WASHINGTON, DC (May 14, 2020) — The Association for Accessible Medicines (AAM) has filed an amicus brief in the latest constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), arguing that even if the individual mandate of the ACA is deemed unconstitutional, the biosimilars pathway (BPCIA) should survive.
U.S. biosimilar medicines are 10 years old this month. It’s been an amazing journey so far, and we see great promise and opportunity ahead, with greater access and lower prices for patients with cancer, Crohn’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions. Here are 10 ways to mark this auspicious anniversary:
10. Learn more about the 10th anniversary of the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act (BPCIA) at www.b10similars.org.
Brand-name drug companies claim that without USMCA, there's no market for biologics in Mexico. But, the world's largest pharmaceutical companies launched their top-selling biologics in Mexico. Learn more in this infographic:
America’s health care system is eager for biosimilars, especially in light of mounting evidence that they deliver increased patient access and savings by providing competition for costly brand-name biologics.
Karin Hessler, Assistant General Counsel at the Association for Accessible Medicines, urges attendees to add their voice to the discussion at the one essential generic and biosimilar conference of the year: GRx+Biosims 2019, November 4—6 in Bethesda, MD.
The conference legal track:
I’m Christine Simmon, Senior Vice President of Policy and Executive Director of the Biosimilars Council at the Association for Accessible Medicines.
Working in this sector, I know how it feels to be inundated with invites to conferences and seminars and workshops and webinars -- all of which are supposed to help you stay on top of biosimilars. It’s a lot!
In a letter given to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer today, 102 members of the House of Representatives expressed strong concern that the pharmaceutical provisions included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) – NAFTA 2.0 – could increase prices for medicines in the United States, while limiting the ability of Congress to lessen pharmaceutical monopoly rights.
As prescription drug costs continue to increase, biosimilar medicines represent hope for patients seeking access to more affordable treatment. Biosimilars are lower-priced versions of brand medicines used to treat debilitating and life-threatening diseases, such as Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis, cancer and psoriatic arthritis. Patients and physicians can rely on FDA-approved biosimilar medicines just as they would the brand-name product.
Patients in the U.S. are already confronted by the world’s longest climb to affordable biosimilar medicines. NAFTA 2.0 (USMCA) will eliminate easier routes and keeps drug prices out of reach for American patients.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the update to the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), contains provisions that will: