CSRXP STATEMENT ON U.S. SENATE PASSAGE OF REBATE RULE DELAY & REFUND ACT AS PART OF BIPARTISAN INFRASTRUCTURE BILL

Aug 10, 2021

Lawmakers Must Build on Momentum For Action With Permanent Repeal of Rebate Rule and Solutions to Hold Big Pharma Accountable and Lower Drug Prices

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) released a statement Tuesday reacting to the U.S. Senate passage of the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that included the REFUND Act and a three-year delay of the pharma-backed Rebate Rule.

“CSRxP commends lawmakers for taking a positive first step toward holding Big Pharma accountable by delaying the misguided, pharma-backed Rebate Rule and advancing the REFUND Act,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “Lawmakers should build on the unprecedented momentum for action by swiftly advancing additional solutions to lower drug prices and hold Big Pharma accountable, including a permanent repeal of the Rebate Rule.”

“The Rebate Rule would do nothing to lower prescription drug prices, would hike premiums on America’s seniors, cost taxpayers more than $200 billion and hand drug companies a more than $100 billion bailout if implemented,” Aronson continued. “This policy is central to Big Pharma’s blame game strategy of pointing a finger at others in the supply chain to avoid accountability for the industry’s egregious pricing and anti-competitive practices and it must be permanently repealed.”

“The REFUND Act will enable patients and taxpayers to recoup dollars paid to drug makers for medications that are wasted when drug companies package their products in excessively large, single-use drug vials that contain more medicine than is needed by most patients,” Aronson said. “We applaud senators, on both sides of the aisle, for recognizing the value of this solution which garnered substantial bipartisan support in the last Congress.”

Get the facts on the pharma-backed Rebate Rule HERE.

Learn more on market-based solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable and lower prescription drug prices HERE.