Washington, DC – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) announced its endorsement of the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (“CREATES”) Act, a bill introduced last week in the United States Senate.
The CREATES Act (S. 3056) would close a loophole in U.S. law that allows some pharmaceutical corporations to deny samples of branded drugs to generic manufacturers. Such anticompetitive practices prevent generic drug companies from pursuing the necessary research to comply with FDA regulations and bring alternate products to market. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT). The bill is scheduled for consideration tomorrow, June 21, by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights.
In a letter of support sent to Senators today, CSRxP’s Executive Director John Rother wrote, “This practice restricts competition in the market and often leaves patients with fewer choices for their medications. As a result, patients may be at the mercy of a single drug company for the medication they need to stay healthy, and that company is free to set the price for the medication indiscriminately. Such practices put a financial strain on patients and drive up health care expenses for everyone.”
CSRxP’s diverse membership includes hospitals, physicians, pharmacists, nurses, health plans, patients, and employers that together are concerned about the hefty burden rising drug prices have on American families, taxpayers, and the entire health care system. The group advocates for increasing transparency, competition, and value in the prescription drug market.