State lawmakers can take meaningful action to lower brand prescription drug costs with the Prescription for State Savings. AAM outlines solutions to preserve patient access to generic and biosimilar medicines. View AAM’s four policy solutions.
Recommendations to Lower Prescription Drug Costs
Preserve Patient Access to Generics and Biosimilars
- State proposals often threaten continued patient savings through one-size-fits-all policies or with onerous requirements that negatively impact generic and biosimilar manufacturers.
- Price transparency, drug cost affordability boards and so-called “price gouging” proposals, for example, often inappropriately focus on low-cost generic and biosimilar medicines.
Ensure Coverage & Promote the Use of Biosimilars
- Biosimilar medicines are reducing patient costs and increasing access to life-saving treatments, but barriers are preventing biosimilars from achieving their full potential.
- States can ensure health plans cover lower-cost biosimilars and combat misinformation about these safe, effective lower-cost treatments.
Lower Patient Costs with Generics on Generic Tiers
- Patients are experiencing higher out-of-pocket costs for low-cost generics due to health plan decisions to charge higher copays.
- States can ensure new generic medicines are covered and reduce patient cost-sharing through proper formulary tier coverage.
Address Harmful Impact of Rebates
- The preference for high-cost brand drugs with high rebates by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) harms patients. States pay more for high-cost, high-rebate prescription drugs than generic and biosimilar medicines with lower list prices.
- States can address the harmful impact of rebates and encourage preferred patient access to lower-cost generic and biosimilar medicines.
Savings by State
How much did your state save from generic and biosimilar medicines in 2022? To view a full breakdown of savings and more facts, choose a state in the drop-down menu to download a one-page summary.
Share Your Voice
Billions in patient savings are possible with the Prescription for State Savings. Now is the time to deliver those savings to patients. Contact your lawmaker now and urge them to protect your savings from generic and biosimilar medicines!
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