Voters believe measure will result in higher drug prices
WASHINGTON, DC (July 2, 2019) — A recent national survey finds by a margin of 4-1 that registered voters believe that patent settlement legislation will result in higher drug prices.
The generic industry opposes proposed legislation, as it would make it significantly more difficult to challenge patents that protect brand-name drugs from generic competition, a sentiment that voters agree with by a margin of 64%-36%.
In the end, a majority of voters (59%) oppose patent settlement legislation.
“This survey demonstrates that, in addition to being bad public policy that will result in higher drug prices, it is also bad politics,” said Scott Siff of Quadrant Strategies. “Drug prices are a critical issue going into this election year, and legislation that will result in higher drug prices will be poisonous for candidates.”
Read the memorandum summarizing the key results of the survey.
Patent Settlements DO Help Patients
The survey was conducted by Quadrant Strategies, a national public opinion research firm based in Washington, DC, on behalf of the Association for Accessible Medicines. The results are based on a representative national poll of 2,000 registered voters, conducted June 7 to June 20, 2019.
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About AAM
AAM is driven by the belief that access to safe, quality, effective medicine has a tremendous impact on a person’s life and the world around them. Generic and biosimilar medicines improve people’s lives, improving society and the economy in turn. AAM represents the manufacturers and distributors of finished generic pharmaceuticals and biosimilars, manufacturers and distributors of bulk pharmaceutical chemicals, and suppliers of other goods and services to the generic industry. Generic pharmaceuticals are 90 percent of prescriptions dispensed in the U.S. but only 22 percent of total drug spending.
About the Biosimilars Council
The Biosimilars Council, a division of the Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM), works to ensure a positive environment for patient access to biosimilar medicines. The Biosimilars Council is a leading source for information about the safety and efficacy of more affordable alternatives to costly brand biologic medicines. Areas of focus include public and health expert education, strategic partnerships, government affairs, legal affairs and regulatory policy. More information is available at www.biosimilarscouncil.org.