CSRxP STATEMENT ON PRESIDENT TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS

Administration and Congress Must Enact Market-Based Solutions to Hold Big Pharma Accountable to Deliver Effective and Lasting Relief from High Prescription Drug Prices

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) released the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s remarks on prescription drug prices during the State of the Union address.

“CSRxP shares President Trump’s goal of lowering prescription drug prices for the American people and encourages both the Administration and Congress to deliver substantial and lasting relief by focusing on market-based solutions that truly hold Big Pharma accountable for egregious pricing practices and anti-competitive tactics,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “To effectively lower prescription drug prices for the American people, the Administration and Congress must move beyond voluntary manufacturer pledges to reduce prices on only a limited set of products and for only some consumers and instead take decisive action to dismantle Big Pharma’s patent abuse and price-gouging playbook that keeps Americans locked into paying high prices.”

“While they haven’t garnered as much attention as other initiatives, the Administration has taken positive first steps toward supporting greater biosimilar competition to high-priced brand name biologic drugs, improving inter-agency coordination to respond to Big Pharma’s abuse of the U.S. patent system, and bringing greater scrutiny to the pharmaceutical industry’s aggressive advertising directly targeting consumers,” Aronson continued. “The Administration can build on these positive first steps by supporting bipartisan, market-based solutions in Congress to crack down on Big Pharma’s egregious practices that are the root cause of high prescription drug prices in America.”

President Trump’s State of the Union address follows last week’s high-level, closed-door strategy session with top Administration officials on midterm election messaging, where, according to POLITICO reporting, GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio—a pollster for President Trump’s campaign—advised the group to focus on lowering prescription drug prices.

Last year, CSRxP released the results of public opinion research conducted by Fabrizio, showing that American voters overwhelmingly hold Big Pharma responsible for high prescription drug prices and support Congressional action on market-based solutions to lower prices by holding big drug companies accountable, especially on patent abuse.

Read more on the public opinion research conducted by Fabrizio Ward for CSRxP HERE.

Read more on bipartisan, market-based solutions to lower drug prices by holding Big Pharma accountable HERE.