WASHINGTON, DC (May 21, 2019) — AAM commends the House of Representatives for passing H.R. 965, the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples Act of 2019 (CREATES Act). This important, bipartisan legislation will help lower prescription drug prices for American patients by closing regulatory loopholes that have been abused by some brand-drug manufacturers to stifle competition. AAM is pleased to join nearly 100 different organizations who have worked tirelessly to bring this bill to a vote in the House. We encourage the Senate to take up this bill promptly and send it to the President for his signature.
Unfortunately, by packaging the CREATES Act with H.R. 1499, the Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019, and H.R. 938, the BLOCKING Act of 2019, Congress has taken one step forward and two steps back. These bills, while well intentioned, will impede generic and biosimilar drug manufacturers from bringing new, safe, and more affordable medicines to market. H.R. 1499 and H.R. 938 will raise the price of medicine.
AAM looks forward to working with the U.S. Senate to improve these bills and ensure they ultimately achieve the goal we all seek: lowering prescription drug prices for American patients.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rachel Schwartz
202.249.7147
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.