direct-to-consumer advertising, including the disclosure of the price of the drug being advertised, in order to give consumers the information that they need to make informed decisions.

Today, CSRxP sent a letter to Republican and Democratic leadership in support of the Durbin-Grassley amendment, the text of which is below.  A copy of the full letter can be found here.

Dear Majority Leader McConnell and Democratic Leader Schumer:

The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) is a nonpartisan coalition of organizations committed to fostering an informed discussion on sustainable drug pricing and to developing bipartisan, market-based solutions that promote competition, transparency, and value to improve affordability while maintaining patient access to innovative prescription drugs. Our members represent organizations including consumers, hospitals, physicians, nurses, pharmacists, employers, pharmacy benefit managers and insurance providers.

CSRxP is writing to urge inclusion of Amendment #3787 offered by Senators Durbin and Grassley in the Senate’s Labor-HHS Appropriations bill. This amendment would provide funding to enable the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to require disclosure of drug pricing information in direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. DTC advertising has the potential to lead to overutilization of high-cost prescription drugs, the costs of which are growing at an unsustainable rate and taking up a bigger portion of healthcare dollars each year. Requiring disclosure of drug pricing information in DTC advertising will meaningfully enhance drug pricing transparency and provide useful information for consumers as they engage in discussions with their providers about the best treatment options for their individual healthcare needs. Thus, CSRxP strongly supports and urges inclusion of Amendment #3787 in the Labor-HHS Appropriations bill.

Thank you for your leadership on this important topic. We look forward to continuing to work with Congress and the Administration on bipartisan, market-based solutions that reduce prescription drug prices.