CSRxP Urges HELP Committee to Strengthen Drug Pricing Package with Measures to Boost Competition and Transparency

Bipartisan CREATES, FAIR Drug Pricing and REMEDY Acts Will Deliver Relief for American Patients

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) today issued a statement on comments submitted to Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Ranking Member Patty Murray (D-WA) of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee on ways to strengthen the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019:

“We commend the bipartisan commitment Chairman Alexander and Ranking Member Murray have made to improving the affordability of prescription drugs for millions of Americans,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “In the spirit of that commitment, we urge leaders of the Committee to strengthen the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 by adding market-based solutions that tackle Big Pharma’s anti-competitive tactics and price gouging.”

“We encourage the HELP Committee to take up, consider and advance the CREATES Act, FAIR Drug Pricing Act and the REMEDY Act as part of its drug pricing package,” Aronson continued. “These measures have broad bipartisan support and will help address the core of the crisis by increasing competition and boosting transparency.”

“We look forward to working with the Committee to continue advancing bipartisan, market-based solutions that will bring much-needed relief to patients,” Aronson added.

The CREATES Act would crack down on REMS abuse, an anti-competitive tactic employed by Big Pharma to deny generic manufacturers access to samples of brand name drugs needed to complete U.S. Food and Drug Administration testing. The CREATES Act was passed by the House in May after winning broad bipartisan support advancing through the committee process. The measure was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and has an additional 30 co-sponsors from both sides of the aisle and representing every region of the country.

The REMEDY Act targets legal loopholes Big Pharma employs to abuse the patent system and allow more generic and biosimilar drugs to safely enter the market more quickly. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) and has been co-sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and Tina Smith (D-MN).

The FAIR Drug Pricing Act will require drug companies to justify substantial or rapid list price hikes, adding an important layer of transparency and accountability to Big Pharma and providing a deterrent to price gouging. The bill was introduced in the Senate by Sens. Mike Braun (R-ID) and Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and has been co-sponsored by Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Tina Smith (D-MN).

To read CSRxP’s full comments click HERE.