CSRxP STATEMENT ON SENATE JUDICIARY PASSAGE OF BIPARTISAN, MARKET-BASED SOLUTIONS TO HOLD BIG PHARMA ACCOUNTABLE, LOWER DRUG PRICES

Committee Markup Advances Legislation to Crack Down on Big Pharma’s Anti-Competitive Tactics, Including Patent Abuse, That Keep Drug Prices High and Cost the American People Billions of Dollars

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) released the following statement on the advancement of several bipartisan, market-based solutions aimed at addressing prescription drug prices by the U.S. Senate Committee on the Judiciary during an Executive Business Meeting Thursday.

“CSRxP applauds Chairman Grassley, Ranking Member Durbin and members of the Committee for once again demonstrating their commitment to lowering prescription drug prices in America by holding Big Pharma accountable for egregious anti-competitive practices,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “Big Pharma extends monopolies on blockbuster products, and keeps prescription drug prices high, by exploiting regulatory loopholes and gaming the patent system to undermine competition from more affordable alternatives, like generics and biosimilars. The market-based solutions advanced by the Committee have a track record of support from both sides of the aisle and should be swiftly passed into law by the full Congress to deliver relief from Big Pharma’s egregious pricing practices and anti-competitive tactics.”

CSRxP-supported legislation passed by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday includes:

• S. 1040. The Drug Competition Enhancement Act, introduced by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL), would crack down on Big Pharma’s egregious patent abuse tactic called product-hopping, that involves making small changes to a brand name drug to extend monopolies, disconnected from true innovation.
  
• S. 1041. The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act, introduced by Senators Cornyn (R-TX), Blumenthal (D-CT), Grassley (R-IA) and Durbin (D-IL), would crack down on Big Pharma’s use of patent thickets to block competition from more affordable biosimilars with dozens, even hundreds, of patents on the same biologic drug.
  
• S. 1097. The Interagency Patent Coordination and Improvement Act of 2025, introduced by Senators Durbin (D-IL), Thom Tillis (R-NC), Grassley (R-IA), Chris Coons (D-DE) and Peter Welch (D-VT), would improve coordination between the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to support competition and hold brand name drug companies accountable for patent abuse.
  
• S. 1095. The Stop Significant and Time-Wasting Abuse Limiting Legitimate Innovation of New Generics (STALLING) Act, introduced by Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Grassley (R-IA), Durbin (D-IL), Blumenthal (D-CT), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Welch (D-VT) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), targets Big Pharma abuse of the FDA’s citizen petition process to delay generic drug applications.
  
• S. 1096. The Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act, introduced by Senators Klobuchar (D-MN), Grassley (R-IA), Durbin (D-IL), Blumenthal (D-CT), Welch (D-VT) and Booker (D-NJ), ensures patent settlement agreements facilitate timely competition from more affordable alternatives.

Solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable for anti-competitive practices have been previously advanced by the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the five bills would deliver $5 billion in combined savings through lower prescription drug prices over 10 years.

The full U.S. Senate unanimously passed The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act in July 2024. CBO estimated that bill alone would save $1.8 billion.

Read more about Big Pharma’s out-of-control drug prices HERE and patent abuse HERE.

Read more on bipartisan, market-based solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable HERE.