Recent Headlines Showcase Positive Progress Toward Cracking Down on Big Pharma’s Patent Abuse in U.S. Senate

Lawmakers' Focus Should Remain on Anti-Competitive Drug Company Tactics that Keep Prices High, Reject Pharma-Backed Anti-PBM Agenda

The U.S. Senate recently took a step in the right direction to promote a more affordable, competitive prescription drug marketplace by holding a hearing in the Committee on the Judiciary focused on Big Pharma's abuse of the patent system, followed by the unanimous passage of The Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act (S. 150) that would crack down on egregious patent thickets. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that legislation targeting patent thickets would result in $1.8 billion in savings for taxpayers.

Lawmakers in both chambers should build on this positive progress by focusing on the root cause of high prescription drug prices - Big Pharma's anti-competitive tactics that block competition from more affordable options.

At the same time, lawmakers must reject the Big Pharma agenda targeting pharmacy benefit companies that would do nothing to lower drug costs, including the so-called "delinking" policy. This measure would increase health care premiums more than $39 billion annually if applied to the commercial health insurance market and Medicare Part D program. "Delinking" would give drug companies a $32 billion windfall in higher profits each year by undermining market-based incentives that help PBMs secure savings for health plan sponsors, including employers and labor unions.

Media outlets across the country are reporting on the positive impact of the Senate working to curb Big Pharma's anti-competitive abuse of the patent system, with just a sampling below:

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PCMA is the national association representing America's pharmacy benefit companies. Pharmacy benefit companies are working every day to secure savings, enable better health outcomes, and support access to quality prescription drug coverage for more than 275 million patients.