PhRMA slams Arkansas drug price proposal

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has told theMarketletter that the US state of Arkansas' proposed drug pricing legislation, which would include the setting-up of a Fair Drug Pricing Board (Marketletter January 29), seems to violate the interstate commerce clause that allows free and competitive pricing. This is a state price control bill, he said, and the last thing that is needed is a patchwork quilt of different, and perhaps even conflicting, state laws.

The problem is principally one for seniors, as Medicare does not cover pharmaceuticals outside the hospital or nursing-home setting, he added, and 35% of all seniors nationally do not have third-party drug coverage.

This is a national problem that needs a national solution, he told the Marketletter, and it is time for the new Congress to act. He expressed cautious optimism that both sides of the political aisle think there is a need for a Medicare reform program, noting that they also recognize that the voters have made their views clear, so a bipartisan agreement is possible.