CSRxP ENCOURAGES HELP COMMITTEE TO BUILD MOMENTUM BEHIND BIPARTISAN SOLUTIONS TO LOWER PRESCRIPTION DRUG PRICES BY FOSTERING GREATER COMPETITION

Lawmakers Should Reject Big Pharma’s Debunked Rhetoric on Innovation, Hold Brand Name Manufacturers Accountable to Foster Greater Generic and Biosimilar Competition

Washington, D.C. – The Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing (CSRxP) released the following statement ahead of a Thursday hearing titled “Making Medicines More Affordable: How Competition Can Lower Drug Prices” in the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP).

“Big Pharma’s egregious pricing practices and anti-competitive tactics are driving health care inflation and blocking more affordable alternatives, like generics and biosimilars, from reaching American patients and lowering prices in the marketplace,” said CSRxP executive director Lauren Aronson. “Big Pharma opposes market-based solutions that would lower prescription drug prices by falsely claiming egregious prices and extended monopolies are justified by investments in innovation, despite routinely spending more on marketing than research and development (R&D) and numerous studies debunking any connection between prices set by brand name manufacturers and clinical value for patients or investments in R&D.”

“As Members of the Committee meet to consider how to make medicines more affordable, CSRxP encourages lawmakers to reject Big Pharma’s debunked rhetoric on innovation and build momentum behind bipartisan solutions to bring more affordable alternatives to market, more quickly, to effectively lower drug prices for consumers,” Aronson continued.

Bipartisan, market-based solutions the Committee on HELP can advance to lower drug prices for the American people by fostering greater competition include:

• Biosimilar Red Tape Elimination Act (S.1954)
• Medication Affordability and Patent Integrity Act (S.2658)
• Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years (REMEDY) Act (S.2620)
• Increasing Transparency in Generic Drug Applications Act (S.1302)
• Ensuring Timely Access to Generics Act of 2025 (S.3014)

These policies would help remove barriers to greater competition, expand access to biosimilars and other affordable alternatives and deliver meaningful savings for patients and the U.S. health care system.

Read more about how biosimilar competition lowers out-of-pocket costs for patients HERE.

Read more on how Big Pharma’s innovation rhetoric doesn’t hold up to scrutiny HERE.

Read more on how Big Pharma games the system to block competition and keep drug prices high HERE.

Read more on bipartisan, market-based solutions to hold Big Pharma accountable HERE.