PhRMA's Ubl Calls Senate Passage of Partisan Drug Pricing Plan a "Tragic Loss for Patients"

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 7, 2022) – The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) President and CEO Stephen J. Ubl released the following statement after the U.S. Senate passed a reconciliation spending bill, which includes a proposal that would allow the government to set prices for prescription medicines:

“Today’s vote may feel like a political win for Democrats, but it’s really a tragic loss for patients. This drug pricing plan is based on a litany of false promises. They say they’re fighting inflation, but the Biden administration’s own data show that prescription medicines are not fueling inflation. They say this is “negotiation,” but the bill gives the government unchecked authority to set the price of medicines. And they say the bill won’t harm innovation, but various experts, biotech investors and patient advocates agree that this bill will lead to fewer new cures and treatments for patients battling cancer, Alzheimer’s and other diseases.

“They’re also misleading the American people when they say this bill fixes the affordability challenges patients face. This bill provides almost no relief to millions of individuals trapped in an insurance system that discriminates against sick patients. Under this bill, patients will still be forced to pay more for medicine than their insurance company pays. Democratic leaders seized every opportunity to make this bill worse for patients, including giving insurers the green light to raise premiums by six percent and delaying a rebate rule that would provide immediate relief to millions of seniors. When given the choice to stand with patients or insurers and middlemen, Senate Democrats stood by insurers and middlemen.

“Once the government can set prices for life saving medicines, it will demand even more control over the health care of American patients and the collateral damage from this bill will only grow. There is still time to reject this partisan bill and work on bipartisan reforms that lower costs at the pharmacy and protect the hope patients have for new treatments. We urge the House to do what’s needed to stop this dangerous bill and deliver the kind of meaningful patient-centered reforms the American people are counting on.”

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