CSRxP Applauds Administration for Withdrawal of Controversial Rebate Rule

Decision to Sideline Misguided Proposal a Huge Win for America’s Seniors & Taxpayers, Loss for Big Pharma

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) issued a statement today reacting to the administration’s decision to withdraw a proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) known as the Rebate Rule.

“This decision is a huge win for America’s seniors and a huge loss for Big Pharma,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “We applaud the administration for seeing through Big Pharma’s blame game and making the right call to withdraw this controversial rule.”

“The withdrawal of the Rebate Rule will allow both the administration and Congress to put greater focus on solutions that will hold Big Pharma accountable and lower prescription drug prices,” Aronson continued. “As Big Pharma is quickly learning, things are different in Washington now and policymakers must capitalize on the unprecedented momentum to crack down on the industry’s egregious pricing practices.”

CSRxP has been a leading voice in opposition to the Rebate Rule since its introduction by HHS in February of this year. In March, CSRxP announced a seven-figure, 20-state media and grassroots campaign against the rule, noting its projected premium hikes on seniors, $200 billion price tag for taxpayers and $100 billion bailout for Big Pharma.

That campaign mobilized a broad-base of concerned voices to encourage policymakers to oppose this misguided regulation and instead focus on market-based solutions to increase competition and lower prescription drug prices.

An April op-ed from CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson detailed how the proposed rule fit into Big Pharma’s wider blame game campaign to escape culpability for the drug pricing crisis in America.

In late May, CSRxP commissioned a survey that found Americans shared serious concerns with the proposed rule. The poll found Americans wanted policymakers in Washington to focus on measures to hold Big Pharma accountable rather than to reform rebates by a 68-point margin.

More on market-based solutions to increase competition and boost transparency can be found HERE.